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Rice Football Recruiting Profile: DB Omari Porter signs with Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class added a pair of veteran defensive backs to its roster including former Stanford defensive back Omari Porter.

The growing 2025 Rice Football recruiting class added a lengthy group of spring reinforcements who enrolled in classes this January. Many made public announcements on social media, but not all. One such under-the-radar addition was former Stanford defensive back Omari Porter.

Porter was an active member of the Cardinal secondary for five seasons on The Farm, making his college football debut and made his first tackle in Stanford’s 2020 season opener against Oregon. He would go on to play in 31 games for the program over the span of five seasons, seeing his involvement peak in 2023 when he appeared in 12 games with two starts.

Injuries limited Porter in 2024 before he opted to enter the Transfer Portal and explore opportunities elsewhere. Originally a three-star signee from Auburn, Alabama, Porter played his first few years at Stanford under David Shaw before spending the last two seasons under the leadership of Troy Taylor.

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Porter has an extensive history playing special teams as well as flexibility on defense. He saw most of his usage at Stanford as a corner before moving to safety for one season. He expected to play corner for Rice. At a bare minimum, he’ll be an asset to Rice football in multiple phases. With so many spots up for grabs in the defensive backfield, Porter will have a chance to quickly come in and compete for playing time.

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Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Colin Leahey commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just added an offensive weapon from their own back yard. Athlete Colin Leahey has committed to the Owls.

The furious run of impactful high school additions to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class hasn’t slowed down yet. Days removed from a productive official visit weekend with several new pledges, Rice has added another piece. Versatile offensive playmaker Colin Leahey has committed to the Owls.

At the time of his commitment, Leahey held offers from Air Force, Army and a host of Ivy League programs. He’s one of several new additions in the recent days which have opted for South Main over the likes of the academies and peer academic institutions.

“I love the family atmosphere that Coach Abell and his staff want to bring to the program,” Leahey told The Roost. “Coach Abell and his staff’s knowledge of the game is apparent in the success they’ve had over the years.”

Rice signed a pair of running backs in the early cycle, North Shore’s D’Andre Hardeman and Lake Creek’s Tyvonn Byars. Adding Leahey to the mix, to complement an already strong room, will give Abell plenty of options to tote the rock in his first season on South Main.

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On the field, Leahey profiles as a running back, but he’s versatile enough to split out wide and be used as a receiver as well. The ability to potentially contribute at both spots was part of what made the Owls’ offensive scheme so appealing. He can do so many things with the ball in his hands, something that jumps out immediately when you turn on the film. Regardless of where he lines up, this profiles as a great add for the Owls.

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Ian Bothwell commits to Owls

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Another trench bully has joined the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Offensive lineman Ian Bothwell has committed to the Owls.

National Signing Day is drawing near and the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class continues to stockpile talent. Given time to evaluate and hand-pick his targets, head coach Scott Abell and his staff keep adding to the relatively large class he inherited. One of those chosen additions came along the line. Offensive lineman Ian Bothwell has committed to the Owls.

Bothwell started to pick up some steam on the recruiting trail a year ago, landing early offers from Army, Navy and Air Force. Other FBS offers would follow from the likes of Kent State, UTEP, New Mexico and others before Rice stepped in and Bothwell shut things down in favor of the Owls.

“His proven track record to win was definitely something that was attractive,” Bothwell told The Roost, speaking of Abell. “He also seemed to have a very smart staff that seemed structured and experienced on how to run their offense.”

The addition of Bothwell rounds out a rather robust haul in the trenches. He joins fellow high school signings Erben Birkhoff, Colter Alberding and Cole Principe as well as commit Justin Michaelis and a pair of graduate transfers at the position. That’s a lot of big bodies for Abell and company to work with as they implement their new scheme.

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Standing 6-foot-5 and tipping the scales at 300 pounds, the film reflects just what one would expect from a man his size. Bothwell moves people with violence and has the requisite strength and power to win one one-on-one.

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Rice Football Recruiting: LB DeReyon Jenkins commits to Owls

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An enforcer off the edge is the newest member of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Linebacker DeReyon Jenkins has committed to the Owls.

To this point, the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class was rather light on edge players, making finding the right high school pass rushers a priority before National Signing Day. The Owls did just that with this most recent addition, landing a commitment from outside linebacker DeReyon Jenkins.

Jenkins picked up an offer from UCF last year in addition to a handful of FCS programs before opting to stick with Rice Football his senior season. The Owls’ staff and scheme played a significant role in that decision.

“I really love the defensive scheme,” Jenkins told The Roost. “The offense never knows what they do because they line up in different formations and that can really throw off the offense.”

Jenkins also went on to praise Abell individually, calling the Owls’ new head coach “an amazing person to be around” and someone who is “setting a standard in the program.”

A candidate for the rush end spot when he arrives on campus, Jenkins is the second high school pledge in the class from the defensive line, joining St. Vincent de Paul defensive lineman Rob Rooks.

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Jenkins flashes the exact traits you want in a pass rusher on film. He gets to the quarterback, fast and this scheme has a proven track record of finding ways to maximize that kind of ability. He’ll fit in well on South Main.

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Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Ahran Ogbor commits to Owls

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A versatile playmaker has joined the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Athlete Ahran Ogbor has committed to the Owls.

At this point in the calendar, adding explosive athletes is always a priority, regardless of where they’ll line up on the field. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class added one such potential playmaker following a busy weekend of visits to wrap up January. Spring high school athlete Ahran Ogbor has committed to the Owls.

Ogbor had previously been committed to Yale before opening himself to the Owls’ advances in recent days. Along the way he’d also picked up offers from the likes of Texas Tech, UTSA, North Texas, SDSU, UNLV, Army, Navy, Tulsa and others. A lot of programs wanted Ogbor to be a part of their class. He picked Rice.

On the field, Ogbor did a little bit of everything at the high school level. The plan, as of now, is for him to start with the defense when he arrives on South Main. Ogbor profiles well as defensive back with the speed and quickness to slide into the slot and cover.

Landing Ogbor was a significant development for the 2025 class, which only had one other high school defensive back pledge (safety Michael Amey III) at the time, relying so far on several transfer additions this winter.

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No matter where he’s lined up, Ogbor stands out on film. He’s dynamic and quick, dangerous when he gets the ball in his hands and twitchy when it comes to finding ways to find the football wherever it might be. He’s as versatile as it comes and a great add to this class.

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