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Rice Football Recruiting: DT VJ Bronson commits to Owls

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Reinforcements to the 2025 Rice football recruiting class continue to pour in. North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson has committed to the Owls.

Gathering depth in the interior of the defensive trenches was a must-do following the conclusion of spring practices. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class found its answer up front in a veteran transfer from within the AAC. Former North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson has committed to the Owls.

Bronson has taken a long road to get to South Main, beginning his college career at Lamar in 2021 before transferring to Arkansas State for a pair of seasons. He then transferred to North Texas where he redshirted in 2023 before appearing in five games for the Mean Green a season ago.

“I’m someone who’s been through a lot and learned to appreciate every chance to suit up,” Bronson told The Roost. “I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m locked in, ready to work, and I’m coming to Rice to leave it all on the field. Whatever it takes to help this team win.”

After entering the portal, Bronson received offers from Southern Miss, Kent State, UConn and others before shutting down his time in the portal and choosing to commit to Rice.

“It wasn’t just about football,” Bronson said. “It was about being in an environment that would challenge me to grow as a man, and that’s what made the decision clear for me.”

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There’s not a lot to go from as far as recent game film goes for Bronson, but the highlights that are out there show a bigger man (6-foot-3, 320 pounds) that is relatively quick on his feet. Bronson himself pointed toward that aspect of his game as an advantage. “I know how to use my size the right way,” he mentioned. “I try to be someone the team can count on to handle the dirty work and do it right.”

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Rice Football Recruiting: RB LJ Johnson commits to Owls

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The first Rice football recruiting addition of the spring portal window comes from just north of town. SMU running back LJ Johnson has committed to the Owls.

From the moment the spring Transfer Portal window opened, the buzz surrounding Rice football recruiting a veteran running back for the Owls’ run-heavy scheme was everywhere. The Owls brought in several backs, eventually landing on an in-state transfer. Former Texas A&M and SMU running back LJ Johnson has committed to the Owls.

A four-star recruit out of Cy Fair High School in Cypress, TX, Johnson committed to Texas A&M over Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ohio State and the full gamut of big names in the sport. He was used sparingly in two seasons with the Aggies before transferring to SMU where he played a larger role in two seasons with the Mustangs.

Johnson ran for 879 yards on 182 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry over 24 games. He scored nine touchdowns. While Rice and SMU shared the AAC together, he carried the ball 15 times for 73 yards in one game at Rice Stadium against the Owls, also racking up three receptions for 26 yards through the air.

This addition gives the Owls a rather stout running back room, which returns the versatile Quinton Jackson, exciting redshirt freshman Taji Atkins with Daelen Alexander, and a pair of exciting freshmen in the fold. A veteran with big-game experience, Johnson balances out a younger room that has less tread on the tires. At 5-foot-10 and 219 pounds, he’s also the stockiest back on the roster.

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Johnson has been a complimentary piece and performed well, but when given the chance to shine, he’s showcased some impressive athletic traits. He has a decisive first step like seen on the highlight below and has proven himself durable. In a brief stint as the workhorse for SMU in 2023, Johnson carried the ball 56 times for 294 yards, scoring twice in a three-game stint against Rice, North Texas and Memphis.

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 7: Offensive Takeaways

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The new-look Rice football offense was installed this spring and we learned a lot about what this side of the ball will look like under head coach Scott Abell.

It was mostly encouraging news regarding the Rice football offense as head coach Scott Abell and his staff started installation this spring. In his words, they got “probably 60 percent” of the way toward where they need to be while he’d been hoping for the group to get to 75 percent by the end of the spring.

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“The meat and potatoes are in,” he teased, reinforcing the team had gotten the bones of the offense installed. With those pieces in place, it’s time to step back and make an assessment of how this side of the ball is doing and what we learned from it during the spring.

Off to the races

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 198 – Rice Football Spring Review

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The first set of Rice football spring practices under head coach Scott Abell have come to an end and y’all have questions. We field them in this show.

After reviewing an intra-season coaching hire for Rice baseball, The Roost podcast pivots back to Rice football, discussing the Spring Game and general takeaways from the first spring under head coach Scott Abell. Rather than reiterate things we’ve mentioned before, we opened the mailbag and solicited questions from our listeners.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 198.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

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Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better. Join our discussion on Discord here.

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Rice Football Spring Q&A from our listeners. Topics include:

  • The passing game
  • Injuries
  • Depth charts
  • The quarterback battle
  • Scheme and tempo
  • The offensive line
  • Surprises, standouts and closing thoughts

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Clay Mitchell commits to Owls

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The second pledge of the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is on the board. Offensive lineman Clay Mitchell has committed to the Owls.

The beginnings of the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class are taking shape. With one pledge already in the fold, the Owls hosted a whole flock of recruits during the Blue and Gray weekend, landing at least one commit thus far. Offensive lineman Clay Mitchell has committed to the Owls.

Mitchell had offers from UTEP, where current Rice football Director of Player Personnel Chad Johnson came from prior to arriving at South Main, as well the services academies and Georgia State. For Mitchell, it was the presence of head coach Scott Abell and his culture that made the difference.

“Coach Abell also is very easy to talk to and makes me and my family feel like we are a part of his own family,” Mitchell told The Roost, later adding that “Coach Abell is known for turning around programs and I am all in to help make that happen.”

Mitchell joins Sulphur (OK) tight end Colten Cole as the initial members of the 2026 class, which has seen dozens of offers extended to targets in the last few week, many of which were on campus this past weekend.

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When it comes to the tape, Mitchell’s prowess in the trenches sticks out. He told The Roost he prides himself in his run blocking and his “ability to dominate at the line of scrimmage and make people want to quit.” The physicality sticks out and should make him an exciting piece to watch in the trenches when he arrives on South Main.

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