The source for Rice sports news
Head Coach: Biff Poggi
Record at School: 3-9 (1 Yr) | Career FBS Record 3-9 (4 Yr)
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Miller | Defensive Coordinator: Ryan Osborn
Roster churn has become a part of college sports as we know and Rice football is not immune to the ebb and flow of players coming in and out. The Owls have a higher retention rate than most, but there are still plenty of changes to address. With the 2023 season in the books, this page will serve as a running tracker regarding the roster for the upcoming season as it currently stands.
Looking for the latest recruiting changes such as offers and new commitments? Subscribers can access the recruiting tracker here. Not a subscriber yet? Join here. Feel free to bookmark it and refer back to it from time to time as players announce their intentions throughout the offseason.
All roster changes are up to date as of July 1, 2024.
This piece is part of our 2024 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today.
Rice Football dropped its final game of the season on the road against South Florida, coming one win shy of a bowl trip in head coach Scott Abell’s debut season. South Florida struck first and kept laying it on in what proved to be the final game of the 2025 Rice Football season. Unable to […]
Should there be a shortage of six-win teams, Rice football could turn to Academic Progress Rate to reach the postseason. How would that work? The simplest path to bowl eligibility for Rice football would be a win over South Florida on Saturday. A win over the Bulls would be the Owls’ sixth victory of the […]
USF is next up on the 2025 Rice football schedule, so we’re going behind enemy lines with Bulls’ insider Seth Varnadore of the Bay Area Examiner. Bulls’ insider Seth Varnadore was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and South Florida. The answers below should […]
Rice Football has a bowl game on the line against South Florida and is doing all they can to squeeze one more win from this schedule. Here’s the latest from the field. The offense took a step forward against North Texas, but there’s a long way to go to keep up with the elite teams […]
Rice Football started fast but couldn’t finish against North Texas. What to take from the loss, which featured free ice cream and beer for students. For roughly one quarter, everything was looking good for Rice football. Then the North Texas offense took off and did not slow down. The Owls didn’t get the win, but […]
At its core, recruiting is about finding the most talented athletes possible. Once they’re on campus, coaches have to put the pieces together in the most optimal way. The 2025 recruiting class has leaned fully into that philosophy with its latest addition, picking up a pledge for an elite athlete and leaving the exact position he’ll play open-ended. Athlete Payton Matthews has committed to the Owls.
Matthews’ ability to do a lot of different things all over the field is part of what drew him to the Owls’ scheme. “I’ve always floated around from position to position,” Matthews told The Roost. “I think [the Rice coaching staff] can utilize my playmaking abilities all over the field.”
Along the way, Matthews picked Rice over offers from UTSA, Navy, Air Force, Central Michigan and others.
Early indications are he’ll start off in the wide receiver room with the understanding he’s not going to be a stagnant piece in the offense. Matthews indicated his conversations with the staff emphasized that versatility. “I’m supposed to be all over the field which is one of the things I love most,” he said.
The addition of Matthews further bolsters the offensive weaponry of the 2025 class which includes a couple of tight ends, a pair of running backs and multiple receivers, the majority of which have committed in the last two weeks.
Matthews is a lightning bolt on film. His explosiveness and elusive nature make him a home-run threat whenever he gets the football in his hands. How that happens remains to be see, but he’s the type of playmaker you want to get on the field however you can.
One of the younger rooms on the Rice football roster, the safety position boasts an interesting mix of established veterans and up-and-coming players looking to make a name for themselves. Gabe Taylor is the household name here, but he might not be the only man at this position to make a significant impact on the field this fall. Who else will step up beside him?
This piece is part of our 2024 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today.
Things were relatively quiet on the Rice Football recruiting front until very recently. The Owls entered the month with three commitments. They’re going to leave June with at least a dozen, if not more. Where did this come from? And what can the Owls expect from their recent surge of recruiting wins? We tackle those questions and more in this month’s subscriber Q&A.
Questions were edited briefly for clarity. Want to get your questions answered? Subscribe on Patreon for our monthly mailbag.
For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.