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Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking Down the 2026 Signees – Defense, Special Teams

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The 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class includes several hand-picked impact players on defense and special teams. Here’s how those sides of the ball stacks up.

The 2026 Rice football recruiting class began with 18 signees during the Early Signing Period, the second recruiting haul for new head coach Scott Abell. Of those players, 16 are current high school seniors, eight play on the offensive side of the ball, plus one specialist.

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“I think we have found some great future Owls who are going to have an impact on our program,” Abell said during his introductory remarks regarding the group.

We’ve gone position by position breaking down each of those new people, dissecting how these Owls will help the program on the field.

* Denotes players who will enroll early in January

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** This piece has been updated to reflect new signees as of 2/5/2025 **
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Rice Football Recruiting: DL Tyler Lavallier commits to Owls

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A wave of defensive additions to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class continued this week. Defensive lineman Tyler Lavallier has committed to the Owls.

Adding difference makers in the trenches is a must-do for every program in the country. Being able to fulfill that task without going too far is an added bonus. The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class found one such fit for their future defense from just down the road in Brookshire, TX. Defensive lineman Tyler Lavallier has committed to the Owls.

Lavallier picked Rice over offers from programs such as Wyoming, Army, Navy, Air Force, Princeton, Columbia and Yale. He also had a growing list of interest from nearby lower-level programs like Incarnate Word, SFA and Houston Christian.

The welcoming nature and consistent communication from the coaching staff played a significant role in Lavallier’s decision, as did the scheme under defensive coordinator Jon Kay.

“They don’t just have one package,” Lavallier told The Roost. “Everyone and everything is interchangeable and can move and be very versatile. And I feel like that fits me because I can move well. I have good footwork, so being able to play different spots widens my playing field.”

Lavallier is the second commitment to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class in the past two weeks. Corner Jordan Mitchell made his pledge on August 1, with Lavallier jumping on board not long afterward.

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Standing 6-foot-2 and tipping the scales at 285 pounds, Lavallier is an unmistakable presence in the interior of the defensive line every time you turn on the tape. He breaks free from engagements with powerful hands and has a motor that gets him into the offensive backfield with regularity.

“I take pride in taking on double teams and not being moved,” Lavallier said. “I like to know it takes two to block me.”

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