2026 American Preseason Previews: Rice Owls

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2025 record: 5-8 (2-6 American)

2025 postseason: lost to Texas State in Armed Forces Bowl, 41-10

2025 represented a major rebrand for Rice football. After years of running a pro-style offense, the Owls made a unique coaching hire in Scott Abell and shifted to an option scheme known as the “Rice gun choice.” The fullbacks disappeared from the offense. A handful of wide receivers converted to the ‘slot’ position. And the passing attempts dwindled with an increased emphasis on running the football.

The result? Not too bad for a rebuild year. Rice collected five victories (including one over 9-4 UConn), good enough for the program’s second-highest win total since 2015. And thanks to programs like Notre Dame, Iowa State, and Kansas State making unprecedented opt-outs, the Owls qualified for a bowl game with five wins, although they were outmatched 41-10 by Texas State.

This spring wasn’t spent on installing a new scheme, organizing a roster, or building a culture. Instead, that time was spent enhancing all of the above. Abell described his role this offseason as shifting from one of a general manager to one of a head coach, and now Rice is ready to attack another year, still in search of its first winning season since 2014.

Staff

The Scott Abell era extends to year two, and Abell exceeded expectations in year one — especially considering he installed a new scheme without relying heavily on transfer talent. Under Abell, Rice rattled off five wins with notable upsets over Louisiana and UConn. The Owls also participated in Bowl Season, albeit due to a lack of eligible teams, but those extra practices and big-game experience could pay dividends in 2026.

Abell’s inaugural staff remains largely intact. Coordinators Vince Munch (offensive), John Kay (defensive), and Mark Hogan (special teams) all operate in their same capacities in 2026, giving the staff greater continuity and chemistry entering the fall. Most position coaches were also retained, including assistant head coach and tight ends coach Wayne Lineburg. One incumbent coach switching roles is Taylor Sauer, a former quality control coach from the previous regime who was promoted to rush ends coach this offseason.

New assistants to Abell’s staff include cornerbacks coach Tevin Madison and defensive line coach Eli Rasheed. Madison served as a defensive analyst at Alabama last year while Rasheed spent the last 10 years as Iowa State’s defensive line coach, where he helped develop NFL Draft selections Will McDonald IV, Domonique Orange, and Eyioma Uwazurike.

Offense

• Key arrivals: QB Jacurri Brown, QB Gael Ochoa, WR Davis Lane, WR Barry Jackson Jr., TE Preston Zinter, C Scott Becker, G Leo Bluhm
• Key departures: QB Chase Jenkins, QB Drew Devillier, RB Daelen Alexander, WR Aaron Turner, Drayden Dickmann, WR Tyson Thompson, WR Landon Random-Goelz, TE Micah Barnett, C David Stickle, G John Long, G Weston Kropp
• Key incumbents: RB Quinton Jackson, RB D’Andre Hardeman Jr., RB Tyvonn Byars, WR Braylen Walker, WR Payton Matthews, C Nate Bledsoe, G Patrick Valent, OT Luke Miller, OT Luke Needham

Scott Abell is back for year two on campus, and so is the Rice gun choice offense. Abell’s offenses at Davidson College perfected this scheme, which turned a perennial cellar dweller program into a consistent winner. In 2024, Davidson finished first in rushing offense, 10th in total offense, and third in fewest turnovers in the FCS. At Rice, Abell drastically improved the offense from 114th to 15th in rushing yards per game in year one, but the Owls finished 86th in yards per carry with the fifth-most attempts in the FBS — so better run game efficiency is demanded.

Rice enters 2026 equipped with the necessary tools to produce a stronger rushing attack. Star tailback Quinton Jackson remains in Houston for a fourth season after generating a career-high 889 rushing yards last year. The extent of Jackson’s dominance was witnessed in his 180-yard rushing, 80-yard receiving, 4-touchdown performance which fueled the Owls’ double-overtime upset over UConn. The speedy back is one of the more dangerous in the American Conference, and he will chase his first 1,000-yard campaign this fall.

A pair of young running backs sit behind Jackson on the depth chart. D’Andre Hardeman Jr. and Tyvonn Byars prepare for their true sophomore seasons after recording 325 and 193 rushing yards, respectively, last year. The Owls’ running back depth thinned out after spring football after the loss of Coastal Carolina transfer Max Balthazar, who missed the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to injury.

Also promoting the run game is new quarterback Jacurri Brown. Last season, Rice utilized quarterbacks originally recruited under Mike Bloomgren’s pro-style offense for the gun choice, but this year, the Owls get a QB hand-picked by Abell for his scheme. Brown started three games at Miami (FL) from 2022-23 and two games at UCF in 2024, posting 906 passing yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions on a 57.4 completion rate. But Brown consistently impressed with his mobility, tallying 823 career rushing yards on a 6.0 average, highlighted by a 154-yard, 2-touchdown showcase in 2024 start vs. Iowa State. Brown will start, but Rice boasts in-game experience behind Brown on the depth chart with UNLV transfer Gael Ochoa and incumbent backups Lucas Scheerhorn and Patrick Crayton Jr.

Perhaps Rice’s most significant losses this offseason came at receiver. Aaron Turner, Drayden Dickmann, and Tyson Thompson were the Owls’ top three leading receivers and accounted for north of 65 percent of production. All three are gone, leaving a new batch of receivers to step up offensively. Rice divides this position into ‘slots’ and ‘wide receivers’. One candidate to take over Turner’s slot role is Davis Lane. The Virginia transfer rushed for 39 yards last season and should see expanded playing time in Houston. Primary names to watch in the wide receiver room include Payton Matthews (returning leader in receiving yards with 93), Braylen Walker (22 receptions, 264 receiving yards in 2024), and Cincinnati transfer Barry Jackson Jr.

Unlike the receiver room, the offensive line returns heaps of experience. Nate Bledsoe accumulated several games of starting center experience last season after an injury to David Stickle. Patrick Valent is back after making 11 starts at guard in 2025 — not allowing a single sack all season. Tackles Luke Miller and Luke Needham are also key components of the line suiting up in 2026. Miller started all 13 contests last fall and only allowed one sack, while Needham was limited to three games in an injury-riddled campaign, earning one start in September before returning for the Armed Forces Bowl.

Defense

• Key arrivals: DE Tariq May, ILB Jesus Machado Jr., CB Tariq Watson, CB Jamir Benjamin, CB Zach Cody, FS Koa Akui, SS AJ Brown
• Key departures: DE Michael Daley, DE Tony Anyanwu, DT Blake Boenisch, ILB Andrew Awe, OLB Ty Morris, CB Khary Crump, CB Omari Porter, FS Marcus Williams, SS Jack Kane, SS Peyton Stevenson
• Key incumbents: DE Chibby Nwajuaku, DE Joseph Mutombo, DT Dillan Botts, DT Chris Clark-Jolivet, DT Aquantis Clemmons, CB Jerrick Harper, FS Daveon Hook, SS Jo Chavez

Rice’s defense started strong in 2025, limiting four of its first five opponents to 21 points or fewer. It surrendered 21.5 points per game through its first six outings but 42.7 points per game through its final seven — allowing 56, 52, and 41 to close the season.

The Owls return two defenders who started at least six games in 2025: defensive end Joseph Mutombo and defensive tackle Dillan Botts. However, that doesn’t equate to a lack of experience, considering several other rostered defenders made multiple starts including defensive end Chibby Nwajuaku, defensive tackles Chris Clark-Jolivet and Aquantis Clemmons, cornerback Jerrick Harper, ‘viper’ Jo Chavez (essentially an outside linebacker/safety hybrid), and safety Daveon Hook.

Chavez ranked eighth on the team in tackles (40) in 2025, and he is the returning leading tackler for this unit. Nwajuaku (28 tackles, 2.0 sacks), Harper (27 tackles, 2 pass breakups), and Clemmons (21 tackles, 2.5 TFL) are among the other top contributors looking to improve this unit in 2026. Another welcome presence is the return of Daveon Hook. The safety — who has been starting games since 2023 — was limited to five appearances last year and enters his fifth season as an Owl after recovering from a scary injury suffered in the Armed Forces Bowl in January.

One of the Owls’ biggest offseason missions involves rehauling the pass rush. Rice had four players register at least 2.5 sacks last year, including Tony Anyanwu with a team-high 6.5, and all four must be replaced. Nwajuaku is the prime candidate to serve as Rice’s premier pass rusher in 2026. Additionally, Joseph Mutombo (3.5 sacks across the last two years) could also see his production flourish as a full-time starter.

Rice addressed the defensive front through the transfer portal by adding defensive end Tariq May (FCS Eastern Washington) and inside linebacker Jesus Machado Jr. (Houston). May is fresh off a season featuring 2.0 sacks at the FCS level, while Machado is Rice’s most experienced transfer addition. He played four games at Houston in 2025, but prior to his time as a Cougar, he was an integral part of successful Tulane defenses. He led an 11-win Tulane team with 98 tackles in 2023 before suffering an ACL injury in the 2023 Military Bowl. Now several years removed from the devastating injury, Rice presents Machado an opportunity to revert to his previous form.

Rice also retooled its secondary with transfers Tariq Watson (UAB), Jamir Benjamin (UCLA), Zach Cody (Coastal Carolina), Koa Akui (FCS Sacramento State), and AJ Brown (UAB). The UAB defensive backs, Watson and Brown, started six and seven games for the Blazers in 2025, respectively. Brown recorded 53 tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries at safety, while Watson logged 12 tackles and two pass breakups at corner. Akui is another intriguing presence in the secondary as a reigning First Team All-Big Sky selection at Sacramento State — posting five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. Akui’s tendencies to cause havoc will be essential to a unit which managed the fourth-fewest takeaways in the FBS last year with seven.

Special Teams

• Key arrivals: P Charlie Durkin, LS Phoenix Derichsweiler
• Key departures: P Alex Bacchetta, PR Tyson Thompson
• Key incumbents: K Enock Gota, KR Quinton Jackson

Enock Gota is one of the longest tenured Owls, first arriving on South Main in 2022. Last year represented his first season as the primary placekicker, and he drilled 10-of-13 attempts, hitting a reliable 10-of-11 from under 50 yards out with a long of 49. Gota provides stability at kicker, but the Owls must replace a successful punter in Alex Bacchetta.

Taking over the punting duties will be former Kent State starter Charlie Durkin. The grad transfer punted 20 times in 2023 and another 49 times in 2025, setting a new career-best with a 41.4 average last season. Durkin landed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line in his most recent campaign and opened the season with a 50+ yarder in six-straight games.

The Owls are in good hands from a kick return perspective with Quinton Jackson. Jackson served each of the three previous seasons as Rice’s primary kick returner, attaining a career average of 23.9 per attempt. His top special teams highlight transpired in October 2024 when he housed a kickoff at UConn for a 100-yard touchdown.

Rice’s 2026 punt returner is less clear after the departure of Tyson Thompson. Nobody on the roster has fielded a punt in an Owl uniform, and the transfer additions don’t arrive with extensive punt returning experience. Look for the slots and receivers to battle for that spot in fall camp, prior to the Sept. 5 opener vs. Houston Christian.

Schedule and outlook

* denotes non-conference game

Rice is given an extremely balanced schedule in 2026. The Owls never play home games nor road games in consecutive weeks the entire season, and their lone bye week is reasonably placed in late October.

The non-conference schedule is challenging. Last season, Rice thrived in the non-conference slate with three victories, but this year, things get tougher with road trips to Notre Dame and Fresno State, which finished 10-2 and 9-4, respectively, in 2025. Western Michigan presents another difficult challenge in September as the Broncos are fresh off a 10-4 season while returning 11 starters from a MAC championship season. Given the difficulty of this 4-game slate, a 2-2 record entering Week 5 would be considered a rousing success for the Owls.

In order for Rice to qualify for bowl eligibility on its own terms with six wins, it must deliver in conference play this year. The Owls won two American matchups in 2025, but both opponents (Charlotte and UAB) are off the 2026 schedule. It’s not the easiest conference slate considering five of the eight conference opponents produced winning records last fall, but North Texas, Tulane, and East Carolina experienced enough roster turnover where they’ll look dramatically different in 2026.

What does success look like for Rice this season? Improving to six wins and a bowl game would represent major progress for the Owls, which have only reached the 6-win threshold once since 2015. Rice has been long chasing its first winning season since 2014, and that’s a milestone Abell and his staff aim to achieve during this rebuild.

2026 American Conference preseason previews:

Army, Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice

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