Note: This story is featured in the 2026 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Summer Magazine, which you can order here.

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DCTF’S TAKE  

Scott Abell’s first season in charge of the Owls was a smashing success. Attendance rose and Rice reached a bowl game while improving its win total by one game from 2025. The unique option attack deployed by Abell provides Rice with an identity and logic suggests that another year in that system should only help the Owls improve offensively in 2026.  

If the defense can also take a step forward, Rice won’t be a fun team to play and could flirt with seven or eight wins in an American Conference that was shook by the coaching carousel over the offseason. The Owls haven’t finished a season above .500 since 2014, which is the same year they won their last bowl game.   

THE OFFENSE  

Only Army and Air Force attempted more rushes per game than Rice in Year 1 of the Scott Abell tenure. The Owls ran the ball 49.77 times a game and racked up 2,662 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground in 2025. But the success on the ground didn’t translate to points as Rice ranked 13 out of 14 in scoring offense at 19.1 points per game.  

Abell says his program is only scratching the surface of his unique option offense and that another year of development and an influx of talented players from the portal and high school ranks that fit the scheme. The Owls took “Abell 101” last fall semester. He plans on teaching an advanced course in 2026.  

“There were glimpses of what I want it to look like, but play-in and play-out, I expect better,” he said this spring. “I expect us to be better this year (on offense). I expect us to execute at a higher level. I look for us to be much improved.”  

Running back Quinton Jackson was the breakout star, finishing ninth in the American with 889 rushing yards, the most by an Owl since Jordan Davis in 2014. He’s back to headline a running back room that could be the strength of the offense. He’ll be joined by sophomores D’Andre Hardeman Jr. and Tyvonn Byars, who both played in reserve roles as freshman, combining for 518 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 2025. Byars averaged 5.7 yards a carry on 34 attempts.  

“They all have experience and that should allow us to be more multiple with multiple backs on the field at the same time, which we didn’t do much last year,” Abell said. “Ideally, we’d like to get them involved in groupings together because that allows us to use Jackson in different ways.”  

Quarterback Chase Jenkins transferred to Kansas after the season, but don’t cry for the Owls. UCF transfer Jacurri Brown might be an upgrade as a player and a leader. He’s played 462 snaps over 21 games between stops at UCF and Miami, rushing for 821 yards and eight touchdowns in that span. His 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame means he can handle the physical toll of Abell’s offense.  

“It starts and stops with him,” Abell said of the quarterback’s role in his offense.   

The Owls rebuilt the slot receiver position through the transfer portal. It’s a vitally important position in Abell’s offense and he believes it’s as improved as any position on the roster. Virginia transfer Davis Lane and Wake Forest transfer Ben Grice are both expected to start in their first year on South Main.  

The biggest question mark on offense might be at the outside receiver positions. Payton Matthews was forced into action late in his freshman season and could be a breakout candidate. Barry Jackson is also in the mix. Notre Dame transfer Preston Zinter, who played linebacker for the Fighting Irish, and James Falk are the team’s top two tight ends.  

Rice started 10 different offensive linemen, including three freshmen, last year because of injuries. Those growing pains should help the unit in 2026. Luke Miller and Cole Principe are two sophomores who will figure into the rotation. Nate Bledsoe is penciled in as the starting center. Patrick Valent is an experienced guard and Justin Michaelis is a tackle in line to hold down a starting job.  

BY THE NUMBERS  

49.77 – Average number of rushing attempts per game by Rice in the first year as an option team, trailing only Army and Air Force and just ahead of Navy. 

19.1 – Average points scored by the Owls in 2025. Rice scored 28.2 in five wins compared to only 13.4 in eight losses.  

32:43 – Average time of possession for Rice, which was eighth most nationally and second in the American Conference behind Army, which led the FBS.  

KEEP AN EYE ON  

The emergence of running backs D’Andre Hardeman Jr. and Tyvonn Byars will allow the Owls to move star running back Quinton Jackson around more in 2026. He worked at the slot position throughout the spring and head coach and play caller Scott Abell said they want to find as many unique and creative ways to get the ball in his hands. Don’t be shocked if Jackson gets 20-plus touches a game and flirts with 1,500 yards of total offense. The North Crowley product gained 1,225 all-purpose yards last year as a junior.  

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES  

RB Tyvonn Byars – The Lake Creek product ran for 193 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries as a true freshman in 2025 and is expected to be part of a three-headed monster at running back that includes Quinton Jackson and D’Andre Hardeman Jr.  

Slot Ben Grice – The Wake Forest transfer should make an immediate impact for the Owls at the slot position. He can also play outside as a true wide receiver. Grice took a redshirt season in 2025 with the Demon Deacons after playing in 12 games on special teams in 2024.  

PROJECTED STARTERS  

QB 11 Jacurri Brown 6-4, 200, Sr. Valdosta, Ga.  

RB 10 Quinton Jackson 5-7, 160, Sr. North Crowley  

WR 7 Barry Jackson Jr. 5-11, 195, Jr. Ellenwood, Ga.  

WR 0 Payton Matthews 5-11, 180, Soph. San Antonio Harlan  

Slot 5 Davis Lane 6-1, 200, Sr. Lynchburg, Va.  

Slot 6 Ben Grice 6-0, 196, Soph. Atlanta, Ga.  

TE 9 Preston Zinter 6-2, 240, Jr. North Andover, Mass.  

OT 73 Justin Michaelis 6-4, 315, Sr. Park City, Utah  

OG 50 Patrick Valent 6-3, 325, Jr. Warren, Ohio  

OC 56 Nate Bledsoe 6-4, 310, Jr. Collierville, Tenn.  

OG 71 Cole Principe 6-4, 315, Soph. Brea, Calif.  

OT 53 Luke Miller 6-5, 294, Soph. Round Rock 

K Enock Gota 6-0, 199, Sr. Spring Dekaney    

THE DEFENSE  

Creating more depth and causing more turnovers were the main goals for defensive coordinator Jon Kay heading into his second season as a defensive coordinator at the college level. The Owls finished dead last in the American Conference in turnovers gained with only seven. No team in the FBS gained fewer than six.  

“It was brutal,” Kay said of the lack of takeaways. “And frankly, that’s been true since I’ve been here. We’ve changed the way we recruit to find guys with ball skills who are always around the ball.”  

The lack of depth didn’t help. Rice played 14 or 15 guys on defense last year and Kay hopes that number can become 18 to 20 in 2026. Another year of portal additions and recruiting helps, obviously, but there are also adjustments the staff is making to prepare more players for playing time.  

“We need to do a better job of skimming down what we do and get more guys ready to play,” Kay said. “That bit us last year as injuries mounted because the guys who had to go in just didn’t have the reps under their belt that they needed, probably because of how much we were doing. 

The No. 1 priority in the portal was to rework the secondary and improve a pass defense that allowed 3,122 passing yards last year, which was 11th in the American Conference with the 25 touchdowns ranking 12th. Cornerback transfers Jamir Benjamin (UCLA) and Tariq Watson (UAB) should slide into starting roles.  

AJ Brown, another UAB transfer, is an expected starter at safety. One of the main returnees on defense is fellow safety Daveon Hook, who only played in five games last season because of injury. Jo Chavez is a name to know at Viper, which is a hybrid safety position in the Rice defense. An X-factor to monitor is Koa Akui, a Sacramento State transfer safety who didn’t arrive until the summer.  

Depth at linebacker was a concern entering spring but Abell and Kay were impressed with that room over the 15 practices and feel more confident about the group replacing Andrew Awe and Ty Morris, who were the team’s top two tacklers last season. Houston transfer Jesus Machado Jr. has experience in the American from his time at Tulane. Beau Barton is another name to know at linebacker. Nevada transfer linebacker Austin Harnetiaux arrived in the summer.  

One of the places that Rice needs more depth is at nose tackle after multi-year starter Blake Boenisch ran out of eligibility. It’ll take more than one body to replace his production and presence with Aquantis Clemmons and Christopher Clark-Jolivet the favorites to earn the right to replace most of the snaps. Dillan Botts, who had 16 tackles as a reserve in 2025, has a chance to start next to them at defensive tackle.  

The edges of the Rice defense also need new faces to emerge. The Owls lost their top four players in sacks last season with Chibby Nwajuaku as the returning leader with two. Joseph Mutombo is a fourth-year player with a chance to become a full-time starter at one of the defensive end positions. Eastern Washington transfer Tariq May arrived in the summer and should be an instant impact player off the edge for the Owls.  

BY THE NUMBERS  

8.3 – The average yards per passing attempt allowed by the Owls, which was 124th in the country. Rice allowed 240.2 passing yards per game.  

35 – Number of scrimmage plays of 30-plus yards allowed by Rice in 2025, which was tied for the most in the conference with UAB.  

25 – Number of sacks registered by the Owls, which was fifth most in the American Conference. The Owls managed 67 tackles for loss.  

KEEP AN EYE ON  

A trio of instant-impact transfers that weren’t on South Main for spring ball figure to be major contributors for Jon Kay’s unit in 2026. That starts with Sacramento State safety Koa Akui, a Hawaii native who was First-Team All-Big Sky last season after recording five interceptions, which was two more than the entire Rice team created in all of 2025. Edge rusher Tariq May (Eastern Washington) and linebacker Austin Harnetiaux (Nevada) are two other summer arrivals that could push for starting snaps in the fall. Harnetiaux had 37 tackles last year, while May registered a pair of sacks.  

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES  

DE Chibby Nwajuaku – Rice lost its top four players in sacks after last year. No. 5 was Nwajuaku, who finished with two. He was credited with 28 tackles over 12 games, including two starts. He’s expected to slide into a full-time starting role at defensive end as a senior.  

LB Jesus Machado Jr. – The Owls lost both starting linebackers from last year and dipped into the transfer portal to sign Machado, who Rice played against when he was at Houston in 2025 and Tulane before that. He’ll be one of two starters at linebacker.   

PROJECTED STARTERS  

DE 8 Joseph Mutombo 6-5, 257, Jr. Keller Central  

NT 57 Aquantis Clemmons 5-10, 281, Jr. Atlanta, Ga.  

DT 96 Dillan Botts 6-1, 285, Sr. Cypress Bridgeland  

Rush 16 Chibby Nwajuaku 6-2, 239, Sr. Cypress Ranch  

LB 14 Beau Barton 6-2, 195, Jr. Van  

LB 99 Jesus Machado Jr. 6-1, 220, Sr. Miami, Fla.  

Viper 2 Jo Chavez 6-0, 190, Jr. Folsom, Calif.  

S 7 AJ Brown 6-0, 200, Sr. Marietta, Ga.  

S 0 Daveon Hook 5-11, 184, Sr. Cibolo Steele  

CB 4 Tariq Watson 5-10, 185, Sr. Gretna, La.  

CB 12 Jamir Benjamin 5-10, 180, Soph. Lansing, Mich.  

P 29 Charlie Durkin 6-0, 190, Sr. Akron, Ohio