Scott Abell’s goal in Year 1 as the head coach at Rice was to install his offense, establish a new culture, and reach a bowl game. He checked each of those boxes in 2025 and wants more in 2026. The Owls haven’t posted a winning season since 2014, the last year they won a bowl game. The goals heading into Year 2 are to finish in the top half of the conference and finish with a winning record, and hopefully that includes a bowl win. 

I sat down with Abell, DC Jon Kay, safety Daveon Hook, and running back Quinton Jackson during the 2026 summer magazine stop, but not after enjoying a crunchy chicken sandwich and red potato salad at Local Foods near Rice Village. If you’re ever in Houston, I strongly suggest spending an hour walking around Rice’s campus, as well. It’s awesome and you might just stumble into the hidden beer bar if that’s your thing. 

Here are some offensive and defensive notes from the stop. 

Offense 

• Abell plans to announce the starter after spring, which would be earlier than he did it in 2025. Two transfers – Jacurri Brown and Gael Ochoa – are competing with returning sophomore Lucas Scheerhorn. It’d be a huge upset if Brown, who has played and started multiple games at both Miami and UCF, didn't get the starting job. He’s big at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds and he’s averaged six yards a carry and scored eight touchdowns on 137 attempts in his college career. Abell didn’t tip his hand, but we’d bet big on Brown winning the job. 
• Expect a three-headed monster of Quinton Jackson, who flirted with a 1,000-yard season last year, D’Andre Hardeman Jr., and Tyvonn Byars to receive the bulk of the carries at running back. Hardeman and Byars played as true freshmen last year and those growing pains should pay dividends for the rushing attack in 2026. Abell hinted that Rice wants to use two running back sets more often this year and believes the quality depth in that position room will allow for it. 
• Jackson is spending time at the slot position this spring. Abell & Co. want to find as many unique and creative ways to get the ball in his hands as possible. It wouldn’t shock me if Jackson can hit 1,500 yards of total offense with 20+ touches a game as a runner and a receiver. He plays much bigger than his 5-foot-7 frame suggests and he’s clearly the focal point of the offense. 
• Speaking of the slot position, Abell believes that is one of the strengths of the roster through half of spring ball. Rice loaded up on that spot in the portal and it is one of the most important and demanding positions in his offense because of the multiple responsibilities – blocking, receiving, becoming the pitch man in motion on option plays. Abell raved about Davis Lane, the Virginia transfer. Wake Forest transfer Ben Grice received high marks. He can play inside or outside. Jordan Clark and Colin Leahey are redshirt freshman who got their feet wet last season but should have much bigger roles this year. 
• The outside receiver spot is the biggest question mark on the offense. Payton Matthews caught four passes for 93 yards in the bowl game. But Abell said he wants to see a couple of guys step up in the back half of spring and the team is still searching for that go-to target out wide. 
• Rice has two real weapons at tight end. One of those is Notre Dame transfer Preston Zinter, who was a two-way star in high school but a defensive player for the Fighting Irish. He’s at tight end for the Owls and excelling in his first semester on campus. James Falk returns for his junior season and he’ll pair with Zinter to provide a 1-2 punch at the position. 
• Abell says he has eight to 10 offensive linemen ready to play. It was a position brutalized by injuries last year with the Owls forced to start 10 different offensive linemen, including three freshmen, during 13 games of the 2025 season. The good news is that a lot of those snaps return. Luke Miller started every game at tackle. Luke Needham missed eight games last year but is another player who could count as a returning starter at tackle. Nate Bledsoe started a handful of games at center and he returns, as does guard Patrick Valent. Abell says there are multiple battles for starting jobs right now. 

Defense 

• Creating depth was an emphasis for the Owls defense this offseason. DC Jon Kay said his unit played about 14 or 15 guys last year. He needs the depth to step up and for that number to grow to 18 or 19 guys in 2026. Injuries happen in football and Kay doesn’t want the drop off from the starters to the reserves to be as steep as it was at some positions last season. 
• Another point of emphasis is creating more turnovers. Rice is purposely searching for recruits in high school and portal targets with more ball skills and the knack to be around the football. To his point, the Owls were last in the American Conference last year with only seven forced turnovers. Rice was -4 in the turnover margin even though its offense was third in the AC in giveaways with 11, trailing only Temple and Army. 
• The goal in the portal was to rework the secondary and Rice feels like it hit on most of those additions halfway through spring. One of the top additions, at least on paper, was safety Koa Akui, who doesn’t arrive until the summer. Cornerback transfers Jamir Benjamin (UCLA) and Tariq Watson (UAB) were names mentioned, as was UAB transfer safety AJ Brown. Daveon Hook is one of the top returners in the secondary and he’ll start at one of the safety spots. 
• Depth at linebacker was a spot that Abell was worried about heading into spring, but he’s been pleasantly surprised saying, “that group has rung the bell.” The Owls must replace the production of Andrew Awe and Ty Morris, who transferred to Rutgers and that’s no easy task. Former Tulane and Houston linebacker Jesus Machado Jr. was mentioned as one of the key pieces on defense. The rest of that linebacker room are guys who’ve waited their turn. The wildcard is Nevada transfer Austin Harnetiaux, who doesn’t arrive until the summer. 
• Another big loss, figuratively and literally, was at nose tackle with long-time starter Blake Boenisch out of eligibility. Expect multiple guys to try and help replace his presence. Chris Clark-Jolivet and Aquantis Clemmons are two names to know. The Owls are young up front and under the direction of a new DL coach in Eli Rasheed. 
• The end spots are more known commodities than the interior because of Chibby Nwajuaku and Joseph Mutombo. Rush end Tariq May, a transfer from Eastern Washington, arrives in the summer and could play his way into the mix.