Rice Owls NFL Draft Prospects

Rice finished 5-8 (2-6 in the American) in 2025, Scott Abell's first season on South Main, and still backed into a bowl thanks to a losing-record profile that carried the highest Academic Progress Rate among five-win teams. The reward was an Armed Forces Bowl date with Texas State that turned lopsided in a 10-41 defeat, one of several one-sided losses that defined a year in which the Owls topped 20 points just five times.

The defining offseason story is continuity of scheme paired with near-total turnover of personnel. Abell's gun-option attack enters Year 2 with the promise that a second lap through the system pays off, but Rice again shuffles its roster after losing more than 50 players to graduation and the transfer portal, including a fresh quarterback battle for a second straight fall.