Division I · American Conference
Rice University Football
Houston, TX · the Owls · Rice University overview
123
Roster
18 over the D-I cap of 105
$20M
Team budget
69th percentile in Division I
$159,278
Per roster spot
median $79,762
11
Coaches
1 head · 10 assistant
986
APR
98% of players retained
8%
Admitted
top 10% for selectivity
Rice University fields a football team in the American Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 123 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 10 assistants. Team expenses were $19,591,289, well above the median of $9.1M — $159,278 per roster spot, upper half of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 18 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 986, about the median of 964, with 98% of players retained year to year. The school gave $12,535,937 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $43,831 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#83Team budgetof 261 · Division I#83Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#86Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#28APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster123 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 18 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 10 assistant
- Team expenses$19,591,289 for the year
- Operating expenses$3,655,646 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$159,278 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate986 multi-year; 984 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible99% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$12,535,937 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$43,831 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$638,678 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Abell head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Rice University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →4,574undergraduates · 8,556 students in all
Women 44% Men 56%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Private · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →8%admitted · of 31,059 applicants
SAT middle 50%1500 – 1570
ACT middle 50%34 – 36
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 96%
Football
Full picture →123on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105123
18 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate986
98% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $19,591,289 $159,279 per roster spot · upper half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 10 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $12,535,937
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $638,678
Cost
Full picture →$20,587net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $58,128
Campus safety
Full picture →2.98violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 12 burglaries · 57 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 1 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →17%of bachelor's degrees in engineering · 21 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Rice University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program123 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions8% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$20,587 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsEngineering · 17%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 4,574Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety2.98 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Southern University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 2 | 120 | $2.8M | 950 | 93% | |
| University of Houston Division I · Big 12 Conference | 4 | 119 | $23M | 961 | 70% | |
| Houston Christian University Division I · Southland Conference | 7 | 119 | $5.9M | 964 | 85% | |
| Prairie View A&M University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 44 | 101 | $3.6M | 910 | 75% | |
| Sam Houston State University Division I · Conference USA | 69 | 127 | $9.7M | 936 | 85% | |
| Lamar University Division I · Southland Conference | 83 | 119 | $5.6M | 939 | 86% | |
| Texas A&M University, College Station Division I · Southeastern Conference | 84 | 146 | $60M | 965 | 63% | |
| McNeese State University Division I · Southland Conference | 135 | 117 | $5.3M | 919 | 68% | |
| Stephen F. Austin State University Division I · Southland Conference | 139 | 140 | $5.5M | 894 | 88% | |
| University of Texas at Austin Division I · Southeastern Conference | 145 | 118 | $70M | 974 | 29% | |
| Southwestern University (Texas) Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 149 | 95 | $892k | — | 39% |
Other football programs in the American Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Florida 25 over cap | 130 | $33M | $256,559 | 979 | vs | |
| Temple University 10 over cap | 115 | $26M | $228,656 | 987 | vs | |
| Tulane University 20 over cap | 125 | $23M | $181,408 | 958 | vs | |
| University of Memphis 60 over cap | 165 | $22M | $133,495 | 980 | vs | |
| The University of Tulsa 24 over cap | 129 | $21M | $160,650 | 945 | vs | |
| Rice University 18 over cap | 123 | $20M | $159,278 | 986 | vs | |
| Florida Atlantic University 10 over cap | 115 | $19M | $168,091 | 965 | vs | |
| University of Texas at San Antonio 13 over cap | 118 | $18M | $151,296 | 961 | vs | |
| East Carolina University 24 over cap | 129 | $16M | $127,698 | 938 | vs | |
| The University of North Carolina at Charlotte 17 over cap | 122 | $16M | $127,634 | 945 | vs | |
| University of North Texas 60 over cap | 165 | $15M | $93,226 | 961 | vs | |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham 15 over cap | 120 | $13M | $109,683 | 942 | vs | |
| U.S. Military Academy | — | — | — | 975 | vs | |
| U.S. Naval Academy | — | — | — | 988 | vs |
Every American Conference football program · Football budgets ranked