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Portal Oddities: The 2024 Rice Owls produced six Power Four Players

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•05/21/25•

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Ethan Onianwa
Rice offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa. (Photo by Scott Wachter, Imagn Images)

Unfortunately Rice isn’t currently on any of the Longhorns’ future schedules. I like seeing Texas take on Southwest Conference opponents and growing up in Houston, I always had a bit of affinity for the Owls. I was even part of the Rice Owls Kids Club, but that’s probably so my family could grab a couple of tickets if the Longhorns played at Reckling Park.

Anyway, I think it’s an interesting program. Split Zone Duo recently posted an episode in their “Why You’re Always Bad” series about the Owls. The reasons for Rice being a tough job are numerous.

  • Academic requirements that rival (and sometimes surpass) Stanford’s
  • An aging stadium
  • It’s a school school
  • Lack of visibility in Houston
  • Conference affiliation
  • Low enrollment and alumni numbers

Wayne Graham worked a miracle in 2003. Anyway, I took a quick look at what the Owls lost in the portal and was shocked to see that of the 18 players that On3 lists as having entered the transfer portal from Rice, six found homes at Power Four schools.

Rice had six players that Power Four schools thought worthy to add to their roster. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin even grabbed a quarterback from off Main St. The Longhorns will face one of those transfers, too!

The Owls recently hired Scott Abell from Davidson, a move likely made in search of the next Lance Leipold. That aside, up-portaling is a small indicator of talent, and Rice had some players on the 2024 team.

Shawqi Itraish, QB, Rice > Ole Miss

Itraish was added to the Rebels’ QB room as depth. He has 45 career passing attempts over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Itraish didn’t play in 2024, but for him to have something that Kiffin saw as beneficial to the Ole Miss roster is intriguing. There’s no need to find a starter in Oxford, that role belongs to Austin Simmons. But Kiffin going to West U to find a QB for his roster? That’s eye-opening.

Boden Groen, TE, Rice > Kansas

Groen had a quality 2023 with 39 catches for 383 yards and three touchdowns. He notched 12 catches for 94 yards in the first four games of the 2024 season, then missed the rest of the year after an undisclosed injury. Kansas is going to try to work its way to the top of the crab bucket in the Big 12 with Jalon Daniels. Groen likely will function as a blocking piece seen regularly in Lawrence.

Dean Connors, RB, Rice > Houston

Is the Bayou Bucket not sacred? Connors rushed for over 1500 yards over the last two seasons with 16 touchdowns. He posted 100-yard games versus Tulsa, Charlotte, Texas Southern, Charlotte again, and Navy in the past two years. Willie Fritz will have a good rusher for his offense with Connors.

Ethan Onianwa, OT, Rice > Ohio State

Here’s the big prize from the Rice roster. Onianwa posted a PFF offensive grade of 69.1 in 2024, akin to the number DJ Campbell had against different competition of course. Onianwa will have the task of blocking players like… Colin Simmons in week one should he win the job.

Tyson Flowers, S, Rice > Virginia Tech

Flowers was one of the Owls’ best defenders, posting a 72.0 defensive grade on PFF. He notched 38 tackles, two interceptions with one a pick six, and a forced fumble. VT head coach Brent Pry is a defensive guy and found what he wanted on his roster in Flowers.

Chad Lindberg, OL, Rice > North Carolina

Bill Belichick approved. Lindberg, who started his career at Georgia and was pursued by Texas in the 2020 class, started on the interior and even had some opportunities at tackle in Onianawa’s absence for a couple games. He’ll be asked to be an important blocker for Belichick.

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What’s the point? To show that there’s talent in every program and that it can either stay at home or it can elect to find a new opportunity at a level above, even if it’s coming from a program that hasn’t won a bowl game in over a decade.

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