On the eve of Thanksgiving, Scott Abell had more than just turkey and gratitude on his mind — he had a historic moment to savor. Before a packed house of Rice University leadership, players, media, family and friends at the Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center, Abell was officially introduced as Rice's Dunlevie Family Head Football Coach.
"This is a dream come true," Abell said. "Honored, so grateful."
Rice's 20th head football coach, Abell leaves Davidson College as the school's all-time winningest coach, amassing a 47-28 record, two Pioneer League championships and three Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearances. Twice named the league's coach of the year, he transformed a struggling program that hadn't won more than two games in a season since 2011 into a winner, beginning with his first season in 2018. Now at Rice, Abell made his intentions clear: "Make no mistake about it, we will win," he said.
"Rice University embodies everything my family and I value: education, excellence and community. These principles will be the foundation of our program as we build a culture of success."
That culture starts with what Abell called "we values" — win everything, win everywhere and with everyone. "We're going to work very hard. Everything we put our hands on, our heart behind, we're going to pursue for excellence," he said. "You can only build great things when people come together for something bigger than themselves, and that's what we're going to do here."
Rice President Reginald DesRoches welcomed Abell, his wife Crissie and their children, Porter and Emily, into the Rice family. Emphasizing the university's commitment to excellence across all areas including athletics, DesRoches highlighted the pivotal role sports play in fostering the spirit, resilience and identity of the university.
"Under coach Abell's leadership, I am confident that our football team will achieve remarkable success, not only in terms of wins and championships but also in fostering a culture of excellence that will inspire our students and energize our alumni and our fans," DesRoches said.
During a national search launched Oct. 27, Vice President and Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland interviewed more than 30 candidates from college programs and the NFL before selecting Abell. McClelland sought a proven head coach with integrity, a competitive edge, a dynamic offensive identity and a strong commitment to community engagement.
"His character, leadership style and achievement aligns perfectly with the vision that we have for Rice University football. Perhaps most impressively, he has a proven track record of success at multiple places," McClelland said. "He is a program builder who has established and maintained a winning culture at every step of his illustrious career."
Abell's Davidson teams boasted an explosive offense, leading the nation in rushing six of the past seven seasons and topping the FCS in scoring in 2023. Before Davidson, he spent six years at Division III Washington & Lee University, winning three Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles and earning ODAC Coach of the Year honors three times.
"Every step along the way throughout my career, we took on programs where winning was a challenge and turned those programs into championship programs," Abell said. "With the support of my faith, my family and the Rice community, I'm confident we'll do the same here."
Among those at the press conference was Houston native Barclay Briggs, a recent Davidson graduate who played four years on Abell's offensive line. Briggs praised Abell's ability to inspire players and foster a culture of commitment.
"You can expect a man with remarkable integrity," Briggs said. "He's going to win games, he'll be an exciting football coach, but he'll be an even better representative of Rice as an institution in the way he'll lead this program. I promise you it'll be the right way."
Also present was Davidson alum Steven Smith, who served on the hiring committee that brought Abell to Davidson in 2018. Calling him "the magic man," Smith expressed mixed emotions — sadness at seeing Abell leave Davidson but excitement for what he could achieve at Rice.
"He'll be magic at Rice. He could have Rice in the top 10 in the nation, in my opinion," Smith said. "His offense is that unique. Scott Abell and Rice, it could be unbelievable."
