Who is Scott Abell? Exploring new Rice coach's background & career achievements

Rice University Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland announced today that Scott Abell will be the new head coach of the Rice Owls. Abell will hold a press conference on Nov. 27 to discuss his vision for the future of the program.

Abell is the former coach of the Davidson Wildcats (6-5, 4-4 Pioneer Football League). He joined the program in 2018 and helped turn the team around. Before his hiring, the Wildcats had only two wins in 2017. He led the team to six wins in his first year, the most they had since 2007.

In a press release, McClelland shared why he decided to hire Abell.

"After spending time with Scott throughout the process, it was clear that we had found the right leader for our program," McClelland said.

"He has had an immediate impact on every program he has coached and is passionate about developing winners on and off the field. He is the right person to lead Rice football into a new era of success. I am thrilled to welcome Scott and his family to Rice," the Director of Athletics added.

Rice (3-8, 2-5 American Athletic Conference) has struggled this season and is on a two-game losing streak. In Week 13, the Owls suffered a 40-14 defeat to the UAB Blazers (3-8, 2-5) on Nov. 23. Their final game this season will be against the South Florida Bulls (6-5, 4-3) on Nov. 30.

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Scott Abell's background & accomplishments

Scott Abell, the newly hired Rice coach, played college football and baseball for Longwood University until he graduated in 1992. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals the same year and played in their minor league system for a year. Abell transitioned to becoming a football coach and has climbed from the high school level to where he is today.

He started to gain traction at the college level when he joined the Washington and Lee Generals in 2008 as an offensive coordinator. He helped improve the offense, with their points increasing from 23.8 points per game in 2009 to 35.3 points in 2010, according to Washington and Lee. In 2010, the Generals ended the season with an 8-2 record, accumulating their most wins since 1981.

He was promoted to the position of coach in 2011 and continued to lead his team successfully. Between 2011 and 2017, his team had only three seasons with fewer than eight wins. Abell's team also won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship three times under his leadership.

He left to coach the Wildcats in 2018, where he had similar success in improving the team. He coached Davidson to two PFL Championship wins and three appearances in the FCS Playoffs.

Abell will now try to rebuild Rice and lead them to a better record next season.