Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck, Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler, and Ohio head coach Tim Albin have emerged as serious candidates for the Rice Owls opening, according to multiple sources. Expect Rice to decide in the next week or two with early signing period set for Dec. 4-6. 

Beck, who is currently calling plays for Vanderbilt in the SEC, worked his way up the staff at Division II Pittsburg State, eventually becoming the head coach of his alma mater in 2010. He led the Gorillas to an 82-35 record and the 2011 DII national championship. He was an offensive analyst at TCU in 2021 before following Jerry Kill to New Mexico State, where the pair found quarterback Diego Pavia. 

Keeler is the only head coach in history to win national titles at two separate FCS programs, winning it as his alma mater, Delaware, in 2003 and Sam Houston in 2020. The only active college football coaches with more wins than Keeler are Brian Kelly and Mack Brown. He’s only six wins from moving into the Top 20 all-time. His Bearkats are currently 8-2 and in contention for a CUSA championship in Year 2 as an FBS program. They beat Rice in Week 1. 

Albin is 55-27 since becoming the head coach at Ohio in 2021. He arrived there in 2005 as the offensive coordinator. He was the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State, his alma mater, from 1997-99, leading them to the NAIA national championship in 1999 before joining the staff at Nebraska. 

Sources say Skip Holtz is not in the running. 

Former Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren was fired in his seventh season on Oct. 27 after the Owls loss to UConn in Week 9 to fall to 2-6 on the season. He was 24-52 as the head coach on South Main, ushering Rice’s move from CUSA to the AAC ahead of the 2023 season. His Owls reached bowl games in 2022 and 2023, but never finished a season with a winning record.