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Rice University Athletics
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Announce Football Award Winners
4/10/2026 2:29:00 PM | Football
Awe wins Brigance Award, Jackson named 2205 MVP
Houston- Linebacker Andrew Awe has been named the recipient of the 2026 O.J. Brigance Award, and running back Quinton Jackson was named the winner of the George Martin Award as the Owls 2025 MVP as part of the announcement of Rice Footballs' annual awards in advance of the conclusion of the Owls' Spring Football drills on Friday.
Awe joined defensive lineman Blake Boenisch and cornerback Omari Porter in receiving Jess Neely Defensive Awards, while Jackson joined with slot receiver Aaron Turner and offensive tackle Luke Miller in receiving George R. Brown Offensive Awards. Running back D'Andre Hardeman Jr. was the recipient of the Joe F. Lipscomb Award as the Owls' top freshman, while defensive lineman Aquantis Clemmons was named the 2025 James W. Glanville honoree, presented annually to the Owl who excels in athletics, academics, and integrity. 2025 team captain Micah Barnett was named the winner of the Billy Ed Daniels Award for the qualities most desired in a teammate and safety Jack Kane was recognized as the recipient of the "Bloody Joe" Davis Award which is presented annually to the player who displays the competitive spirite of the former Rice assistant coach, rising above pain and injury to be the best player possible.
Created in 2009, by the R-Association and Brigance's teammates during his career at Rice, the Brigance Award is given annually to the Rice University football player who best represents and demonstrates the combined qualities of teamwork, good character, work ethic, and courageous leadership, which are the hallmark of the athletic and professional career of the former Owl, NFL player and team executive.
Originally a walk-on cornerback, Awe developed into one of the top linebackers in the American Conference and was a two-year starter for the Owls. He was named to Dave Campbell's Texas Football's All Texas second team after chalking up a career-best 106 tackles as a senior, which ranked fifth in the conference and was the most by an Owl since 2017. He reached double figures in tackles four times during the season, including a career-high 14 at South Florida. He closed his career with 35 tackles in the last four games, including four tackles for loss and three sacks.
Jackson led the Owls in rushing (889 yards), all-purpose yards (1,225), and kickoff returns (262), and tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns. His rushing total was the most yards rushing by an Owl since Jowan Davis ran for 956 in 2014. He set career-highs with 168 rushing yards, four touchdowns, and 248 all-purpose yards to lead Rice to a 37-34 overtime win over UConn. He became the first player in school history and the 11th at the FBS level since 1996 to have a rushing and receiving touchdowns of 70+ yards in the same game, scoring on a 73-yard run and 75-yard reception in the second quarter against the Huskies.
Hardeman finished fourth on the team with 325 yards on the ground, the most by a Rice true freshman since Samuel Steward finished 2017 with 388. He ran for a season-best 66 yards on 10 carries, including a season-long of 36 yards, vs. North Texas. He reached the end zone for the first time in his career with a 10-yard run early in the fourth quarter to tie the game with UConn 24-24.
Turner became one of the Owls' principal weapons after transferring from Cincinnati. He led the team with a career-best 63 receptions (9th best single-season total in program history), 398 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, and tied for the team lead with seven total touchdowns. Turner moved into the season top ten by setting a program bowl record with 10 catches vs. Texas State in the Armed Forces Bowl and had 42 of his 63 catches in the final five games.
Miller became a fixture at the tight tackle position, starting all 13 games and leading the offense with 828 snaps while allowing only one sack on 267 pass plays.
Boenisch anchored the middle of the Owls' defensive line and was credited with 41 tackles while setting a career best with 5.5 tackles for loss. He closed his career, starting 18 consecutive games and playing in 51 during his time on South Main.
Porter became the anchor of the Owls' defensive backfield after transferring from Stanford, starting all 13 games at corner. He set career highs with 36 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and eight pass breakups and totaled 715 snaps this season (3rd on the team), surpassing his previous career total of 322.
Clemmons saw action in a career-best 13 games, including the first two starts of his career, and was credited with a career-high 21 tackles. He had at least one tackle in 10 of 13 games and led the interior line with nine total pressures and seven hurries. He was named a 2026 Rice Scholar Athlete.
Kane battled through an early-season injury to play in 11 games and made eight starts and posted a career-best 41 tackles on the year, highlighted by a career-high 11 tackles vs. Houston.
Barnett made the switch from fullback to tight end as a senior and served as a co-captain while making a career-high 12 starts and seeing action on a career-best 660 offensive snaps. He was also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy.
Awe joined defensive lineman Blake Boenisch and cornerback Omari Porter in receiving Jess Neely Defensive Awards, while Jackson joined with slot receiver Aaron Turner and offensive tackle Luke Miller in receiving George R. Brown Offensive Awards. Running back D'Andre Hardeman Jr. was the recipient of the Joe F. Lipscomb Award as the Owls' top freshman, while defensive lineman Aquantis Clemmons was named the 2025 James W. Glanville honoree, presented annually to the Owl who excels in athletics, academics, and integrity. 2025 team captain Micah Barnett was named the winner of the Billy Ed Daniels Award for the qualities most desired in a teammate and safety Jack Kane was recognized as the recipient of the "Bloody Joe" Davis Award which is presented annually to the player who displays the competitive spirite of the former Rice assistant coach, rising above pain and injury to be the best player possible.
Created in 2009, by the R-Association and Brigance's teammates during his career at Rice, the Brigance Award is given annually to the Rice University football player who best represents and demonstrates the combined qualities of teamwork, good character, work ethic, and courageous leadership, which are the hallmark of the athletic and professional career of the former Owl, NFL player and team executive.
Originally a walk-on cornerback, Awe developed into one of the top linebackers in the American Conference and was a two-year starter for the Owls. He was named to Dave Campbell's Texas Football's All Texas second team after chalking up a career-best 106 tackles as a senior, which ranked fifth in the conference and was the most by an Owl since 2017. He reached double figures in tackles four times during the season, including a career-high 14 at South Florida. He closed his career with 35 tackles in the last four games, including four tackles for loss and three sacks.
Jackson led the Owls in rushing (889 yards), all-purpose yards (1,225), and kickoff returns (262), and tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns. His rushing total was the most yards rushing by an Owl since Jowan Davis ran for 956 in 2014. He set career-highs with 168 rushing yards, four touchdowns, and 248 all-purpose yards to lead Rice to a 37-34 overtime win over UConn. He became the first player in school history and the 11th at the FBS level since 1996 to have a rushing and receiving touchdowns of 70+ yards in the same game, scoring on a 73-yard run and 75-yard reception in the second quarter against the Huskies.
Hardeman finished fourth on the team with 325 yards on the ground, the most by a Rice true freshman since Samuel Steward finished 2017 with 388. He ran for a season-best 66 yards on 10 carries, including a season-long of 36 yards, vs. North Texas. He reached the end zone for the first time in his career with a 10-yard run early in the fourth quarter to tie the game with UConn 24-24.
Turner became one of the Owls' principal weapons after transferring from Cincinnati. He led the team with a career-best 63 receptions (9th best single-season total in program history), 398 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, and tied for the team lead with seven total touchdowns. Turner moved into the season top ten by setting a program bowl record with 10 catches vs. Texas State in the Armed Forces Bowl and had 42 of his 63 catches in the final five games.
Miller became a fixture at the tight tackle position, starting all 13 games and leading the offense with 828 snaps while allowing only one sack on 267 pass plays.
Boenisch anchored the middle of the Owls' defensive line and was credited with 41 tackles while setting a career best with 5.5 tackles for loss. He closed his career, starting 18 consecutive games and playing in 51 during his time on South Main.
Porter became the anchor of the Owls' defensive backfield after transferring from Stanford, starting all 13 games at corner. He set career highs with 36 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and eight pass breakups and totaled 715 snaps this season (3rd on the team), surpassing his previous career total of 322.
Clemmons saw action in a career-best 13 games, including the first two starts of his career, and was credited with a career-high 21 tackles. He had at least one tackle in 10 of 13 games and led the interior line with nine total pressures and seven hurries. He was named a 2026 Rice Scholar Athlete.
Kane battled through an early-season injury to play in 11 games and made eight starts and posted a career-best 41 tackles on the year, highlighted by a career-high 11 tackles vs. Houston.
Barnett made the switch from fullback to tight end as a senior and served as a co-captain while making a career-high 12 starts and seeing action on a career-best 660 offensive snaps. He was also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy.
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