Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-3vs Houston Christian | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 0-52@ Notre Dame | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 7 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#94
Braden Bays
Freshman defensive lineman on Rice's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 269 lb · Boerne, TX · Boerne
Returning to Rice for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
2 TFL · 7 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 TFL, 5 tackles, at Notre Dame
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 defensive lineman on Rice's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Rice in 2025.
Braden Bays
He has spent two seasons in the Rice defensive front. One game to point at: 5 tackles, 2 TFL against Notre Dame — Week 2, 2026.
7 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
20253 games
- Signed with Rice3-star out of Boerne
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Rice
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Scott Abell — 6-9 over that span.
2025Rice5-8HC: Scott Abell · Run-heavy
2026Rice1-1HC: Scott Abell · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles for loss (85th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 3.5 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Abell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 31–3
2 TOT
Dominant 28-point win at home against Houston Christian.
With Q. Jackson — 61 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · C. Durkin — 54 AVG · 54 LONG · 1 NO
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Rice
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Rice
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -2 net (20 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Rice · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #100 · 2026 recruiting class #104
Background
Honors American Conference All-Academic 2026 Pronunciation Guide 2025 Moved into the playing rotation late in the season and saw action in four games plus the bowl game to preserve his redshirt…. Saw action 11 plays in his first three games (Memphis, UAB & North Texas) before playing 40 snaps at...
The defensive line · Rice
- #57Aquantis Clemmons3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #16Chibby Nwajuaku3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #92Luca Akirtava2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #2Jo Chavez1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Braden Bays1 tackle for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Rice team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology