Beau Barton holds the WLB · Backup spot in Rice Owls’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Beau Barton is a 6'2", 205-pound linebacker from Van, Texas, where he earned All-State honors as a senior with 161 tackles and 41 tackles for loss. A redshirted true freshman in 2023, Barton appeared in three regular season games and the First Responder Bowl. He played in all 12 games in 2024 as a special teams starter, recording 125 snaps on coverage units and earning a team-high 78.1 grade as a non-kick returner. In 2025, Barton saw action in all 13 games, posting a career-high 21 defensive snaps alongside 77 plays on special teams, with a team-best three tackles recorded against Prairie View.

Rice2023 — present