Joseph Mutombo holds the DE · Starter spot in Rice Owls’s edge room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Joseph Mutombo is a defensive end for Rice standing 6'5" and weighing 271 pounds. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he attended Keller Central High School, where he recorded 70 tackles and four sacks as a senior. Mutombo redshirted his true freshman year in 2023 after suffering an injury. In 2024, he appeared in all 12 games and made 11 tackles across 145 snaps, including his first career sack and interception. During the 2025 season, Mutombo started eight games while logging 235 snaps, compiling 12 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss over 12 appearances. He earned AAC All-Academic honors in both 2024 and 2025.

Rice2023 — present