Tulane Football: Jon Sumrall Gives QB Ty Thompson High Praise Ahead of Gasparilla Bowl

Joe Londergan | 20 Hours Ago

Nov 28, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Ty Thompson (7) throws before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall will look to end his first season as the Green Wave's leader on a high note Friday, as Tulane will square off with the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Following another run to the AAC championship game for the Green Wave, starting quarterback Darian Mensah entered the transfer portal and subsequently ended up at Duke. With Mensah gone, Tulane will turn to Oregon transfer quarterback Ty Thompson under center. Thompson lost a competition to Mensah for Tulane's starting job in fall camp.

However, while Thompson has publicly stated his focus is on the bowl game, his name is in the transfer portal examining his options for 2025. Allowing portal players to participate in bowl games is a strategy that not many coaches utilize, but Sumrall believes it to be the right one. The ability and maturity Thompson has shown during his year in New Orleans has Sumrall confident in his ability to take advantage of the chance to start.

"I think Ty has developed mentally a ton," Sumrall noted during media availability this past week. "He's a really smart kid already. Even though he didn't win the job in August, he's invested the time and preparation watching film, meeting with [QB coach Joe Craddock] like a starter. You walk by the staff room and Ty's in there all the time, by himself...watching tape on the computer there."

Sumrall went on to further rave about the adaptability Thompson showed in 2024, being ready when the team needed him as a type of gadget player in different formations. The junior has carried the ball 40 times for 243 yards and six touchdowns this season, also throwing two touchdowns on six completions.

However, it's Thompson's character that has Sumrall excited about his future, whether or not that involves the Green Wave after Friday.

"Very passionate kid about his craft, he's gonna play really hard with great energy and emotion. I'm excited about watching him play...Hats off to him for the way he's responded to what his role was this year. He's earned my respect just for how he carries himself as a man. It's got nothing to do with what he's done between the white lines, just what he is as a person, what he is as a human. I can't wait to watch him get his opportunity."

9-4 Tulane face 7-5 Florida at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN2 Friday afternoon.

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