Tulane Green Wave Adds Vital Chemistry in Transfer Portal With Teammates

The Tulane Green Wave has added ten former teammates in an impressive transfer portal haul, building in cohesion for incoming players.
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While the transfer portal offers a lot of upside for programs like the Tulane Green Wave around college football, it adds a complex layer to building team chemistry.

Tulane football was a prime example last year with over 50 new players on the roster under a first-year head coach, a new starting quarterback, and four returning defensive starters.

It took time to gel, and the non-conference slate that features three Power 4 opponents doesn't allow for much breathing room in the 2025 season.

Despite retaining a core of players on both sides of the ball, Jon Sumrall has made waves in the transfer portal with 26 signings. That's a lot of new faces in the team's January workouts that started Monday.

However, an intriguing trend in this portal class is the former teammates who chose to transfer to the Green Wave. Intentional or not, Sumrall has built in cohesion with five pairs of incoming players.

Some of them aren't on the same side of the ball. Defensive end Santana Hopper and center Jack Hollifield come over from Appalachian State; similarly, offensive tackle Jordan Hall and defensive tackle Eliyt Nairne were opposites in the trenches at Liberty.

Defensively, edge rusher Harvey Dyson and defensive tackle Trevon McAlpine transferred from Texas Tech. The last two pairings are running backs and wide receivers: Maurice Turner and Jimmy Calloway from Louisville, and Zuberi Mobley and Omari Hayes from FAU.

That accounts for nearly 40% of the transfer portal players who have familiarity with someone on the roster. It bodes well for understanding responsibilities and schemes that share any similarities to their past teams. Importantly, it's a sense of comfort for the newcomers.

Perhaps it even allows for some culture carryovers or philosophies that proved helpful at former programs with dual voices.

As exciting as incoming talent can be, it's not seamless for every player in the portal to fit in instantaneously with a team. Some players may simply be more introverted, shy, or have had a negative experience with prior coaching staffs and are more reticent as a result.

For the current Tulane players, it's a new team for them just as much. It's the little things that provide ease—knowing how to get around the facility, returning to the same practice field, locker room, and coaching staff. The latter isn't always guaranteed, but the retention was considerably high for the program.

When attempting to meld nearly 30 new players into a program and culture, any carryover of relationships or chemistry is an asset. Sumrall has positioned his team to be comfortable amongst strangers as they look to form bonds ahead of the 2025 season.


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Maddy Hudak
MADDY HUDAK

Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com