Analysis: Tulane Green Wave Face Familiar Challenge with Proven Results
The Tulane Green Wave have made a strong stand in their second offseason with head coach Jon Sumrall at the helm.
As the Tulane football team continues building back roster needs through the transfer portal, the strong retention of the core speaks to the state of the program compared to this time last year.
It's challenging to remain competitive in this age of college football, especially as a Group of 5 program with three seasons of sustained success culminating in a 32-10 overall record and a 22-2 slate in conference play.
In December of 2023, the team experienced the initial ripple effect when Willie Fritz left for the Houston Cougars. That bled into the loss of several starters and contributors to the portal.
The Green Wave had four starters on defense return for the 2024 season. In coverage, they added Jalen Geiger from the Kentucky Wildcats at free safety and his backup who contended for the starting role and will presumably do so next year; Jack Tchienchou, who came over from the Troy Trojans, along with starting spear Caleb Ransaw, and cornerbacks Johnathan Edwards from Indiana State and Micah Robinson from Furman.
Only strong safety Bailey Despanie was a holdover, making every player in the secondary new teammates with each other. Despanie, his backup, Kevin Adams, and Tchienchou return as a cohesive group.
Linebacker Tyler Grubbs lost his counterpart, Jesus Machado, to an injury in the Military Bowl. Machado projects to return as an underrated, crucial piece on defense. Grubbs was the first player to commit to return despite not having a named head coach. He blossomed under Sumrall and linebackers coach Tayler Polk.
Grubbs had to learn quick chemistry with transfer Sam Howard from Austin Peay as an addition in the second portal window.
The only other returner was Dickson Agu, who was a critical backup for Howard in tandem with Chris Rodgers from Troy, who both come back with Howard. It's not clear whether either will take over for Grubbs as the starter, or if transfers Ty Cooper from Mississippi State and Dallas Winner-Johnson from Missouri State will slot in.
That unit will have both spring and fall camp to gel under coach Polk. Outside of safeties coach Rob Greene, every position coach on defense, including defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato, is returning on staff, as are the coaches on offense.
Over the last four seasons, this hasn't happened. Continuity at head coach isn't a given, but retention of nearly every coach and both coordinators is a rarity.
The team continues its search for an edge rusher and recently welcomed Bandit Maurice Westmoreland from the UTEP Miners. Currently, he is the only player named in that role, as all five rotators have left since last season.
As seen through the 2024 slate, the defensive linemen may end up in different roles entirely. Kameron Hamilton now projects to start at defensive end after beginning last year as a backup on the interior. Parker Petersen, now with the Wisconsin Badgers, showed significant development once he moved to nose tackle.
On offense, there has been significant change, leaving their identity uncertain. Three notable departures are quarterback Darian Mensah to the Duke Blue Devils, Makhi Hughes to the Oregon Ducks, and Alex Bauman to the Miami Hurricanes. Wide receivers Mario Williams, Dontae Fleming, and Yulkeith Brown all head to the NFL draft.
Another quarterback competition is brewing accordingly. It's clear the staff has applied lessons learned from the first one.
With the addition of Kadin Semonza, a full-time starter from Ball State, and a campaign that earned him the title of MAC Freshman of the Year, the roster boasts considerably more experience. He joins Donovan Leary and TJ Finley in a room with credible game snaps.
Between Darian Mensah, Kai Horton, and now-tight end Ty Thompson, they had three starts at the college football level.
The Green Wave also had a spring practice that lacked veteran players in the secondary, particularly at cornerback. Robinson and Edwards significantly altered the trajectory that led to Mensah's start.
Before signing all three quarterbacks, the team shored up in the trenches with five additions along the offensive line. Tulane acquired three defensive backs in the wave that followed.
During this period, they signed two running backs to compensate for Hughes. The surprise out of that room may very well be redshirt freshman Jamari McClure, who showed flashes of elite burst and strong fluidity throughout training camp and limited reps in-season.
Tulane may have felt the effects of the portal harder this offseason due to the positions and pedigree of players who departed. However, they lost quarterback Michael Pratt a year ago to the draft.
The team was coming off a harsh loss in the Military Bowl. They found themselves in a similar situation after the Gasparilla Bowl loss. The unease wasn't as palpable, and that speaks to the value of coach Sumrall and the culture he's instilled.
There's a year's worth of buy-in to the core values: attitude, toughness, discipline, and love. The philosophy of saying 'good' in the face of adversity has plenty of examples to resonate within.
That there were multiple former players, including New York Jets rookie Jarius Monroe, who were advocating for players in the portal to come play under Sumrall despite not doing so themselves, speaks to his impact. It isn't comparable to a bowl game victory.
Since the portal opened, the team has signed 25 players across eight position groups. They had over 50 new additions to the roster to start the 2024 season. This time, they have an identity and foundation to build off of.
In his introductory press conference, Sumrall declared that the team would reach the college football playoffs. That was a tangible goal for Tulane before their losing streak ended the year. This time, the focus is not on selling potential but rather on illuminating a well-defined pathway.
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