Six Tulane Football Stars Highlighted in Prestigious Preseason Publication
Six Tulane Green Wave players were selected to the All-American Athletic Conference Preseason First Team, as selected by Phil Steele for his annual preseason publication.
The publication recently hit newsstands and preview all 134 teams in FBS.
Five returning Tulane players were selected to the first team — running back Makhi Hughes, defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins, linebacker Jesus Machado, linebacker Tyler Grubbs and long snapper Ethan Hudak.
One Tulane transfer made the list, which was wide receiver Mario Williams.
Hughes, a redshirt sophomore, was the American Rookie of the Year and an All-AAC First-Team selection last season after he rushed for 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. He also caught 11 passes for 67 yards. He missed the 2022 season due to an injury and used his redshirt.
Williams, a junior, transferred to Tulane from USC in the offseason. He spent two years with the Trojans and last season he caught 29 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. That was a step down from 2022, when he caught 40 passes for 651 yards and five touchdowns.
Jenkins, a senior and New Orleans native who transferred to Tulane from TCU after two seasons, was an All-AAC First-Team pick last season. He had 35 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Machado, a senior, is coming off All-AAC Second Team selection. He had a career-high 98 tackles in 2023, with 56 solo and 42 assists. He had three tackles for loss and the first interception of his career. He has 150 tackles for his four-year college career.
Grubbs, a senior and New Orleans native, transferred to Tulane from LA Tech before last season. He was a Third-Team All-AAC selection after he finished with 77 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery. Before he joined the Green Wave, he was a three-time All-Conference USA, two-time All-Louisiana and Freshman All-America selection for the Bulldogs.
Hudak, a redshirt senior, is one of the most experienced players at any position in the American. He started playing college football in 2019, was a two-time preseason candidate for the Patrick Mannelly Award (given to the nation’s top long snapper) and was an All-AAC Second Team selection by Phil Steele in 2022.
Four other Green Wave players made Steele’s list. Offensive tackle Rashad Green and safety Bailey Despanie were selected to the second team, while tight end Alex Bauman and offensive tackle Derrick Graham were selected to the third team.
Tulane is coming off an 11-3 season in which it went undefeated in conference play but fell to SMU in the AAC Championship Game. The Green Wave lost to Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl.
The Green Wave have a new head coach in Jon Sumrall, who was at Troy for two seasons. He replaced Willie Fritz, who left after the conference title game to take over at Houston. Fritz was 54-47 in eight season at Tulane, including a 2022 in which the Green Wave went 12-2, won the AAC title and beat USC in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
MATTHEW POSTINS