Tulane Coach Gives Candid Thoughts on QB Battle Heading into Fall Camp
New Tulane football coach Jon Sumrall knows that perhaps his biggest challenge this season is finding a new quarterback. He knows how important Michael Pratt was to the Green Wave.
“Losing Pratt is a big deal,” Sumrall said in an interview with the “Wake Up With Mintzy” podcast. “He was a starter here for four years, and he’s been kind of the constant for this team the last couple of years. From ’22 to ’23 they lost a lot and he got them through it.”
His replacement hasn’t been settled yet and Sumrall indicated the competition will continue into fall camp.
Redshirt junior Kai Horton returns after spending the past few years as Pratt’s backup. The former Carthage, Texas, high school star threw for 485 yards and three touchdowns last season. Most notably, he started against Ole Miss, where he went 15-for-37 with 231 yards passing, along with a touchdown and an interception.
He’s waited his turn, but he has serious competition.
Ty Thompson transferred in during the offseason. Coming out of Gilbert, Ariz., he was a four-star player rated by ESPN and signed with Oregon in the Class of 2021. But he never worked into a starting role, thanks to the transfer of Bo Nix from Auburn. Thompson appeared in seven games last season, throwing for 297 yards and four scores.
After Nix left for the NFL, the Ducks lured in another accomplished veteran in former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Then Thompson transferred to the Wave.
While the starter is undecided, the good news is that Sumrall is confident in both players.
“I think we can win with either one of them,” he said. “Which is exciting as a head coach because you have two guys that can help you win.”
Pratt is now in training camp with the Green Bay Packers after they selected him in the seventh round of April’s NFL Draft. But Pratt’s place in Tulane history is secure. The Boca Raton, Fla., native played four seasons for Tulane and threw for more than 9,000 yards as he helmed the Green Wave’s run to the American Athletic Conference championship in 2022 and the victory in the Cotton Bowl over USC.
He also broke nearly every school record along the way. Pratt ended his Tulane career as the leader in passing yards, career completion percentage, touchdown passes, and the lowest interception percentage.
Last season, Pratt was the AAC Offensive Player of the Year and took Tulane to the AAC title game again, where it lost to SMU.
Sumrall has only gotten to know Pratt a little bit, but he sees qualities in Pratt that he hopes his starter will emulate.
“I’ve gotten to know Pratt and one of the things that is so cool about him is that he’s not only a good player, but people just gravitate toward him,” Sumrall said.
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