Tulane Fall Camp Kicks off With New Faces and Philosophy
Tulane football kicked off Day 1 of training camp and has a month to find cohesion as a team of new faces under coach Jon Sumrall. While the Wave search for an identity, they have a philosophy to build a foundation on.
The jumbotron at Yulman Stadium used to read 1-0 throughout practice. On Monday, it displayed an acronym, ATDL: Attitude, Toughness, Discipline, and Love.
Those are the core values of this era of Tulane football.
As a sideline reporter, a large portion of my job entails forming relationships with coaches and players as I assimilate myself into the huddles next season.
Candidly, it was also a reminder of how hot it is in July for extended periods outside.
I was taken aback by the number of new numbers I needed a roster to learn. So, I focused on instances of the values displayed for the team to emulate in Day 1.
Attitude
Coach Jon Sumrall has said, “the only disability in life is a bad attitude.” As fall camp kicked off, so did the battle for QB1. That trait may be the most valuable in both quarterbacks competing for the starting job.
It’s a process that we might not see finalized until the night before the season opener, Sumrall admitted in his remarks following practice. Both quarterbacks left spring camp with areas to grow.
For Oregon’s Ty Thompson, that was settling in a bit—recognizing he can strive for perfection without being perfect.
“He’s a really cerebral, smart guy, wants to do well. Sometimes he’s just got to relax and enjoy playing the game,” Sumrall described Thompson. “He’s done a great job of getting into the team better.”
Kai Horton served as Michael Pratt's backup and demonstrated his experience early in Spring Camp. Sumrall had said he wanted to see more leadership in between the lines during practice, noting Horton’s presence in scrimmage settings.
Both quarterbacks stepped up to the challenge Monday. The challenge isn’t just competing to be the best, but for whoever doesn’t win the job, their attitude will be what Sumrall looks to most.
“Iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another. Anybody that is afraid of competition, good luck at life,” Sumrall told reporters.
“Someone is going to start game one; somebody is not. And the response of the guy that doesn't win the job for game one is going to say a lot about who he is.”
Toughness
Toughness can be defined in a lot of ways—physically, emotionally, mentally. Sumrall put it quite simply: there’s smart tough, and dumb tough.
It was a response to a question about pushing guys in the heat. Sumrall has advocated for the team to have a gritty, tough, blue-collar mentality. But New Orleans in July has its own plans; a notable addition by Sumrall’s staff was a halftime stoppage of practice to head to cooling station trucks.
Players who practiced without any issues throughout the month of April encountered a humid punch in the face. As did we on the sideline. It's a huge competitive advantage to keep in mind for the Wave's early slate of home games. But one we all need a few days to get used to.
Discipline
A theme throughout Sumrall's comments in spring camp was that the players weren't always going 100% every day; he expressed his disappointment in their efforts. One memory was a poor red zone period that the trenches seemed checked out of.
The competition is real in several position groups. A crowded wide receiver room saw some standout catches across the board. Khai Prean from LSU stood out in his downfield speed, and was notably less affected by the humidity coming from Baton Rouge. As did Sidney Mbanasor at 6-foot-5.
What really caught my eye was the addition of Jonathan Edwards and Micah Robinson as transfers that took first-team reps at cornerback. The inexperience Sumrall highlighted as a position need was noticeably reversed, and the competition level all around was better for it – and that was in the hotter portion as we saw more 11-on-11 towards the end of practice.
The Wave also went several minutes past their 10 a.m. stoppage time.
Love
For a team of strangers, you’d hardly notice it was the first day of fall camp. It says a lot about the culture under Sumrall—but also about the players' initiative. Sumrall told me in Arlington, Texas, that the players organized multiple player-led events that he learned about after the fact.
“Good teams are coach-led; good teams are player-led.”
Today, the leadership of guys like Tyler Grubbs stood out. Both quarterbacks were better leaders than they were in April.
But I enjoyed a moment of love displayed by the head coach.
A contested catch in the end zone led to a moment where the cornerback and receiver rolled around on the floor—both getting up under their own volition. I noticed that in that time, Jon Sumrall had jogged over and was walking Dontae Fleming back to his position group with his arm around him.
It was a promising and potential-filled first day of camp.
MADDY HUDAK