Tulane Football Seeks Chemistry Through Challenge in the Portal
The Tulane Green Wave football team has proven to be an exception to the rule in a head coach change, with Jon Sumrall’s prowess in the transfer portal taking center stage.
The finalized product that takes the field on August 29 is the real challenge for this coaching staff. Portal additions don’t translate to wins outright, but it’s important to recognize the rare stoppage of attrition. When a coach departs in December, that's all but expected.
While every team that loses its leader is thrown into chaos and adversity, most teams didn’t go through an 83-year drought that culminated in the biggest Bowl game win in school history.
Despite the expectation that Pratt would declare for the draft after the season, Fritz's departure complicated the void. It placed a lot on the shoulders of an unknown successor.
A few players on the roster understandably dipped their toes in the portal, while Tulane found the right man for the job. Sumrall re-recruited multiple players who returned to the Wave within days of his arrival. Including a quarterback who isn’t guaranteed the starting job.
Then came the buzz about the caliber of portal players, including transfer Ty Thompson from Oregon and Mario Williams from USC. Spring camp demonstrated potential, promise, and numerous holes on and off the field.
Enter the second window of the portal—one typically lacking in the right talent and fit, as most players have settled in for the season. To put things in perspective, I’ve all but thrown out my depth chart and projection observations from spring camp on the defensive side of the ball.
Transfer Adin Huntington from ULM showed aggressive traits to be a disrupter on the defensive line alongside Patrick Jenkins; his upfield burst took me aback on the first watch of his film. Coaches have already told me that transfer linebacker Sam Howard’s leadership in the weight room has left an impression.
On offense, Derrick Graham from Troy was a critical last piece to fill at tackle. The trenches will all but decide the Power 4 matchups against Oklahoma and Kansas State. Look no further than their all-but domination of Ole Miss’ offensive line through three quarters last year.
The staff filled all positions of need, and several signings would have made waves in the December window. But for a sport as violent as football, a closer look shows it’s more like a dance.
If the lines on both sides of the ball can’t move in concert, you have a quarterback on the floor and a pass rush that gets absolutely nowhere. If new center Vincent Murphy and whoever wins the starting job under center struggle to form chemistry, the rest of the offense doesn’t matter.
It’s an unavoidable situation with the level of turnover in college sports. Even with all the pieces remaining last season, injuries decimated units at times. But this is a team in search of an identity as much as a finalized depth chart.
All the promise in spring now turns to fall, and Tulane has a month to find cohesion as a team on both sides. The program is at a critical juncture, with new faces poised to take on the challenge.
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