Tulane Football Star Named Nation's Best Sophomore at His Position
There is a lot of momentum surrounding Tulane's football program entering the 2024-25 season.
With Jon Sumrall taking over the head coaching position following the departure of Willie Fritz to the University of Houston after eight years in charge of the Green Wave, there is energy surrounding the program that comes with a change in leadership.
Because of the new College Football Playoff format, Group of 5 teams now have a pathway to compete for a national championship, something that Sumrall is already eyeing.
To do that, though, they're going to need to win the American Athletic Conference and take down the Memphis Tigers, who are viewed as the favorite with a real shot at earning the automatic CFP bid.
It's going to be strange not seeing Michael Pratt under center for Tulane as he departed his four-year tenure as the most prolific passer in program history with 9,602 yards and 90 touchdowns. He added 1,145 more yards on the ground with 28 rushing touchdowns.
Who is going to be the signal caller for the Green Wave in this upcoming season is still undecided.
There is a major battle taking place that is going to continue into the fall with Oregon transfer and former four-star Ty Thompson vying for the spot against Kai Horton who has served as Pratt's backup.
Normally, the guy who has been in the system for years would be the leading candidate to become the next starting quarterback, but with Sumrall coming in and taking over this program, he has no attachment to anything from the past.
So, with no clear-cut star quarterback on this roster who is running away with the competition, Tulane will have to rely on their other playmakers to give themselves a shot at winning the AAC and getting into the CFP.
One of those players is star running back Makhi Hughes.
Already viewed as one of the top NFL draft options heading into the season, he was also named the best sophomore running back in the country by Brad Shepard of Bleacher Report, beating out Jahiem White of West Virginia and CJ Baxter of Texas.
"This was an extremely tough decision ... But Tulane's Makhi Hughes had a better year, and he is going to be the offensive centerpiece for the Green Wave in 2024 under new head coach Jon Sumrall," he writes.
Hughes, a redshirt sophomore, had to sit out his true freshman year in 2022 with an injury. He rebounded extremely well last season to put up 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns on 258 carries while not being made the starter until five games into the year.
A monster season could be on the horizon for the 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back as Tulane goes after the AAC championship.
BRAD WAKAI