Tulane Special Teams Star Named to Mannelly Award Watch List
Tulane Green Wave long snapper Ethan Hudak is on the Mannelly Award watch list, given to the best long snapper in college football.
The list includes 30 long snappers from around the country. The award is named for Patrick Mannelly, a former Duke standout who was the Chicago Bears’ long snapper from 1998-2013. The award is being presented for the sixth straight year.
Ten semi-finalists will be announced on Nov. 11. Those names will be narrowed to three finalists on Nov. 25, and the winner selected at the live award ceremony in Lake Bluff, Ill., on Dec. 14.
This is Hudak’s third straight season on the Mannelly Award preseason watch list. He was previously named the American Athletic Conference’s All-Second Team long snapper in 2022 and was invited to the 2024 Senior Bowl before he turned down the invite to return to the Green Wave for one more season.
This preseason Phil Steele named him the AAC’s top long snapper. He’s also been a part of one of the most successful stretches in Tulane history. The Green Wave claimed the 2022 AAC crown, the Group of 5 at-large New Year’s Six bowl berth and beat USC in the Cotton Bowl.
Last season the Green Wave won all eight of its league games but lost the AAC title game to SMU, which is now in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Tulane finished 11-3 on the season.
After the AAC title game coach Willie Fritz took the head-coaching job at Houston. Tulane hired Jon Sumrall to replace him.
Sumrall went 23-4 in two seasons at Troy, winning two Sun Belt Conference championships and putting together two of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor.
Sumrall returns to Tulane after serving as the Green Wave's co-defensive coordinator for three years (2012-14).
Earlier this week running back Makhi Hughes was named to the Maxwell Award watch list, given to the best offensive player in the country.
Tulane’s football team was recently chosen for third in the AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes.
The Green Wave returns three offensive line starters — Shadre Hurst, Josh Remetich and Rashad Green — along with two of the team’s top four receivers in Alex Bauman and Yulkeith Brown.
The team’s top three tackles return in Jesus Machado, Tyler Grubbs and Bailey Despanie, along with three of the team’s top six leaders in tackles for loss — Grubbs, Patrick Jenkins and Kameron Hamilton.
Last year’s punter, Will Karoll, also returns.
MATTHEW POSTINS