Three Notable Power 4 Schools Are Reportedly Pursuing Tulane's Star Running Back
Tulane could be facing a total rebuild on offense.
They already knew they would be without multiple starters and productive players when the regular season ended due to graduation, but when the transfer portal opened, the Green Wave were dealt a heavy blow by star quarterback Darian Mensah entering his name into consideration for other schools to contact him before ultimately committing to Duke for a reported record-setting amount of NIL money.
Jon Sumrall and his staff were able to add two new signal callers with the signings of TJ Finley and Donovan Leary, but following their bowl game against Florida, a new batch of players are now looking for different homes.
The most notable is their star running back Makhi Hughes.
If he doesn't come back to New Orleans, that would drastically impact Tulane's ability to contend in the AAC next season.
Based on who is going after him, there's a good chance that will be the case.
Pete Nakos of On3 reports that Duke, Ole Miss and Colorado are three notable schools who are interested in bringing the upcoming junior to their programs.
The Blue Devils seem to have money to spend based on what they supposedly handed Mensah already, and after Manny Diaz won nine games and is going for his 10th in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, there is a lot of momentum around that program.
The team they'll be facing in that contest is Ole Miss, a cash-rich team who has consistently been one of the busiest programs in the portal under head coach Lane Kiffin, having already landed a top two transfer class this cycle.
Nakos notes the Rebels could become extra aggressive in this pursuit because they already missed out on two of their targets, Fluff Bothwell and Justice Haynes.
Similarly to Ole Miss, Colorado has also been one of the more active teams when it comes to transfers.
The allure of Deion Sanders being the head coach has allowed the Buffaloes to land some high-profile players looking for new opportunities, and since the football legend seems like he's going to stay in Boulder even after the graduations of his two kids, Shedeur and Shilo, that continues to make them an appealing option.
All of this makes it unlikely Tulane will be able to keep Hughes in New Orleans.
This will be something to monitor until he makes his decision one way or another, but it seems like the Green Wave are going to have a completely different offensive unit in 2025.
