Top Returning Tulane Green Wave Football Players Revealed
The Tulane Green Wave is a team that many people are going to be keeping a close eye on during the 2024 season. Over the last two seasons, they have turned things around, recording double-digit victories consecutively for the first time in program history.
They will be looking to run that streak to three, and there will be plenty of new faces helping them do it. On the sidelines, Jon Sumrall takes over for Willie Fritz, who accepted the head coaching job at Houston.
Starting quarterback and 2023 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Michael Pratt is now in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. He will potentially be replaced by transfer Ty Thompson, a former five-star recruit who began his career at Oregon.
Thompson isn’t the only transfer that Tulane landed from a Power 5 school. Wide receiver Shazz Preston began his career at Alabama before coming to New Orleans for the 2024 season. He is joined by fellow former Oklahoma and USC wide receiver Mario Williams.
On the defensive end of the ball, Sumrall will have a familiar face to rely on in the secondary. Cornerback Caleb Ransaw spent the first three seasons of his career with Sumrall at Troy before following him to the Green Wave.
Sumrall is inheriting a veteran-laden team with plenty of talent. Despite Fritz’s departure, Tulane was able to retain a lot of key players from the 2023 roster. Troy Perlowitz of College Football Network highlighted the best of those returning players.
The aforementioned transfers all made the list, with the first 2023 Green Wave member listed being tight end Alex Bauman. Named to the preseason 2024 John Mackey Award watchlist, a breakout season could be on the horizon for Bauman.
Last season, he was second on the team with 35 receptions and five touchdowns, gaining 286 yards. Joining him from the offensive side of the ball are tackle Rashad Green and running back Makhi Hughes.
Green has made the most of his positional change, going from guard to the outside. With 36 games of experience, he is a reliable anchor in the trenches for the offensive line. He will be creating holes for Hughes to run through all season.
Only a sophomore, Hughes has a bright future ahead of him after an incredibly producing freshman year. He gained 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground and will be the centerpiece of the offense in 2024.
When the team leans on him, they find success. When he rushed for 100+ yards, Tulane went 7-0. In the three games he didn’t record 15+ rushes, the Green Wave lost twice.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tulane will be returning some of their most key players. Safety Bailey Despanie had 67 total tackles, with 5.5 for a loss. He has transformed his body since coming to campus, going from 160 pounds to 200+ as he enters Year 3.
At the second line of defense, Sumrall will have two hard hitters in Tyler Grubbs and Jesus Machado, though Machado remains out with an injury and no return time frame. They are all over the field, ranking second and first, respectively, in tackles last season. In Machado's absence, the team has Sam Howard, Dickson Agu, and Chris Rodgers.
Grubbs lived in the opponent’s backfield, registering 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. Machado was all over the field making plays with 98 tackles, one interception and one pass defended.
The No. 1 returning player for the Green Wave is none other than star defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins. Expectations are high for Jenkins heading into the season as he was named a College Football Network preseason first-team All-American and the AAC Player of the Year.
If he can replicate the production he had in 2023, he will be taking home some hardware this season. He recorded 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 14 games.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.