Tulane’s Coach Seeks Hidden Yardage on Special Teams
The Tulane Green Wave have had a lot of attention on their offense and defense, but special teams are equally important to the team’s goal of reaching the conference championship.
When Tulane lost to Southern Miss after beating Kansas State in 2022, the team lacked focus. They also had a nightmare of a night on special teams. In the 27-24 loss, Tulane had a blocked punt, a blocked field goal, and a missed field goal.
Tulane likely doesn't win the Cotton Bowl without USC's miscues on special teams.
For the last two seasons, the Green Wave had a consistent unit at place holder, kicker, and snapper, and their chemistry showed. For three years, they had a steady kickoff specialist, Casey Glover, who was the team's punter for the 2022 season and midway through 2023, until Will Karoll took over with 40 punts last year.
Ethan Hudak is going into his sixth season as Tulane’s long snapper. He was a part of a unit that was a bright spot in the 2-10 season, which included punter Ryan Wright. Before the 2022 season, the team acquired Valentino Ambrosio in the transfer portal. He was injured until Week 6 and went 11-12 on field goals that season.
Ambrosio became the school's best kicker since Cairo Santos, and he never missed an extra point, including the winning final point in the Cotton Bowl. He finished with a career 83.8% field goal percentage at Tulane.
The team had equal star power on kickoff and punt returns. Jha'Quan Jackson finished with a career 22.9-yard average on kick returns from 2019-2022, when Lawrence Keys took over the role. On punt returns, his career average was 11.4 yards per return, including a 90-yard career-long touchdown against Memphis in 2022.
Keys averaged 26.8 yards per kick return through two seasons. Multiple drives in the Cotton Bowl were aided by his stellar play on special teams.
In the fourth quarter alone, he returned kickoffs for 31 yards, 37 yards, and 21 yards. He even channeled his special teams chemistry with Jackson when he was stride-for-stride downfield blocking on Jackson's 87-yard touchdown.
Those are big shoes to fill. In the spring, the kicker room lacked experience. Coach Sumrall brought in transfer Jacob Barnes, LA Tech’s all-time leader in field goal percentage at 79.4%.
Two freshmen, Ethan Head and Patrick Durkin, have impressed Sumrall throughout fall camp at kickoff specialist. On Wednesday, he told reporters that he'd likely roll with alternating the two in Week 1. It’ll be a battle to watch against Southeastern Louisiana.
It should be noted that Barnes is a left-footed kicker, and none of the holders have experience with one. That’ll be another place to watch in the season opener. Will Karoll has the most game experience and returns at punter as well.
Sumrall, like many head coaches, was a special teams coordinator in his first stint at Troy from 2015-17.
“I probably naturally talk about it a lot,” he said on Wednesday. “There's a lot of hidden yardage there within a game. We probably spend as much time on it as anybody in the country because it will win you or lose you a game faster than anything. Most games are lost, not won.”
He acknowledged that the coverage teams on punt and kickoff must be really detailed and in sync. That’s challenging when the field goal kickers, punt returners, and kickoff returners are all new players. Essentially, every role but snapper and punter had decent turnover.
Like several positions in the season opener, there will be some rotation at kickoff and punt returner as the team finds its footing. On kickoff returns, Sumrall put Shaadie Clayton-Johnson at No. 1, followed by Dontae Fleming. He also likes Bryce Bohanon and Rayshawn Pleasant in the role, and Bohanon has credible experience over several seasons on returns.
He mentioned freshman running back Jamari McClure, who has been grabbing attention with his upside and traits, though Sumrall is aware of the risk there with inexperience.
He placed Dontae Fleming at the top of the punt returner list, followed by Mario Williams, Bohanon, and Yulkeith Brown. Another area of the field where Fleming has continued to shine as a bright spot all through camp.
Clayton-Johnson is one to watch. He has such fluid hands that you could credibly put him at slot receiver. He was frequently the back out there on third down, mostly in an empty formation.
Special teams can make the difference in football games—and can be a potent equalizer. Tulane managed to keep multiple games within reach in the 2-10 year with Wright's coffin corners and the unit's solid tackling and coverage. It has been one of the team's most consistent rooms for the last three seasons.
With Greg McMahon at the helm as special teams coordinator, it’s a unit to feel confident about with that caliber of coaching. But it will be critical to evaluate how these young, new players handle the heat under the Thursday Night Lights in Tulane’s season opener.
MADDY HUDAK