Tulane Football Defensive Tackle Emerging as Playmaker in Dominant Shutout
Tulane football dominated both sides of the ball in their 52-0 win against Southeastern Louisiana in their season opener, but the defense recorded the team's first opening shutout since 1972.
Defensive tackle Kameron Hamilton earned Tulane On Sports Illustrated’s Inaugural Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play.
If Tulane wanted to succeed on the gridiron against the unique Southeastern Louisiana offense, they would have to find ways to apply pressure and give the Lions different looks throughout the contest.
Junior defensive tackle Hamilton did just that. The 6’4 edge rusher from Zachary, Louisiana, wreaked havoc in the backfield for the Green Wave in the 52-0 victory over SELA. Hamilton recorded four total tackles (two solo), one sack, one tackle-for-loss and one forced fumble.
Kicking off the season with a shutout is a good sign and something all members of the Tulane defense embrace.
“It was very good for us. Putting up points and then having zero points put up by the defense is very good,” senior linebacker Tyler Grubbs said. “I hope everybody saw the identity of us running around hitting people and the offense scoring points. I think it was a good way to start the season.”
What makes Hamilton’s story of his journey up the ranks and into collegiate football so heart-warming is his ability to perform on the field while being legally deaf. No obstacle or adversity such as that would get in his way of becoming a beast off the edge, however.
Before arriving in New Orleans, Hamilton was a standout offensive and defensive lineman at Zachary High School. He helped lead the Broncos to an impressive 15-0 record and the 2021 LHSAA 5A State Championship.
This is not Hamilton’s first rodeo. The athletic junior recorded four sacks, one forced fumble, six tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble last season. He has racked up 44 total tackles in 26 games played in his collegiate career and is a force to be reckoned with.
Even with impressive performances from the likes of Hamilton, there is still much work to do and many things to improve upon heading through the rest of the challenging schedule ahead.
“We’re not where we need to be yet,” head coach Jon Sumrall said. “If we have any expectations to win our conference or anything remotely close to that we have to get better really fast.”
Next up, the Green Wave will host the No. 18 Kansas State Wildcats on Sep. 7. Kickoff from New Orleans is set for 11 a.m. CT and you can watch it live on ESPN/ESPN2.
DYLAN FLIPPO