Tulane Football Standout Receiver Could Fill Crucial Role in New Offense
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Tulane Green Wave football coach Jon Sumrall pointed to an underrated question mark with all eyes on the quarterback competition; the caliber of the wide receivers they’re throwing to.
The Green Wave have lost one of the speediest groups of pass catchers in college football, but they may have a real X receiver already on the roster in Shazz Preston.
Preston’s 6-foot, 206-pound stature stood out last March when he transferred from the Alabama Crimson Tide with a physicality that smaller receivers normally don't possess.
A lingering hamstring injury lasted from midway through spring to the majority of the 2024 season, but when Preston joined the lineup in late November, he flashed his upside when his first catch at the collegiate level was a 53-yard strike he leapt for and sprinted downfield for a touchdown.
His immediate connection with Darian Mensah stood out, who told Tulane On SI last November that those types of plays make him proud to be a quarterback.
“Just to see [Shazz] ball and make a play, his first catch in the Tulane uniform, I'm just like a proud quarterback, you know what I'm saying?” Mensah said. “That gets me going. Seeing my guys make plays—especially for someone like him coming back from injury—he clawed his way back and fought his way back. So, to see him make that play was huge.”
One week later against the Navy Midshipmen, the program's former quarterback found Preston on a crucial third down.
He caught a touchdown against the Memphis Tigers on another third down as the team staged an inadequate late comeback.
It’s incredibly difficult to regain game-ready speed after missing approximately six to seven months due to a hamstring injury that affects receivers’ ability to cut, plant, and do anything at their role.
As a result, Preston mainly played run-blocking snaps when he saw time at the end of the year. But Mensah’s comfort throwing to him on critical downs stuck out as a connection to watch heading into next season.
While that won’t be the case since Mensah transferred this offseason, Preston offers that stability to the incoming competitors this year.
Preston and Bryce Bohanon offer more experience in this system than the transfers who just joined the team, but they aren’t more proven.
It’s a group Sumrall noted as one to watch critically as he assesses team needs for the fall season.
“The area where I still have a lot of questions about who's going to elevate or be the guy or one of the top two guys is at receiver,” Sumrall said. “Everybody is going to talk about the quarterback battle, and that's a big component. I think we've got some good players, but they are less proven. That's one area we may have to address post-spring depending on how things shake out this training camp."
As the team rebuilds the offense through spring practice to assess needs ahead of the 2025 college football season, it’s an important area to watch who steps up to fill that production, and Preston could be primed for a breakout role.
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Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com