Tulane Green Wave Early Season Matchup A Key Game to Eye On
The Tulane Green Wave is entering the 2024 college football season with a lot of intrigue. There is a lot of momentum for a program that has won double-digit games in consecutive seasons for the first time.
That success led to head coach Willie Fritz departing and taking the head coaching job with Houston. Jon Sumrall, who had a successful two-year stint with the Troy Trojans, was hired to take over for Fritz.
Sumrall will have a lot of talent returning to the team on the defensive side of the ball. A top-25 defense when it came to scoring, Tulane is bringing back 59 percent of their production from 2023 for their new head coach to work with.
Offensively, Sumrall will have star running back Makhi Hughes returning for his sophomore season. Tight end Alex Bauman is also returning, but there are going to be new faces at several key spots.
2023 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Michael Pratt now plays for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. Leading receiver Chris Brazzell II transferred to the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Green Wave did land some stellar, highly regarded recruits to help replace the talent that they lost. Former five-star quarterback Ty Thompson came to New Orleans from the Oregon Ducks.
Wide receiver Shazz Preston is joining the program from Alabama along with former Oklahoma and USC standout Mario Williams. There are some big shoes to fill and Sumrall will have to get everyone up to speed quickly.
That is because Tulane is playing in one of the most highly-anticipated non-conference games of the 2024 college football season. Stan Becton of NCAA.com selected their Week 2 matchup against Kansas State as one of the top 20 matchups pitting opponents from different conferences against each other.
“Will Tulane challenge for an automatic bid to the expanded College Football Playoff out of the AAC? A nonconference win over a Big 12 squad adds to the resume,” Becton wrote.
There are some outlets that believe Kansas State will be in the running for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Picking up a victory over the Wildcats would put Tulane right in the mix for a spot if they can handle business for the rest of the season.
Along with the Kansas State game, a matchup against Oklahoma in Week 3 is another one to keep an eye on. The Sooners are ranked No. 16 in the preseason polls, providing the Green Wave another opportunity to pick up a big win against a potentially ranked opponent.
The matchup against the Wildcats will be at home, while Tulane will be traveling to Norman to take on Oklahoma.
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.