Tulane Green Wave Have Had Remarkable Succession Plan at Quarterback
The Tulane Green Wave underwent a lot of changes following the 2023 college football season.
Head coach Willie Fritz accepted the job with the Houston Cougars, which led to the team bringing in Jon Sumrall from the Troy Trojans. There was a lot of work for the staff to do, but the biggest need was quarterback.
Michael Pratt, the 2023 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Who would replace him as the starter, leading the offense?
Veteran Kai Horton remained on the roster and would be in the mix. Ty Thompson, a former five-star recruit, transferred in from the Oregon Ducks after they brought in Dillon Gabriel.
They were the presumed favorites for the job heading into the spring, but unheralded redshirt freshman Darian Mensah started gaining some momentum. As spring practices transitioned into summer, his name was brought up as a potential starter.
For the season opener, it was Mensah who was under center. It was a huge risk going with the unproven commodity, but the coaching staff was confident in his abilities.
Six games into the campaign and the decision has been a home run.
The Green Wave was one of 11 programs that saw their starting quarterback in 2023 get drafted into the NFL. An argument can be made that their succession plan has been the best out of all of those teams.
“The transition from Pratt to Mensah couldn't be going much better, as Tulane has its quarterback of the future. Mensah's next step will be getting his passing production a bit more consistent from game to game,” Adam Rittenberg of ESPN wrote in his piece highlighting the quarterback succession plans.
No one could have imagined Mensah hitting the ground running in this fashion. He leads the AAC with a 66.1 completion percentage, 9.9 yards gained per pass attempt, 10.76 adjusted yards gained per passing attempt, 15 yards gained per pass completion an 172.1 passing efficiency rating.
His stat line is rounded out with 1,256 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Sumrall has meshed the skill sets of his quarterbacks masterfully, as Thompson has remained involved in the game plan.
While not the starter, he has thrown two touchdowns and is tied for the team lead with four rushing scores. The unique balance between the two has been working wonders, as they are willing to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed.
Tulane has to be ecstatic about how things have turned out, as their offense is one of the most explosive in program history thanks in part to the harmony their two quarterbacks are operating with.
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.