Tulane Green Wave Running Back Lands at Central Michigan Out of Transfer Portal
The Tulane Green Wave has experienced some attrition at running back, with several departures in the transfer portal finding new homes.
Redshirt freshman Trey Cornist announced his commitment to the Central Michigan Chippewas via the portal after entering on Dec. 8, ending his limbo status over the last few weeks.
The Tulane football team is now down three running backs from last season, with starter Makhi Hughes transferring to the Oregon Ducks and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson remaining in the portal.
Cornist recorded 149 rush yards on 22 carries and one rushing touchdown against the USF Bulls in the team's first conference game of the 2024 season. He led the team with an average of 6.8 yards per carry through six games.
While the opportunity to contribute should be higher in the absence of Hughes, Cornist elected to find a fresh start. It leaves the Green Wave with two remaining backs and a pair from the portal, Maurice Turner and Zuberi Mobley.
Similar to the departing rushers, the team now has a fresh start to develop a strategy around their new top backs. Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock and running backs coach Brock Hayes will headline those efforts.
Tulane finished the season ranked No. 25 nationally in rushing offense, and Hughes was in the top 20 with 15 of the team's total 32 rushing touchdowns.
Barnes accounted for six of them, alongside now-tight end convert Ty Thompson, who is tied for second on the team behind Hughes. Thompson is likely to serve as a similar red zone threat as he did last season. McClure averaged an impressive 6.1 yards per carry on a limited 20 carries.
The Green Wave heavily relied on the run game in their first season under Sumrall, illustrating the blue-collar mentality he wants to instill in his teams. The philosophy melded the talent of Hughes with the inexperience of Darian Mensah under center.
It's not clear how conservative the offense was while developing a redshirt freshman, and the playbook may open up more depending on the experience of whoever wins the job under center. Kadin Semonza and TJ Finley both offer more credible experience, and Donovan Leary, while not seeing much playing time, is a junior further in his trajectory.
They'll be learning chemistry with the offensive line, but mostly their wide receivers and backs in a training camp setting. One of the new rushers could very well serve as both, as Turner was a three-star wide receiver commit out of high school. He has 24 receptions for 167 yards in 365 career snaps.
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