Tulane Might Just Have What it Takes to Shake Up College Football Playoff
The Tulane Green Wave is entering the 2024 college football season with a lot of positive momentum. Tulane was excellent last season, going 11-2 in the regular season. But, with head coach Willie Fritz taking the job at Houston, the Green Wave lost in the Military Bowl to Virginia Tech, 41-20.
Despite the disappointing end to the campaign, this is a program that has been on the rise. The season before, they defeated Heisman Trophy winner, and No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans.
Jon Sumrall is taking over as head coach, coming to Tulane after two very successful seasons at Troy. Under his watch, the Trojans went 23-4, making a bowl game each season.
He will be looking to bring that success with him over to the Green Wave. While Tulane didn’t land in the preseason top 25, they did garner some votes as they look to be one of the stronger G5 teams in the country.
A veteran-laden squad, the Green Wave has some big-time former prospects in the mix. Former five-star recruit, quarterback Ty Thompson, transferred in from Oregon.
He will be surrounded by some impressive weapons, headlined by former Oklahoma and USC wide receiver Mario Williams and former Alabama and LSU wide receiver Shazz Preston.
In the backfield, the running game will be led by sophomore running back Makhi Hughes, who ran for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns on 258 carries last season.
Anchoring the defensive is defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins. Jenkins is highly regarded heading into the season, as he was named to four different preseason award watchlists.
The experience and talent on the roster, combined with the excellence of their new head coach, has Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic excited about what is to come in New Orleans during the 2024 season.
Khan took part in a piece of 13 unranked teams who could crash the College Football Playoff this season. His selection was Tulane.
“I’m a big believer in new coach Jon Sumrall after his time at Troy, where he inherited a program that won a combined 15 games in the previous three seasons and went 23-4 in his two years there with back-to-back Sun Belt titles. Sumrall brought both of his coordinators with him to Tulane and did a solid job of adding portal talent to an already athletic Green Wave roster. The schedule offers opportunities to impress the committee with a home game against Kansas State and a road trip to Oklahoma. And Memphis, the AAC preseason favorite, must travel to New Orleans in the regular season finale,” Khan wrote.
As noted, the Green Wave has opportunities to garner some national attention. They can prove their victory over USC in the Cotton Bowl two years ago and their recent success is not a fluke.
If they can win two out of the three games that Khan noted and handle business the rest of the season, they will have as strong of a case as any G5 school to be the representative in the College Football Playoff.
KENNETH TEAPE
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.