Tulane Quarterback Target Ethan Hampton Commits to Wake Forest

One of Tulane's quarterback targets in the transfer portal committed to Wake Forest.

Sep 21, 2024; DeKalb, Illinois, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Ethan Hampton (2) drops back to pass against the Buffalo Bulls during the second half at Huskie Stadium / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Tulane is going to look different next season when it comes to who the faces of their program are.

After star quarterback Darian Mensah put together an incredible debut year, the thought was he would be leading the Green Wave to multiple College Football Playoff appearances during his time in New Orleans.

But, that dream quickly ended when he entered his name into the transfer portal and subsequently announced his commitment to Duke.

No matter what reasons he gave for making this decision, it's still tough for Tulane fans to swallow.

The quarterback situation only got even more dire when their two others on the depth chart, including former five-star recruit who transferred in from Oregon, Ty Thompson, also announced his intent to leave following being the starting quarterback in the bowl game.

Tulane had their sights set on Northern Illinois transfer Ethan Hampton to come in and take over as their signal-caller, but unfortunately, that is no longer a possibility after he committed to Wake Forest.

Committed! @WakeFB pic.twitter.com/AJYKEJ2CGW

— Ethan Hampton (@ethan_hampton4) December 14, 2024

Hampton would have been an intriguing addition.

He got playing time during his sophomore season in 2022 and performed fairly well with 798 yards passing in four games before getting injured, but he also only threw seven touchdowns compared to six interceptions.

The following year, he was the backup once again, and when he got another opportunity to be the starter this season, he didn't necessarily turn heads.

In 11 games, Hampton totaled just 1,600 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and six picks.

That doesn't quite give confidence that he would be a difference maker for Tulane, especially when factoring in the departing production that Mensah is leaving behind.

So, while Jon Sumrall and his staff would have certainly liked to have a resolution on the quarterback situation at this point in time, it might not be such a bad thing they missed out on Hampton based on his past output.