Tulane is Reaping the Benefits of a Player-Led Team

The Tulane Green Wave have dedicated a lot of time to activities outside of training camp, and the players have taken it an extra step to help form their team identity.

Credit: Tulane Athletics / Football

The Tulane Green Wave are aiming to be a player-led team, and the bonds they’ve formed off the field have paid off in their ability to gel in training camp.

The team that takes the field on Aug. 29 will look almost entirely different than this time last year. Yes, including quarterback, but leaders must form across the board. A perfect example is former linebacker and currently CFL player, Nick Anderson.

When coach Jon Sumrall sat down with Tulane on Sports Illustrated for AAC Media Days in Arlington, Texas, he told a story of how he asked the players this offseason to name a teammate that had a great attitude that positively affected you, or one from the past who was tough and hardworking. The name that came up most often was Anderson.

He was a critical leader in their greatest single-season turnaround in college football history. That surge from 2-10 to 12-2 started with a conversation in a bowling alley between Nick and former defensive coordinator, Chris Hampton. Fulton Alley is a place the team frequents, and that trend has continued under this new staff.

The team has conducted an activity what seems like every night of training camp thus far: a night with slip and slides, an egg toss competition, and golfing at Yulman Stadium to name a few. What has impressed Coach Sumrall most is the outings arranged by his team absent of coaches.

The Dave & Buster’s claw machine was no match for the Wave! 🌊 #UptownFootball pic.twitter.com/UGEXQZ6qeC

— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) August 17, 2024

He detailed that they’d had cookouts as a team, and how important being player-led is to the culture he wants to instill. It helps them bond and become one in a way that practice can only simulate to an extent.

What’s stuck out through nearly a month of fall camp is how much fun the players appear to be having, and the closeness of them all – not just by unit. Veteran guard Josh Remetich told reporters that he was closer to his teammates than he’d been in six years at Tulane, and how much little things like just telling one another their stories has mattered to their cohesion.

I noticed in spring camp that each day after practice in their huddle, a few pairs would stand and give the background and fun facts they’d learned of their respective partner through the week. Coach Sumrall emphasized how critical those relationships are off the field.

“They work extremely hard. It’s important that this team comes together. There’s real value in just getting away from here sometimes and hanging out, doing something together that has zero to do with scoring a touchdown or stopping somebody on third down.”

Tulane has lofty goals for the season that include a push for the college football playoffs. They’ll have to likely handle unavoidable adversity along the way. The best path through the noise is one where the team is led by players who emulate the qualities of former leaders like Michael Pratt and Nick Anderson.