Under the leadership of a new head coach, Tulane aims to continue their winning ways. What can Rice Football expect from the Green Wave in 2024?
Head Coach: Jon Sumrall
Record at School: 0-0 (1 Yr) | Career FBS Record 23-4 (2 Yr)
Offensive Coordinator: Joe Craddock | Defensive Coordinator: Greg Gasparato
Jon Sumrall went 23-4 at Troy over the past two seasons before taking over at Tulane following the departure of Willie Fritz. One of those many wins came over an impressive now-AAC rival, UTSA, in the Cure Bowl. Sumrall has won at this level. Now he’ll try to replicate that success at Tulane.
2023 Snapshot
Tulane came up just short in the AAC Championship game last season, falling to SMU before matching up with Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl. The Green Wave entered that title game 11-1 with their lone loss on the road at Ole Miss with a backup quarterback under center. It was a tremendous season for the program which hung around the Top 25 rankings for most of the year.
2024 Expectations
Fair or not, winning the AAC is the expectation for Tulane football this season. This program is expected to be in the hunt for the College Football Playoff in late November. Is that reasonable considering they’ll be breaking in a new starting quarterback and head coach? Maybe not. But the talent on this roster is hard to ignore. Tulane should be a force in the AAC this season. How high they can climb will be the real test.
Key Departures
- It’s possible no team in the AAC has a bigger hole to fill at quarterback than Tulane with the departure of Michael Pratt to the NFL. One of the greats in program history, Pratt threw for 9,602 yards I n four seasons and posted a gaudy 90:26 touchdown to interception ratio. His impact as a leader on and off the field will be the toughest challenge for the Green Wave to overcome this season.
- Tulane is also hitting the reset button at wide receiver, losing Lawrence Keys and Jha’Quan Jackson to graduation and Chris Bazzell to the Transfer Portal. That trio accounted for nearly two-thirds of the teams’ receiving yards and touchdown totals last season.
Key Additions
- Wide receivers Mario Williams (USC) and Shazz Preston (Alabama) will be thrust into significant roles very quickly, the likely successors in a wide-open room that will have plenty of targets up for grabs. That tandem alongside Alex Bauman and Yulkeith Brown should give the offense a potent receiving corps.
- Sumrall is bringing a handful of players with him from Troy to help bolster the Tulane roster. Tackle Derrick Graham is a leading candidate to step into a starting role in the trenches for the Green Wave. On defense, corner Caleb Ransaw brings a wealth of experience in the secondary.
Returning Production
What We Want to Know
In the Transfer Portal era, there is less patience for a gradual start for coaching staffs. The Green Wave will be expected to maintain a high level of production with so many new faces and schemes. That’s going to be a tough task, especially with a rigorous nonconference schedule that features games against Kansas State and Oklahoma early in the season. Is this new staff up to the challenge?
Bottom Line
Tulane has established itself as one of the premier brands at the Group of 5 level. The Green Wave have weathered the coaching switch about as well as they could have wished, given the circumstances, and look to be headed in the right direction. Most AAC programs would love to trade places with this one, even if the 2024 season might feature some additional hurdles to amp up the degree of difficulty. Tulane will vie with Memphis for preeminence in the AAC once again.
