Because of the logistics involved, Tulane is not having a Fritz interview today.

I'm headed back to New Orleans to check on my house, pick up supplies, clean out the refrigerator and move on unless my power magically has been restored by the time I get there.

Hope everyone has stayed safe.

I am not in Birmingham but was on the Zoom call with Willie Fritz, Nick Anderson and Sincere Haynesworth. I transcribed everything but the questions about Mykel Jones from an Oklahoma reporter.

FRITZ

"We just got back from Alabama. We practiced indoors. It's raining pretty hard here right now in Birmingham. We really appreciate the people in Birmingham. We are staying at the Sheraton and they are treating us unbelievably well and then we appreciate Alabama football allowing us to come over and use their facility. We made one phone call and boom, they got it all set up. We're also practicing at Legion Field right now but because of the rain it was going to be difficult for us to get a practice in. We are just working on our preparation for the Sooners."

On what the last 48 hours have been like:

"We decided to leave on Saturday evening. Obviously it was a good call by our people on campus and we drove over here to Birmingham. We weren't sure what to expect. We've got enough clothes for a few days. I told the guys to pack up until Tuesday. I guess that was wishful thinking. I think we're going to over here quite a bit longer than that. It's a very unfortunate situation. We feel for the people in New Orleans. We've all got family, friends. fellow students for our student-athletes that are there. A lot of people lost their homes. We've got some guys on our team that weren't able to hear from their people back home for a few days because cell service wasn't functioning there in New Orleans, but it sounds as if we got out the worst of it and everybody is doing OK as far as our team and their families are concerned."

On if there was thought of not playing this game:

"We weren't quite sure what was going to happen. We were hoping we would be back in New Orleans in a couple of days. When that didn't occur, our athletic director worked with the athletic director at Oklahoma and they came up with this to go ahead and move the game to Norman."

On thoughts about game:

"Well they are ranked No. 2 in the country for a reason. They've got great players across the board offensive, defense, kicking game. It was interesting in the kicking game it looks like they are going to play a lot of starters. We'll do the same thing. Sometimes teams don't do that. They've really improved defensively over the last couple of years and just are an extremely potent offense. I don't know if their offensive line gets enough credit for the tremendous protection they give their quarterback. They've got a lot of lot of long developing routes in their arsenal, and the reason they are able to do that is the fantastic protection their offensive line provides. Just a very talented team and very well coached. They have a lot of explosive guys on all three sides of the football."

On how tough to lose chance to play Oklahoma at home:

"Well, we got a curveball and we just have to adjust to it. There's no other way to do it. Our players are really champing at the bit with the opportunity to play a high-caliber team like Oklahoma regardless of whether we were playing them here in Birmingham or New Orleans or going up there to Norman."

On institutional knowledge from 2005 and Katrina:

"A bunch. We've got an evacuation plan that we go over all the time. We went over it again right before Ida came, so there are a lot of plans in place at Tulane and the city of New Orleans. They did as well as they possibly could. The president is very involved in it as well as our athletic department. The plan of coming over here to Birmingham has been in the works since Katrina, so that's what Tulane's done. I believe they came over here one other time in 2012 as well, so this is something that we practiced. Our football ops people go over here every year and check the hotel out. We're in a a really good situation with the hotel. It's a hotel for conferences, and they don't have a conference right now, so we're really the only ones in the hotel. They are taking great care of us."

On this being platform for program to make a statement:

"We're on national TV. I think there's only one other game going on at that time on Saturday (actually there are five others on national TV, but the only significant one is Penn State at Wisconsin). so people that are going to be watching football, the majority of them are going to be watching the Green Wave playing the Sooners. It's a great opportunity for our program without question. Guys that are competitors want to play against the very best. Certainly Oklahoma's proven that throughout the years."

On hospitality in Birmingham and if next two home games would be played in Birmingham:

"Number one, everybody's been awesome in Birmingham. Like I said before, the hotel's great. The downtown area is fabulous. They put a lot into it. Our guys are going out there and eating at different places, and I here them coming back and telling me about this place being excellent, this other place being excellent, so we appreciate everything the Sheraton and in the city of Birmingham have done for us. We hae a couple more home games We play a week from Saturday against Morgan State. The following week we go up and play at Ole Miss and then our last game in September is against UAB. I'm not sure what the powers that be that make these decisions have decided or what they are going to decide. We're kind of like the Terminator. Just kind of point us in the right direction and we just go there. We'll find out after the damage has been assessed in New Orleans and on our campus, when we're going to be able to go back. I know right now we went and picked up some extra equipment over there. We were lucky enough to get on campus and get some stuff. We didn't have our uniforms. We didn't have our cleats. There's a lot of things we don't have and hopefully we're going to be able to get that all back here. I think we'll find out here in the next few days what the plans are for the next few games. Legion Field has just been awesome in opening up their stadium, locker room, everything else, and if we need to, we'll go over there and play. That's a very historic stadium. There have been some big-time games there. If we need to, we'll have the opportunity to play over there."

On how different or similar this Oklahoma team is to team in 2017:

"There's a lot of similarities in sets and formations. Defensively they are totally different, but there are some things that are similar with the offense. Coach (Lincoln) Riley was calling the game, too, and he's calling it now, so there's a lot of similarities. Each year everybody evolves a little bit. They add things to their offense, their defense, their kicking game. This is the 2021 Sooners we will be playing, so there's not a whole lot to take from playing them back a few years ago."

On Marvin Moody and Jaylon Monroe having played at Okahoma four years ago:

"Sometimes that's overrated. You get out there and one thing you have to do is block everything out externally and concentrate on what's going on on the field, the 120 yards, the 53 1/3 width of the field and just play the best you can. The coaches and the players that have issues and problems are the ones who are worried about all the other stuff going on. That's what we have to concentrate on."

Tulane practiced at Legion Field today. They did not make any players available on the Zoom call, but there have been more reporters on the last two days than any others this year.

FRITZ

"We just had our Wednesday practice. We were very fortunate to go out there on Legion Field. A bunch of people have contacted me and given me their well wishes. I just got off the phone with coach O over at LSU. We were comparing notes about what they were doing and what we were doing, but it's been really an outpouring of support from the football community. As I said yesterday, we were able to go over and practice at Alabama's facility. We are lifting weights at a high school here in town, Mountain Brook HIgh School where one of my coaches (Chip Long) went to high school, and they are letting us use the facility at Legion Field and Oklahoma people have been great, so we are very fortunate that we got all this help."

On if he hopes to return to New Orleans next week:

"I doubt it. Our administration's going to make the decision about if and when we return. It sounds like things are going better in the city. We want to get back, but we want to make sure we're safe when we get back, too."

On if he had heard anything about power being restored on campus:

"No, I haven't. I've been going from 6 in the morning to 10:30 at night. I know we have a lot of people here who are talking constantly with people in New Orleans. Some of the guys went back yesterday to get some things. There's a lot of equipment we didn't have that we needed. Headphones, game shoes and uniforms, some things that are fairly important when you go play a game (laughs). So they went back and picked all that up. They said the football stadium was in pretty good shape. The power's out on campus and there's some damage in different places. I'll let the people who know what they're doing take chjarge of all those things."

On what week has been like and it is anywhere close to routine:

"No, it's totally different. They have a nice downtown area right around this hotel. We're really fortunate Tulane had this plan for us. President Fitts did a phenomenal job last year during COVID and he's done an unreal job during this hardship as well, and then our athletic staff has done a great job. This plan was in place long before I got to Tulane. After Katrina they knew we had to have a great plan in case this occurs again. We practiced it every year. As a matter of fact, we had a call amongst our whole staff a couple days before Ida hit, so we were very fortunate. I talked to Michael Parenton with the Saints and Matt Forte about their experience in Katrina. It was totally different because that was much more unexpected, but we're staying in a very nice hotel (instead of, eventually, an abandoned, condemned dorm). We've got great supervision. We've got great security here. Our university has really done a great job of taking care of the student-athletes."

On if team would have extra motivation playing for the city on Saturday:

"Well, we've all talked about that. I've got so many guys on the team from New Orleans, and everybody on the team knows someone from New Orleans well. It sounds as if we stayed away from the really bad things that could have happened, but we have some houses that have taken some big hits with some of our players and some of our coaches. We all love New Orleans and want the city to get back as quickly as possible. We wish we could get back to help out a little bit."

On his house (at English Turn):

"Everything's good with us. We are very fortunate. The power got knocked out like everybody else, but the house is fine. We're very fortunate."

On the coaches who had damage to houses:

"Coach Fobbs had a foot of water in his house. He lives out in LaPlace. Coach Hampton got a hole in his roof and some windows broken and things like that and some of the other coaches, but by and large, all those things can be replaced."

On communication between Troy Dannen and Joe Castiglione making this game happen:

"I haven't talked to Troy a whole lot. I know they have known each other for a long time. When Ida occurred in New Orleans, I think they started having some communication. Once they found out we were able to get everybody over here, they worked it out for us to be able to go up there and play a game this weekend."

On why Mykel Jones injury forced medical staff to disqualify him:

"He did his ACL. Usually that's a nine to 12-month process to recover, and unfortunately he did it in the last regular-season game in the first week of December and he'd done that injury before. Mike gave it a go, and he really was the one that didn't feel more comfortable with it, and so did the doctors. He's a sharp guy. He has a lot of options in life. He's got an OU degree and a Tulane master's degree, so he's working on the next part of his life. He tried everything he could to get back. Unfortunately it just didn't work."

On Oklahoma defense:

"Coach (Alex) Grinch has done a super, super job with the defense. They play extremely hard and obviously they have great athletes. They are an aggressive defense. They are not a sit and watch you, but they can mix it up. It's a good, aggressive front. They have a lot of things they do at the second level. They are not afraid to play a bunch of man coverage. I don't see any similarities from when we played them a few years back and what they are doing now. They've done an outstanding job."

On his offense:

"We want an explosive offense when we arrive in Norman. That would be good. We believe in running the ball. Every place I've been I've liked to run. I believe if you run the ball and control the clock, you've got an opportunity to get big plays in the kicking game. We are going to have to do a good job on clock management on Saturday. We are going to have to go fast and also go slow at times, depending on the situation. There are some things we are doing this year that are very similar to what we did last year, but there are also some things that are a lot different, so that's good. In a week 1 game you want to have some things that are a little bit different than maybe what the opponent is planning for."

On why he was attracted to Tulane:

"I really enjoyed my visit with Troy Dannen. I love the challenge of taking over a program that hasn't been real successful and getting it turned around. That's what we've done at all the places we've been. Obviously this was a big challenge, but I do believe you can have high-end academics and also have a big-time Division I football program as well. We still have a ways to go to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish. This is a tough league. The AAC is a tough league, but we like that competition."

On defensive ends needing to get pressure:

"They do a nice job of protection. They've got a lot of plays and route combinations that take a long time to develop and get open. If they can protect it, it is tough to cover it for a long time. They've already got a great quarterback, and that makes it even better being able to stand back there and survey the field. We are going to have to get some pressure. We can't let him sit back there and pat the ball. That's not going to be good for the Green Wave."

On NIck Anderson's sister being in car accident:

"There's a lot. I've got a bunch of these guys. The thing that was tough, especially the first few days, was all the cell service was out in New Orleans, and a lot of these guys couldn't get in contact with their people and couldn't talk to them. So there was an unknown, and we were trying to keep their spirits up and telling them that things were going to be good and look on the bright side, but that's hard duty for an 18-, 19- or 20-year old. And then you got the situation with Nick and his sister. It sounds like she's getting out of the woods right now and getting better. We have a lot of stuff going on. You're away from home. The one good thing is we're all with each other. We're all helping each other out. I've got a pretty darn mature team. We've got good people in our program. I have very few problems. Ninety-nine percent of these guys are low maintenance, and that's what you're looking for, especially in tough times."

Tulane went to Birmingham yesterday and will stay there until it is safe to return to New Orleans. My family evacuated yesterday morning and made the slog east on I-10.

When they went to Birmingham in 2012 under CJ (a trip that I heard was chaotic and disorganizd), they practiced at Samford. Sunday is normally their off day, but I will find out what the set-up is today. One thing is certain. Whatever they do, it will be organized well under Fritz.

I got swamped at home and did not get a report up yesterday, but it turns out that was the last practice or media opportunity with the team until next Tuesday, partly a result of an SID staff shortage today, partly the product of the approaching hurricane and partly a result of them closing the "scrimmage" because it was supposed to be at the Dome tomorrow morning. Obviously that's out the window now with the Saints game moving to noon. They never have media opportunities on Sunday or Monday during game week, so the next chance will be Tuesday.

Thursday was a good day for Michael Pratt, who has looked sharper this week than he did in Saturday's second scrimmage or throughout preseason camp. He threw a pretty pass to tight end Tyrick James, who beat safety Rudy Dyson deep, and took the his outlet receivers when it was necessary, including a good find of Devin Brumfield when he was under pressure. He did miss James on an easier throw on the move, but that was the exception rather than the rule. Justin Ibieta was pretty good, too, although he got very upset with himself when the ball slipped out of his hand and he essentially spiked it in front of a receiver in a goal-line drill. Almost predictably by this point, Tyrek Presley dropped the only pass I saw go his way, but the receivers held on to a high percentage of passes otherwise.

Tulane emerged from camp with better health and depth than a lot of teams across the country, including Oklahoma, which incredibly has only two scholarship running backs on the roster after a recent departure. How does that happen? Other than not having Carlos Hatcher, Tulane should have just about everyone who was on the two-deep depth chart available next Saturday barring injuries from here on out. There are a couple of second-team offensive linemen who may not be ready, but the first team rarely comes off the field at that position.

Two offensive linemen who definitely will not play unless the bench empties in a blowout are Haydan Shook and Joseph Solomon, who worked with the scout team all week. Because of not having 15 available bodies on the line (first team, second team, scout team, former offensive lineman Nik Hogan was on the scout team as a blocker and even wore the white jersey of the offense, although he continued to stay on the defensive sideline. He has been no factor on the defense since moving there last season.

The first-team defense had Adonis Friloux at tackle ahead of Eric Hicks, who is coming back from a minor injury and received some reps with the second unit. It was the usual suspects at most of the other spots. although Marvin Moody and Kevin Herny practicing with the first team for the second straight day instead of Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams. Ajani Kerr got reps with the first-team defense at cornerback while Lance Robinson was on the second team, but I still expect Robinson to start against Oklahoma based on the entirety of the preseason. Kerr clearly is in the top three at cornerback, though.

Alfred Thomas, whom I have not written about much this preseason, got reps with the second-team defense and may be part of the rotation against Oklahoma. He has had a hard time staying healthy in his Tulane career but certainly has the size to be a factor in the middle if he can get some consistent work in without having to sit out for days.

Luke Desjardins, who was on the scout team at receiver earlier in the week, took plenty of reps against the scout-team defense and caught a couple of passes. He's not in playing range, but it was a step up for him.

Phat Watts showed his strength and weakness on one play, slowing down for no good reason after getting in the clear on a deep route but then accelerating again to run under a Pratt throw in the end zone.

The kickoff returners in addition to Jha'Quan Jackson in a drill were T.J. Huggins, Tyjae Spears, Bryce Bohanon and Shae Wyatt. I'm not a fan of using Spears on kickoff returns, and I'm not sure they will. My best guess is Wyatt will be the guy deep along with Jackson, although it might be one of the freshmen.

WILLIE FRITZ

On practice:

"We had a lot of good situational work and did some drill work in the kicking game offensively and defensively. We want to try to go over as many situations as we can. There are an infinite number of situations that occur in a game, and we want to replicate as many of those as we can. I thought it was some good work. We did some fourth down today and a little goal line work and some open-field stuff and got some unscripted stuff when coordinators were working on calls."

On Caleb Thomas:

"He got hurt. His back was kind of screwed up when he got here. It took six or seven months to get him healthy where he could do anything for us. He was a good defensive lineman in high school, a good offensive lineman in high school and he played some tight end, but what really got us was watching him play basketball. He was a good basketball player. Saw good movement, change of direction, moving his feet playing defense. We thought this guy could play some offensive line. He's got good mass and strength, and guys who can snap, you can't have enough of them. I've seen more teams when the center gets injured, the next guy has not had any work, and that's when you get problems, probably just as much as the quarterback (when the starter gets hurt)."

On that recovery from back injury:

"Everything worked. He followed the protocol with the trainers, and the doctors did an excellent job with him. I didn't think he'd be able to play again. I really didn't. He's really had zero issues with it since."

OL COACH CHRIS WATT

On Claybrook:

"When I first got here, he wasn't practicing (after having surgery to fix a dislocated kneecap), but in terms of leadership leader he was incredible just on the sideline during spring ball. He did an excellent job with that first and second group when they came to the sideline, giving them key points or suggestions. He's a steady left tackle that you can depend on to get the job done, and he's a great person, too."

On Claybrook's intelligence:

"It's huge especially with the different protections that you run, being able to communicate as a group through one set of eyes. We have two that are getting MBAs right now, the whole left side with Corey Dublin and Joey Claybrook. I think Joey's going to be able to get two graduate degrees."

On his pro potential:

"Definitely. He has the prototypical size they look for, he has the agility and the quickness to play that position. Size is a big deal, but in the NFL now you want guys that are quick. You have to block guys like Aaron Donald these days, and he definitely has the ability to play at the next level."

On his value:

"He's very valuable, not just because he's a great player but his ability to communicate up front. We feel we've built some good depth throughout this camp that a guy will be able to play that position, but we definitely love having Joey out there."

On Caleb Thomas

"He's versatile. He can play all three positions inside. We got a lot of work with him at left guard as well this camp, so he can help us out in different areas if God forbid something happens. He's very athletic. He does a really nice job recovering in pass rush if he gets beat on the edge a little bit. He's a tough, smart kid."

On Rashad Green

"A young guy, but he has tremendous talent and athletic ability. That's what you love at the edge at tackle with speed pass rushers. He has really nice feet, good balance and great patience for a young offensive lineman, which is something you have to learn as an offensive lineman playing over time, but he has a natural patience."

On group:

"What's great is the middle guys, Sincere (Haynesworth) has played a lot of football, too, so his ability to help those guys on the right side in terms of the communication and seeing the defense is big, and then obviously it's my job to get these guys playing well as a group as well."

Tulane practiced at the Superdome this morning, so I did not get to see it, but there is one bit of injury news to report. Carlos Hatcher is done for the year with a torn ACL he sustained earlier in camp, Willie Fritz said. Hatcher looked like he would be a starter before he went down, and he is the first frontline player to get hurt seriously.

Without Hatcher, the depth chart I wrote yesterday stands as is. The top four guys at the two end spots are Angelo Anderson, Jojo Dorceus, Keith Cooper and Darius Hodges, with Noah Seiden capable of filling in and Armoni Dixon next in line. That's it, but it is enough bodies if the Wave does not have any more injuries at the position.

With the final full-fledged scrimmage done and the opener against Oklahoma looming in less than two weeks, the focus has changed to scout-team work and individual drills at Tulane's practices. The depth chart is pretty much set by this point, although games will change things because some players do not play like they practice.

After watching the second practice of the week this morning, here is my depth chart with analysis by position.

Quarterback

1) Michael Pratt
2) Justin Ibieta

Comment: No surprise here. Although Ibieta has better arm strength than Pratt, Pratt has done it in games and done it well and is an outstanding leader. He could lose the job if he struggles early in the year, but he won't lose if it he progresses in a normal fashion from the way he played last year. Ibieta, though, has proven that he is talented enough to take over if Pratt gets hurt or plays poorly. It is not clear yet how he would perform in games because he simply has not had that chance in a significant moment. Tanner Lee looked great in practice early in his career, and it never translated to games.

Running back

1) Cameron Carroll
2) Tyjae Spears
3) Devin Brumfield
4) Ygenio Booker
5) Iverson Celestine

Comment: All of them are getting reps against the scout-team defense, but this is how it broke down in preseason camp. Carroll will get the first chance against Oklahoma, followed by Spears and Brumfield. Booker is a wild card because he also can split out as a receiver and will do that frequently if healthy. Celestine likely will not play, but he looks good with the ball in his hands.

Wide receiver

Starters: Jha'Quan Jackson, Duece Watts, Shae Wyatt
Top backups: Phat Watts, Jaetavian Toles

Comment: Nothing matters less than which wideouts are on the field for the first snap because they rotate frequently and performance dictates how much they play the rest of the way. Phat Watts has been practicing ahead of his twin brother frequently, but based on proven production, I think this is the way they will lean. This group is considerably more accomplished than what Tulane started with last year, but drops have been a problem for everyone but Jackson (and maybe Toles). The battle for the sixth spot is wide open, with Ryan Thompson, T.J. Huggins and Bryce Bohanon the top candidates based on production. Really, though, Booker is ahead of all of them.

Tight end

1) Tyrick James
2) Will Wallace
3) Keitha Jones
4) Reggie Brown

Comment: All four are going to play, and I would not rule out a two-tight alignment at the start with James and Wallace. Keitha Jones has been surprisingly adept as a receiver in the preseason, and Brown had an outstanding stretch today after being hampered by an injury during camp. Drops are an issue here as well, though. They get open, but will they hold on to the ball when the opportunities come?

Offensive line

Starters: Joey Claybrook, Corey Dublin, Sincere Haynesworth, Caleb Thomas, Rashad Green
Backups: Cameron Jackel, Jackson Fort, Thomas, Josh Remetich, Timothy Shafter

Comment: The starters won't come off the field with the possible exception of Thomas for Remetich and maybe Green for Shafter occasionally. That's always how it works on the offensive line, and the difference between the starters and backups remains significant. Matt Lombardi could enter the picture, too. He was practicing with the 1s at the beginning of preseason camp before Green's move and a minor injury set him back.

Joker/Defensive end

Starters: Angelo Anderson and Jojo Dorceus
Backups: Darius Hodges and Keith Cooper
Also in picture: Carlos Hatcher and Armoni Dixon

Comment: I'm the least confident in my listings here. Cooper has been practicing with the first team the past two days ahead of Dorceus, and Hatcher was starting before an injury in the first scrimmage sidelined him. If Hatcher returns, he either will start or play a lot in the rotation. Will the coaches really trust a true freshman in Cooper to start against Oklahoma? Maybe. To be honest, although a few observers I trust have loved Dorceus, and Willie Fritz raved about him earlier in camp, I have not seen him make more plays than the other guys. Anderson has been the standout in my eyes, but this is a competitive group with a lot to prove and no clear pecking order yet.

Defensive tackle/Nose tackle

Starters: Eric Hicks and Jeffery Johnson
Backups: Adonis Friloux and Noah Seiden
Also in picture: Noah Taliancich and Alfred Thomas

Comment: This doesn't actually jibe with who is playing DT and who is playing NG, but it's the pecking order in terms of trust. A healthy Hicks and Johnson have been first team all preseason. Friloux has gotten first-team reps when Hicks sat out and is as close to a starter as you can get without being one. Seiden just makes plays, both in practice and scrimmages, although he's not really a nose tackle. Taliancich I'm not sure about after he missed almost all of his freshman year with an injury, but he certainly has promise.

Linebacker

Starters: Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson
Backups: Marvin Moody and Kevin Henry
Also playing: Jesus Machado

Comment: Today Moody and Henry ran with the first team like they did last year, but Williams and Anderson have been on that unit more often and are terrific playmakers. This is a a loaded group. Machado has a ton of potential but may not get many snaps because the four guys in front of him are so good.

Nickelback

1) Jadon Canady
2) D.J. Douglas

Comment: Canady has practiced almost exclusively with the first team the past two days and probably for longer than that. I did not know who he was when he wore the black numberless jersey the past two weeks. Douglas had an interception down the field today and will rotate in and may take over as the starter if Canady gets wide-eyed as a true freshman. Neither of them have played a significant down in a college game.

Cornerback

Starters: Jaylon Monroe and Lance Robinson
Top backup: Ajani Kerr
Next: Kiland Harrison and Reggie Neely

Comment: Kerr began preseason as the starting nickel but has lined up at cornerback the past two days, sometimes with the first team in place of Robinson. Monroe and Robinson will start, with Kerr rotating in. Kiland Harrison has been second team all preseason but has not done it in games. Remember, he was the starter for the few practices that occurred in the spring of 2020 before Kyle Meyers arrived from FSU (and man did that not work out), but the coaches did not think he was ready to play. He's a year older now, but I'm still not sure how much he is trusted. Kevaris Hall may enter the picture in a significant way when he becomes available.

Safety

Starters: Derrion Rakestraw and Macon Clark
Backups: Larry Brooks and Rudy Dyson

Comment: This is the way it will be at the start of the year. Clark was outstanding in the spring and has looked good again this preseason, taking the starting job from Brooks. Rakestraw is practicing ahead of Dyson. These guys are not as good as the linebackers, but Tulane definitely is four deep here. Before the bowl game two years ago, Fritz predicted Brooks would be an All-Conference player before his career was done, and now he's not even starting thanks to Clark's improvement.

Special teams

Ryan Wright is the punter, Merek Glover is the kicker, Wright is the holder, Ethan Hudak is the snapper and either Merek or brother Casey Glover will handle kickoffs

Casey Glover is the backup punter. The Wave does not want to find out who the backup kicker is, and I'm not sure after watching three guys get reps in scrimmages. Casey Glover is the backup holder.

It was back to the grind in the morning heat for Tulane today, and having walked my dog at 7:45, I can attest it already was quite humid and uncomfortable by 8 a.m. With the Oklahoma game still nearly three weeks away and coming off Saturday's scrimmages, these are the ones where some players can have a hard time focusing, but Willie Fritz teams tends to reflect his even-keeled approach and never get too high or too low.

With that long preamble out of the way, it was not a particularly good day for Michael Pratt. He mishandles a shotgun snap on the first play of an 11-on-11 drill and then almost got intercepted on a deep throw into traffic for Ygenio Booker on a play that never was open. Pratt usually avoids those bad decisions. On his next series, he had a pass tipped at he line of scrimmage on the first play. After a break for individual work and special teams drills, he returned and threw an interception on another forced pass to a well-covered Booker. He then threw a pretty ball to Phat Watts on a deep out, but Watts dropped it, and another nice pass to Shae Wyatt, who made a good catch in tight coverage along the sideline. Wyatt's hands have been inconsistent in camp, but he looks more polished than the other receivers vying for playing time alongside Jha'Quan Jackson and Duece Watts, and he appears to get open more often, too.

Pratt threw a second interception in the final 11-on-11 session--I don't recall him having two picks in any other practice--but he was a little unlucky on this one. The ball went off the hands of a diving Booker and deflected to a defensive back, who made a nice play to catch it low. Pratt then overthrew an open Wyatt in the end zone, which made me think of Fritz's quote from last week that receivers do so much in practice that they have a hard time running full speed in the latter stages. It might have been a case of Wyatt not getting as far as he needed to get, but it definitely would have been a touchdown if Pratt had thrown it a few yards shorter. A little later, Pratt tried to hit Devin Brumfield on a dangerous screen pass in traffic. The ball was incomplete, but it felt like it could have been worse.

justin Ibieta was not great, either. He drew offensive coordinator Chip Long's criticism when, soon after overshooting Iverson Celestine, he short-hopped a screen pass to Tyrick James that appeared destined for a huge gain. It was a completely unforced error and uncharacteristic of Ibieta, who was a little off on a completion to Ryan Thompson on the sideline, throwing the ball behind him. Thompson, who had by far his most productive day, still made the grab. He later caught a long touchdown pass from Ibieta one play after James got open deep for a big gain.

The biggest cheer from the defensive sideline came on another interception. This time, walk-on safety Jean-Jacques Hunter backpedaled to pick off a Kai Horton pass near the sideline where the defensive players stand. They erupted, and Hunter returned the interception about 25 yards before stumbling to the turf by himself.

There were two offensive linemen who did not practice while I was there--Trey Tuggle and Matt Lombardi. Fritz was not aware Lombardi was out, so it had to be something minor, but I did not see him at all. Tuggle I believe has a leg injury. The first-team line remained unchanged, with Joey Claybrook, Corey Dublin, Sincere Haynesworth, Caleb Thomas and Rashad Green from left to right. Josh Remetich replaced Thomas at the beginning of the final 11-on-11 drill, but Thomas rotated back in. The second-team line, which had to be adjusted due to the absences, had Cameron Jackel, Hutson Lillibridge, Thomas, Jackson Fort and Tim Shafter from left to right. The third-team line had the same No. 2 guys on the left but walk-on Ethan Marcus at center, Haydan Shook at right guard and Joseph Solomon at right tackle, accounting for all 13 available linemen.

It's impossible to really tell when there is no tackling, but Brumfield popped through a huge hole against the No. 1 defense on a handoff from Pratt that looked like it could have been a 60-yard touchdown in a live drill. The running backs have looked good all preseason, with clear roles for Cam Carroll, Tyjae Spears, Brumfield and Booker.

The wide receivers still need to get more productive, and not just by catching the easy passes they have dropped at times. The final play of the day was sort of indicative of what I'm talking about. Horton threw a fade to Sutton, who was covered well but leaped to meet the ball at its high point. Yet, he could not bring the ball in. Those are the tough catches that make the difference between winning and losing, and Tulane's opponents have made those catches more than Tulane has in the past few years.

Jojo Dorceus is having an outstanding camp, but he has not talked to reporters yet. I wanted to write a feature on him today, but after skipping out on Media Day when all of the other Super Seniors were present, he was requested (not by me) yesterday and not made available and by me today and not made available (I believe his lifting time was an issue). It will be interesting to get his take on life at Tulane after a full career at Memphis, which included a 2-yard touchdown catch in last year's bowl game against Florida Atlantic when he lined up as a fullback. He's an excellent athlete and gives Tulane the extra pass rusher it needed on the outside.

Keitha Jones, who was out for a while with a minor injury, practiced today. Fritz is high on Tulane's entire tight end corps. I tend to focus on Tyrick James, but Fritz also likes Will Wallace, Jones and Reggie Brown and believes all of them can be significant factors in the passing game under Chip Long. It's a matter of being able to handle the heavy load on their plate Long has given them, which is a lot more than they did in the past. Brown is out with a minor injury at the moment, but he definitely can run along with James.

Noah Taliancich, who was injured for almost all of 2020, worked at defensive tackle today, lining up alongside end Keith Cooper. Bailey Despanie worked with the second team at safety, while Shi'Keem Laister is a cornerback. I had all of those guys at different positions entering camp.

Kriston Esnard, who did not participate in the scrimmage, was the second-team kicker in a kickoff drill today. They attempted onside kicks with the ball placed flat on the tee.

The backup cornerbacks were Kiland Harrison and Lance Robinson,with D.J. Douglas serving as the nickel. I'm not sure who served as the other first-team cornerback along with Jaylon Monroe. I assumed it was Robinson until I saw his jersey number. The first-team guys were all in the black number-less jerseys. Based on how they have lined up this preseason, the most likely candidate was Laister.

Other players who did not practice today were Christian Daniels (right leg, minor), cornerback Kevaris Hall and reserve defensive tackle Alfred Thomas. All were in jerseys with no helmet and none of the issues appear significant.

An excessive heat warning was issued for New Orleans on Saturday morning, and Tulane conducted a two-hour scrimmage from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. right in the middle of it to get acclimated to the conditions it likely will face in the Sept. 4 opener against Oklahoma.

But just as much heat was emanating from the defensive sideline. Wearing black jerseys and standing on the sun side of Yulman Stadium, those guys nearly posted a shutout, giving up their only points on the final play of the day when walk-on wide receiver Lucas Desjardins made a fabulous, leaping grab in the corner of the end zone on a pass from third-string quarterback Kai Horton with few scholarship players in action. All scrimmages are a mixed bag--if one unit is dominating, the other unit is struggling--and it will be up to video review for the coaches to determine what kind of sign this was two weeks before the first game.

The defense looked really good. The offense, um, did not. It reminded me of the final scrimmage Florida had in 1990 under then first-year coach Steve Spurrier, when the offense did nothing and had people worried before it exploded for 50-something points in the opener against Oklahoma State and never looked back. I'm not predicting the same thing here by any means, but it is awfully hard to judge one way or the other when the offense struggles against a defense that knows what is coming.

The morning started with a kickoff from Merek Glover that nearly hit the backline of the end zone on the fly. Willie Fritz said Casey Glover was pushing him for that role the other day, but I will be surprised if Merek is not the guy against Oklahoma as long as he is healthy.

The first-team offense took the field against the first-team defense starting from the 25, and its troubles began immediately. Michael Pratt looked for Jaetavian Toles on a sideline route but had to throw it away when he was not open. Tyrick James then dropped a pass--the first of five drops on the day for the receivers by my count--on a short crossing route when the ball came in a little hot but should have been caught. Pratt threw low of a receiver on third down, and Ryan Wright punted 44 yard with no defenders on the field.

Justin Ibieta entered and was sacked immediately before completing a pass to Duece Watts for 18 yards and a first down, but the first of several illegal procedure penalties came next. A nice run by Devin Brumfield and interference by cornerback Kiland Harrison moved the ball to the defense's 35 before Ibieta was sacked twice in a row (the whistle was blowing quickly) and nearly sacked a third time, completing a pass to Ryan Thompson to make it fourth-and-4. Ibieata tried to scramble for the first down but was ruled short by the whistle.

Pratt went back in and threw an incomplete pass under pressure before Jeffery Johnson stoned Tyjae Spears for no gain. Ygenio Booker, on his only target of the day, then dropped a pass that would have gone for a first down. Wright boomed one that bounced into the end zone for a 70-yard effort.

The rest of the scrimmage was more of the same for the offense. Freshman end Keith Cooper blew in for a sack of Ibieta, stunting the next possession. Casey Glover, the backup punter, tried a pooch punt from the 38 that landed eight yards deep in the end zone.

Pratt did lead one long drive, completing a third-down pass to Phat Watts (who had a team-best five catches for 59 yards by my count) on third-and-six to kickstart it, a 15-yarder to Shae Wyatt for another first down, a 7-yarder to Phatt Watts to convert another third down (Watts was popped by Derrion Rakestraw right after making the catch) and overcoming a penalty with a 20-yard toss to an open James down the sideline. The ball was slightly behind James, but if he had adjusted better, he would have scored a 35-yard touchdown instead of going out of bounds at the 15. Pratt threw behind Phat Watts, Brumfield was stuffed and Angelo Anderson had a sack on third down. Merek Glover went out to try a 39-yard field goal but never attempted it as Willie Fritz sent the group to the sideline and started another possession. That was as close as the first or second unit came to scoring.

Pratt's 29-yard completion to Phat Watts--the longest of the day--but the offense in scoring range again, but Pratt overshot freshman T.J. Huggins and they settled for a 49-yard field goal attempt by freshman Kriston Esnard. Esnard, who has a strong leg but struggled with accuracy in high school, hooked it wide left by a big margin from the right hashmark.

The last possession of the first half, with the No. 2 offense and No. 2 defense on the field, was stymied by a sack from Armoni Dixon. They took a full 20-minute break and headed to the locker room, again simulating the Oklahoma game, after taking periodic breaks at the end of series.

Pratt completed his first three passes of the second half--a pair to Toles for 7-yard gains and a 13-yarder to James, who was open again--but two penalties, one that wiped out a nice run by Iverson Celestine, slowed down that drive, as did a drop by James. Wright's pooch punt from the 37 was a little better than Glover's but not good enough, landing on the goal line and bouncing farther into the end zone.

Ibieta and Pratt threw interceptions in the second half. Ajani Kerr jumped to pick off an Ibieta deep ball for Toles, and freshman linebacker Corey Platt picked off Pratt's desperation fourth-and-25 pass down the middle.

Even when they tried four 2-point conversions, the offense came up empty. Pratt threw two incomplete passes, and so did Ibieta, who threw high for Thompson and overshot an open Phat Watts.

The third string players went in after that, and with Horton and walk-on Cameron Dartez both getting snaps, the offense slowly moved down the field, getting help from a generous spot on a fourth-and-10 completion. The offense got to the 1, when another penalty moved the ball back to the 6. With the players on the defensive sideline hollering "defense, defense," Kolby Phillips defended a corner route to 6-5 receiver Jeff Nwankwo, who had a 26-yard catch on the sideline earlier in the drive, before Desjardins made his terrific catch on second down, averting the shutout as the offensive players mobbed him.

Other defensive players who had sacks were Noah Taliancich, Darius Hodges, Dorian Williams on a blitz (although that one was not counted), Marvin Moody and Noah Seiden. The defense missed few tackles again, although defensive coordinator Chris Hampton, making sure his guys don't get too confident, said the tackling was not good enough.

The first-team offensive line had Caleb Thomas at right guard ahead of Josh Remetich. It's been that way for most of camp. Everything else on the first two lines was the same as normal.

Adonis Friloux was on the first-team defense at tackle because Eric Hicks was held out. Taliancich and Seiden were on the second unit inside, with Alfred Thomas getting a few reps as well. The ends and jokers rotated frequently.

Nickelbacks Ajani Kerr, D.J. Douglas and Jadon Canady all got reps with the first team and appear to be sharing time.

Rakestraw was on the first-team defense along with Macon Clark at safety. Larry Brooks and Rudy Dyson were on the second unit, giving Tulane four safeties who will play a lot.

Th first-team wideouts--and this is the spot where it matters the least because they rotate so much and the guys who make plays once the season starts will get the most time--were Toles, Wyatt and Phat Watts. The second-team wideouts were Duece Watts, Thompson and T.J. Huggins. Cyron Sutton has fallen down the depth chart after an inconsistent camp and got very few reps. I did not notice Tyrek Presley getting any.

Cameron Carroll started at running back, with Spears next and Brumfield third.

With preseason camp ending Saturday and classes starting today, practice started an hour later and ended at 10:33, which will be the schedule going forward. I arrived during a 7-on-7 drill, and it took all of two plays for the first drop, when Phat Watts beat Jaylon Monroe by a step but bobbled an easy one, prompting Willie Fritz to yell, "you gotta catch that." Other than Jha'Quan Jackson, who was at full strength today, no one is going to know what will happen when the ball reaches a receiver's hands at the beginning of the year. These guys are capable, but they have to step up and hold on to the dang ball.

Michael Pratt and Justin Ibieta were sharp in 7-on-7, combining to complete 8 of 9 throws at one point. Pratt connected with tight end Keitha Jones on a beauty, with Jones beating freshman nickelback Jadon Canady's tight coverage for a contested catch while maintaining his balance and running down the field. Pratt found Shae Wyatt, who wins the award for getting open the most consistently in camp, on three plays in a row, including one when he was not open and grabbed a 50-50 ball with Lance Robinson simultaneously. Robinson made a hellacious effort to rip the ball away from him as they tumbled to the ground, but Wyatt would not let go. Pratt's streak of completions ended when Will Wallace had a tough catch bounce off his fingers with Derrion Rakestraw covering him tightly.

Ibieta completed a pass to Jackson, who was running well and later raced to the end zone to catch a pass that appeared to be sailing over his head in individual receiver drills against air. Ibieta also had a nice back shoulder throw to Duece Watts on Kiland Harrison before completing a pass to Reggie Brown and another one to Jones. Who knows how much the tight ends will be involved when the games start, but Fritz was not exaggerating when he said all four were good receivers last week, and Long's track record says he will use them a lot.

In 11-on-11, Pratt had a long completion to Tyjae Spears on a play that would have been a sack in a live drill. Angelo Anderson raced in virtually untouched, and Fritz went over to him to congratulate him after the play. Anderson is quick off the ball.

Today was the first day they used scout teams much if at all. There were only two scholarship players on the scout team defense--Torri Singletary and Parker Peterson. There were three scholarship linemen on the scout-team offense--Hutson Lillibridge, Haydan Shook and Joseph Solomon, plus quarterback Kai Horton. Luke Desjardins, despite his truly spectacular catch at the end of Saturday's scrimmage, was on the scout team as well, but none of the scholarship receivers or running backs were.

For the most part, they have discarded the black numberless First Wave of Defense jerseys (Jeffery Johnson, Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson were exceptions), so I had no guesswork on the first-team D. It was freshman Keith Cooper and Angelo Anderson outside, Adonis Friloux and Jeffery Johnson inside, Williams and Anderson at linebacker, Jadon Canady at nickelback, Jaylon Monroe and Lance Robinson at cornerback, Macon Clark at strong safety and Derrion Rakestraw at free safety. I really expect Canady, who had nine interceptions as a senior at a Florida high school last year, to start. There were no extenuating circumstances at nickelback. I am less confident about Cooper, but the depth chart up front bears watching moving forward and he definitely is part of the rotation.

The second-team defense had a black, numberless jersey guy (not sure who) at one end spot and Darius Hodges at the other one,with Noah Seiden and Noah Taliancich in between them. The linebackers were Kevin Henry and Marvin Moody, the nickelback was D.J. Douglas and the cornerbacks were Kiland Harrison and Ajani Kerr, who began camp as the starting nickel. The safeties were Larry Brooks and Rudy Dyson.

The first-team line offensive line was the same as in the scrimmage, with the usual suspects plus Caleb Thomas at right guard. With walk-on center Ethan Marcus on the scout team and Thomas playing guard, Sincere Haynesworth got double reps at center.

Wideout Tyrek Presley, who was not very visible in camp, missed two opportunities to make a big play, dropping one deep ball and failing to pull in another one that was slightly overthrown. To get in the mix, he has to start coming up with those.

For anyone who thinks coaches are not compassionate, Fritz went over to the sideline to console a backup player who appeared to suffer a significant knee injury on the last play of 11-on-11 work (unlike camp, the practices did not end with 11-on-11 but with scout-team stuff) and was helped to a cart. Fritz put his arm him around and said something to him before going back to the field. I would classify the player as third string, but if there is an update on his status in the next few days, I will give it.

They practiced kickoff coverage extensively, and one player who was offsides drew the wrath of the coaches. Casey Glover handled the first-team kickoffs.

It was Ygenio Booker Day at Yulman Stadium this morning, as Tulane's fourth-year running back (classified as a redshirt sophomore due to the free COVID year) had another outstanding practice. He simply makes plays, particularly in the passing game, where he sometimes splits out as a receiver. He had two huge plays in an 11-on-11 drill. First, he found an open spot against a busted coverage for a big gain on a throw by Justin Ibieta. Then he topped himself, running a streak to the end zone and out-jumping cornerback Reggie Neely for a 50-50 ball and a 37-yard touchdown. That play prompted Willie Fritz to run up to Booker on the sideline and give him a celebratory jump bump.

After redshirting in 2018, Booker had only 25 carries and nine catches combined in 2019 and 2020 while being hampered by injuries. Healthy for all of preseason camp, he looks ready to make a huge impact on the offense. He would have ended the practice in style after getting open deep again, but Michael Pratt underthrew him and hit a trailing defensive back in the back.

"He's caught that injury bug a little bit since he's been here, but I'll tell you, he's very explosive," Willie Fritz said. "He has great speed and he has excellent hands. The thing he's got is a great burst. He's running full speed in four or five yards. Sometimes it takes them 15 yards to get running full speed. We're excited about him. He's going to be play some back, some receiver and in the kicking game, too."

Booker is a reluctant talker, giving the stock answer that he was just having fun for several different questions after Thursday's workout at Yulman Stadium, but he will walk the walk this season if he stays healthy. He goes by either YG or Geno instead of his given name, and everyone will know his name and its iterations if he continues to produce like he has the last past weeks.

Practice No. 12 was a full workout in extremely hot conditions that Fritz said felt the most humid of any of the days. Cam Carroll, who is in excellent shape, cramped up after catching a deep ball from Pratt near the end of the final 11-on-11 session, and it will only be hotter for Saturday's scrimmage, which is set to start around 11 to approximate the feel for the Aug. 4 opener against second-ranked Oklahoma.

"It was a good workout," Fritz said. "We backed off a little yesterday. We are going to go to the Superdome tomorrow. We are really lucky that they allow us to get out there. We are helping them a little bit with preparations for (The Saints preseason home opener is Monday) game day. They will be checking bags and how we get in and out of the stadium and visiting teams and stuff like that. We're really grateful for the opportunity to go out there."

Pratt was sharp early before tailing off a bit at the end. He began the final 11-on-11 drill by overshooting Duece Watts on a long ball, was pressured into a thorwaway two downs later and then threw into the turf on a pass for Jaetavian Toles over the middle. He rebounded on his final series to complete four in a row--three on quick timing routes to Toles, tight end Tyrick James and tight end Will Wallace before hooking up with Carroll deep, but he finished with the bad miss for Booker.

In addition to his touchdown pass to Booker during the first 11-on-11 session, Ibieta hit Wallace deep on the sideline after holding on to the ball for a while and scrambling, but a whistle blew signifying a sack just before he released it. On the final 11-on-11 session, he connected with walk-on Lucas Desjardins a couple of times, one when defensive back D.J. Douglas messed up an assignment and received a tongue lashing. Douglas bounced back on the next play to knock down a pass. In the next and last series, he scrambled twice in a row, threw incomplete off the hand of Desjardins and hit an uncovered Wallace down the sideline for a touchdown when the defense had only 10 players on the field. Douglas ran off before the snap, and no one replaced him. Ibieta then hit Ryan Thompson with a perfect pass down the sideline, with Neely the victim again, before scrambling on the last play. Ibieta really does throw a pretty ball.

Josh Remetich, who started the first four games as a true freshman last year before getting mononucleosis and really feeling its effects for the rest of the season, practiced with the first team at right guard for both of the 11-on-11 sessions. Caleb Thomas, who had been getting most of the reps at that spot the past week or so, was strictly the No. 2 center this time. Nothing is settled at that spot, but Remetich is making his move. He started only once after his bout with mono, replacing Corey Dublin at left guard against Memphis when Dublin was sidelined by coronavirus protocols.

"When he got mono, he lost 20 or 30 pounds," Fritz said. "He's back up in weight. He got banged up a little bit in the spring, too, but he's healthy and doing a very good job."

With Macon Clark concentrating on safety, the three candidates at nickelback for the moment are Ajani Kerr, Douglas and freshman Jadon Canady. Canady is one of the few freshman who appears to be pushing for serious playing time because of the depth in front of the class. Fritz elaborated.

"I was talking to one of the other freshmen about this this morning, No. 1 you've got to be talented to play as a true freshman," Fritz said. "But they have to be ready to compete and get after it every day. It's really more their mental makeup. We've got 10 to 15 true freshmen who are very similar as far as ability for their position, but the guys who are going to play are ready to play mentally. I think Jadan is. He learns things, picks it up and makes changes on the fly. (Defensive end) Keith Cooper is another one who comes to work every day. Some guys are ready physically but not ready mentally. Some guys are ready mentally and need to put on a little weight. It's rare that you get both from a true freshman."

Other than Remetich working exclusively on the first team in the part of practice I watched, there were no differences up front on the first and second units for the offensive line.

Some quick hitters:

--Noah Seiden returned at defensive tackle today after missing some time with a minor injury, and he worked with the second unit alongside Noah Taliancich and ends Jojo Dorceus and Armoni Dixon.

--Shae Wyatt, the focus of my receivers feature in the paper today, missed an opportunity for a big play when Pratt led him with what looked like a good deep ball. Wyatt did not accelerate enough and then tried to pull it in with one hand and failed instead of laying out to make a diving catch. Those are the plays the secondary receivers need to make for Tulane to take the next step.

--Kriston Esnard practiced kickoffs and demonstrated a pretty good leg. I would expect Merek Glover to retain his role there after getting 35 touchbacks in 74 attempts last season, but Esnard, who struggled with accuracy on field goals as a senior in high school, has the leg strength to push Glover on kickoffs.

--Tulane's Dome workout will be closed to reporters, so my next report will be Saturday for the scrimmage.

--Rick Dickson was named full-time AD at Tulsa, signing a three-year contract after taking the job originally on an interim basis. This is his second stint at Tulsa, and Ed Conroy is available if he wants to make a basketball coaching change. Heck, Tubby Smith probably would leave High Point to coach Tulsa if Dickson asked, and Tubby was his last good hire for a major coaching position as AD back in 1990.

Hi Guerry, thank you for the practice reports. They are excellent.

OL - have we built that depth Fritz has always desired. Can our 2nd string guys play with little drop off?

WR - sounds like we will have a lot of drops again. If you had to rate the WR group, who would be one, two, etc., and is the WR reliable catching the ball the majority of the time.

Recruiting - do you think this class will be as good as the previous two classes? What are your sources saying about the current and future recruits, especially some of the unrated kids.

Thanks!

Tulane had a very light practice this morning at Yulman Stadium, partly because the fitness tracking system the team uses indicated guys had exerted a lot of energy in the past two days and needed to ramp it down to keep themselves fresh. The Green Wave will conduct another workout tomorrow on campus before going to the Superdome on Friday for another like workout in preparation for Saturday's scrimmage.

The big news was Jha'Quan Jackson returned to practice today, fielding punts, after missing the past few days with a minor knee injury that kept him out of Saturday's scrimmage. He looked very close to 100 percent.

Offensive guard Trey Tuggle was on a scooter today with a left leg injury, but Tulane still has plenty of competition at his position. Caleb Thomas is the frontrunner to start at right guard, with Josh Remetich also in the picture and Jackson Fort trying to work his way into the picture. Other guys who did not practice were Christian Daniels (right leg). Alfred Thomas,, Devean Deal, Reggie Brown, Colby Orgeron, Matt Lombardi, Larry Brooks, Derrion Rakestraw and Angelo Anderson. Rakestraw and Anderson were out there in shorts, took mental reps and did not have any wrapping or any limp connoting a significant issue. The Wave is a little low on bodies at safety right now, with walk-on Gabe Liu getting second-team reps along with freshman Bailey Despanie but the guys out should be fine by the time the Oklahoma game rolls around.

They worked on onside kicks again today, but this team focusing on recovering an opponent's attempt. Cyron Sutton did exactly what he was supposed to do, falling on a ball cleanly, and so did Jackson.

The defense did its first scout-team work of camp, but not with offensive players serving as scout players yet. The coaches have not divided up the team that way yet, so defensive players performed the roles of the scout team while the offense had a long receiving drill, with guys running patterns on air and catching passes. Ygenio Booker made a nice grab of a Justin Ibieta deep ball thrown slightly behind him, adjusting to make the catch look easy. Jaetavian Toles had the only drop.

The practice ended without the normal 11-on-11 session.

Archie Manning attended practice and addressed the team after it was over. You'll never hear anyone utter a bad word about him. He's as nice a guy as there is although it was funny in casual conversation he referred to his sons as my middle son Peyton and my oldest son Cooper, etc, as if anyone was not familiar with the Manning clan.

WILLIE FRITZ

"We cut back quite a bit today. We're trying to build up to Saturday's scrimmage in more game-like situations, so we're going to go uppers tomorrow and on Friday we're going to go helmets again down in the Dome and then we're going to scrimmage on Saturday. We have this GPS Catapult we follow quite closely and we put up a bunch of high numbers for a few days in a row, so we wanted to back off a little bit."

On who will participate in scrimmage:

"Everybody will play for sure. We will do more game situations. I love when we have officials at practice. It's a lot more realistic when you have the refs out at practice. We'll get in some goal line, we'll run drives to completion. Some guys will play a lot and some guys will play a little. Some of these guys have played thousands of snaps here at Tulane, so I've got a pretty good bead on the team. Some guys have played only 30 or 40, and I want to get them more reps and more experience."

On Oklahoma being ranked No. 2:

"Yeah, they are a great team obviously and have been great forever, since Bud Wilkerson many years ago. Coach (Lincoln) Riley is doing a sensational job. It's going to be a tremendous challenge. I think our guys are excited about playing if not the best team in the country, one of the best teams in the country."

FRITZ FROM YESTERDAY

"We were back outside today. We'll be back outside the majority of the time. We might have one more opportunity to be inside either the Dome if they allow us to go out there or possibly in Metairie at the Saints facility. Otherwise, we have to get ready for this. We play 11 o'clock, the first game. Oklahoma here. Most of the guys have really done a good job adapting to the heat and the humidity. We've upped our pitch count. We're going six plays in a row (with the same personnel) and we were going four the first week. We're just trying to build that stamina up as best we can."

On Tyrick James being capable of reaching another level:

"There really is. He's been a steady guy, but at times he showed flashes he can be an All-Conference type performer for us. We just need to get that done consistently. We've got a lot of competition in the tight end room with Tyrick and Will Wallace. Reggie Brown has had a good camp. Keitha Jones is hobbled and banged up right now, but he started off well and had a good spring for us. Tight end's a big part of our offense. The guy who plays the best during camp is going to get more opportunities in the first game. We like the Steady Eddie, but we also want to get some plays where wow, that guy's a heck of a tight end. All those guys can be that kind of guy. All of those guys have good speed. Will Wallace had some long catches for us last year and has done it in camp so far. Reggie Brown has good speed but is a little bit hobbled right now. Keitha's got good speed, so all of them can stretch a field vertically. We just want to see them be consistent and play at a high level every single down."

On Chip Long using the position heavily:

"We ask them to do a lot of things. They've got to think now. We don't run three plays. We run a bunch of them with a bunch of different concepts and those guys have to understand the call, they have to understand the situation and they have to execute the call. Luckily all those guys are bright guys and are able to do that."

On consistency he needs from James:

"Just down after down after down after down. He's an outstanding young man and has had a very nice career for us, but we really think he can take it to another level. That's what we're looking for."

On fighting through dog days of August in practice:

"Not bad. Not bad. We'll come out and do some walkthrough this evening. We'll come out late. It's not a very good schedule for coaches but it's a real good schedule for players. We get done with practice here, we've got lunch beginning at 10:30, we do special teams meeting at noon and if you're not involved in special teams you do positional meetings, and then basically they've got block of time with about four hours off. And most of those guys, I bet you it would be 99.9 percent of them, go to their humble abode and take a good, solid two-hour nap. Then we come back and have a team dinner at 5. We have a team meeting at 6. We positional meet at 6:30 until almost 8, and then we come out here and do a walkthrough until about 8:45. By that time it's cool outside and the guys are pretty ready to go. When they get done with that, they walk out the door with their snack and get another good, solid seven hours of sleep in. We get up early, but during camp we're able to give them some time off so those guys can rest and recover."

Tulane's practice at the Saints indoor facility this morning was closed to reporters--we got the word last night--so I did not see it. When they returned to campus, Willie Fritz, Tyrick James and Dorian Williams talked. Jojo Dorceus had been requested but did not show, with Williams replacing him.

FRITZ

"We are always very appreciative of the Saints allowing us to go out there. We had a great practice. It was nice and cool, 72 degrees. We did some team periods. We worked a period with the punt block and punt return unit. We worked some kickoff return, did some seven-on-seven, some one-on-one, a little inside period. It was good. We got a lot out of it today."

On scrimmage in retrospect:

"For a first scrimmage guys tackled well. Usually the first scrimmage it gets sloppy, but the guys did a nice job with their approach to tackling and maintaining leverage and using their arms to tackle. A lot of times defensive guys, particularly in that first scrimmage, think they are an offensive player and they're blocking guys instead of tackling. That was probably the No. 1 takeaway for me."

On Dorceus being productive at 6-0:

"He's got built-in leverage. I talk all the time about playing with your eyes at throat level of your opponents. He's already there most of the time. He does a great job of contorting his body and getting skinny, and he's got great explosion. From here to there he's really fast and quick."

On transfer from Memphis:

"His mom's from here. He lived here until Katrina, then he went to Houston. He wanted to come back home and play his last year here. After he got in the portal, he contacted us and came over this way. There really wasn't much recruiting. This was where he wanted to be so he could be close to home."

On need for getting lineman like Dorceus in portal:

"We're always going to probably over-recruit on the offensive and defensive line. It's just so hard to really project guys, and it usually takes them a little bit longer, particularly with the offensive linemen, to develop,. We have a good group of defensive linemen right now, some big guys, but we'll always take a great player if we can get him."

On Super Seniors coming back this year (seven who played for Tulane last year returned for the COVID year)

"I stayed out of it. It was a long, stressful season last year with the COVID protocol we had to follow. I used to wait until the season got over and then came back in January and a bunch of guys felt great about it. It had to be their decision. It wasn't going to work if it wasn't their decision. Most all of those guys have already graduated. Some of the guys have timed it up where they're maybe only taking three hours in the fall. Other guys are getting their master's. A couple of guys are getting their MBA in December. They'll be finished with that. It's a great advantage for them academically, professionally, getting a job having this extra degree, and then also some of them want to show they can play at the next level and get a little more tape out there. It was great to have them back. In 15, 20 years they are going to be very happy they did it. You only have a small window to play football and they all got themselves an extra year to do that."

On if he watched NFL preseason games:

"I saw a little bit of the Saints game. I watched Christian Montano. Jalen McCleskey is injured with the Saints, but I watched Christian and he played there at the end. I saw some highlights One of our coaches on our sports staff puts together all the guys who played, and I saw Patrick Johnson make some plays, a big sack by Cam Sample at the end of the game, Darius Bradwell had a touchdown. There were some other guys who did some good stuff, too. It's always fun to watch those guys at the next level play. I'm sure our guys talked to some of them since that game and visited with them as well."

DORIAN WILLIAMS

On practice at Saints facility:

"It's always a different type of energy when you go out there to the Saints. You get to see the guys, Cameron Jordan, some of those guys that you look up to growing up playing football. We go a lot to the Saints and it's a nice facility. You get real comfortable with it, the turf and how you cut. It's nice."

Thoughts on scrimmage:

"I felt like everybody played pretty hard. We've got some guys get back there to the quarterback. The backers are going to be able to run. The guys on the back end are covering. We're all doing pretty well. We're pretty happy with this defense. We need to clean up a couple of little things with assignments and schemes, but we are pretty happy with the defense right now."

On Dorceus:

"Jojo is a character. He is just so fast, so quick off the line. He's not going to be a two-gap guy, but as far as getting back in the backfield and creating havoc, if you don't account for him, he'll wreck the entire play scheme."

TYRICK JAMES

On how he got so open on opening possession of scrimmage:

"It was really just the play call from coach Long. That's really all it is. That's how I got open. We just had the right play call for the defense. I just happened to get open."

On learning Chip Long had coached tight ends when he arrived:

"It felt great. It's the same thing with coach Hall. He and coach Hall have the same type of background and scheme. They are big tight end guys and put tight ends on pretty much every play that they have, so once I found out we were getting coach Long and I found out they were college roommates, I was like, 'Wow.' it's really all God's timing. God put coach Hall here to put things in and coach Long here for us to really execute the plays and take it to the next level."

On getting used to Long's personality:

"Not really much (of an adjustment). Everybody wants somebody to push them to be great, and that's what coach Long comes out here and does. He might joke off the field a little bit, but when it's time to nut down and get on the field between those sidelines, coach Long is all about business. He's ready to go."

On what he is looking for this year:

"Everybody hopes to have a great year. I wouldn't down myself, so I'm hoping to have a fantastic year. Hopefully every ball that comes my way, I'll catch it and get what I get for my team."

On what does best:

"I'm an all-around player. I have my spurts here and there. I block good at times and I don't block good at times. I catch good at times. It's mostly all-around."

Where needs to improve the most:

"My blocking down the perimeter, being more physical on my blocking because I tend to get beat a lot, so I try not to."

On experience helping him:

"A lot. We have a lot of young guys up under me and also I have Will (Wallace) next to me to help me with the young guys. We have the experience now. It's time to take it to the next level. I feel great about us. We are going to take our unit to the next level."

Guerry,

Could you find out on the 25 annual limit is restrictive to just signees or transfers or both. Also, is Tulane limiting the 85 limit or will allow players a 6th year if redshirted along with covid?

Huge loss for the Wave battling the big boys.

It happened last night and it's Isaiah Boyd, a 3-star defensive end according to 247Sports but who has not received any stars from anyone else. Hopefully 247Sports has evaluated his correctly.

Boyd has a P5 offer from Wake Forest and offers from all the service academies among others.

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After seven days of practice in which the defense got the better of the offense in my opinion, Tulane's first scrimmage of the preseason began in quite different fashion on Saturday morning. Michael Pratt and the first-team offense buzzed down the field for a 75-yard touchdown in four plays on the opening possession on a hot (the start time temperature was 84 degrees), humid (76 percent with a temperature that felt like 93 according to weather.com) day. A running play gained about four or five yards on the first snap before Pratt connected with Jaetavian Toles for about 20. On the next play, Tyrick James slipped down the sideline uncovered and Pratt hit him for a huge gain to the 5- yard line, where he finally was knocked out of bounds. Pratt then ran a keeper and skipped into the end zone easily.

The rest of the scrimmage was pretty balanced, with Pratt and Justin Ibieta mostly taking six snaps in a row regardless of whether a possession had ended and Willie Fritz hollering out down and distance that did not always gibe with the previous play in situational work. Pratt's first segment ended with a blatant drop on a crossing route by Shae Wyatt, as missed opportunities by the receivers continued to be an issue. Justin Ibieta went in and was sacked on his first play (I did not catch the number), ending the series and prompting the ball to be moved back to the 25-yard line for a new set of downs. He threw a nice completion to Ygenio Booker for about 15 to 20 yards, but on the next play walk-on cornerback Rishi Rattan made him his personal pigeon again, incredibly intercepting him in a live drill for the second time in the preseason and the fourth time since the beginning of the spring. Rattan leaped near the sideline to snag it.

The offense struggled for a little while after that. Ibieta converted a third-and-2 with a short pass to Wyatt, although the ball popped free right after Wyatt was tackled. Tyjae Spears had a nice 6-yard run on his first carry, looking like his normal self, but was stuffed for a loss on a pitch by a swarming defense on his next touch. Phat Watts then dropped an easy ball.

During Pratt's next segment, he was "sacked" by a blitzing Macon Clark, and completed a pass in the flat to Booker, who was taken down for a 1-yard loss with an excellent tackle by freshman Jadan Canady. If any of the freshmen play a significant role this year, it will be Canady, whom the coaches really like.

On Ibieta's next series, he threw a gorgeous strike to tight end Reggie Brown down the sideline, but Brown lost the ball on his way down. A little later, with a series that started from the offense's 1-yard line, Ibieta hit Duece Watts deep on walk-on safety Jonathan Mestayer, a favorable matchup. Pratt went in as the series started over at the 1 and scrambled for a few yards before getting hit as he threw from the end zone by Carlos Hatcher, who is having a good camp. The ball fluttered incomplete, and Pratt was almost picked on the next play, overthrowing Toles with safety Rudy Dyson almost making a diving grab. Ibieta went back in and completed a pass over the middle to Bryce Bohanon and to Ryan Thompson, whose names I have seldom mentioned in camp.

The next segment was goal-line work with the ball starting at the defense's 8. Ibieta threw incomplete off Carroll's fingertips before a running play netted a yard and Carroll took a swing pass and reached the end zone. Pratt went in and completed a 7-yard pass to the 1 to Will Wallace before Booker was stoned by a wall of defenders on a run and Pratt threw an easy touchdown pass to James on a waggle to the right.

Ibieta's next try in the goal-line situation produced a 1-yard pass to T.J. Huggins, a touchdown run by Devin Brumfield that was nullified by a penalty, an incomplete pass and an 11-yard pass to Huggins, who was ruled down just shy of the goal line. Iverson Celestine then scored easily on a fourth-and-goal run. A little later, Brumfield had the nicest run of the day, bouncing off a pair of tackles on his way to an 8-yard score. Darius Hodges then batted down a Pratt pass and Wyatt dropped another one.

Ibieta threw the best touchdown pass of the day in the next segment, hitting Duece Watts on a fade and having Watts go up and get it. Pratt returned for a regular possession and hit Phat Watts for a short gain before Brumfield dropped a pass, another one went off the hands of Wyatt and a third one was almost intercepted as Pratt's day ended.

Ibieta's final series had a pass to Celestine for a first down and a short completion and fumble by a players whose number I did not catch. Angelo Anderson, who will start against Oklahoma regardless of how few times he earns the black jersey in practice, then registered back to back "sacks" to close out Ibieta's day.

Kai Horton played two series for his first action to end the scrimmage. I did not see what happened too much on those plays, but I know he threw for high school teammate and walk-on running back Mason Courtney on the first two, completing one, and threw to walk-one wide receiver Trevor Evans for a nice gain down the seam. The last two players were back-to-back fade passes into the end zone for 6-6 freshman wideout Jeff Nwankwo. Walk-on safety Jean Jacques-Hunter had a perfectly timed breakup of the first one and the second one did not connect either. Fritz blew his whistle several times to signify the finish at 10:47, about two hours after it started.

The players on the field for that series--meaning they are third team at best--were Joseph Solomon, Hutson Lillibridge, Ethan Marcus, Haydan Shook and Matt Lombardi on the offensive line from left to right and a defensive line of Xavier Singletary, Parker Peterson, walk-on Dwane Tillis and freshman Devean Deal from left to right on the defensive line, a pair of walk-on linebackers, Levi Williams at nickelback, a pair of walk-on safeties, one walk-on cornerback and Kolby Phillips. Earlier, Elijah Champaigne and Nik Hogan got reps with the third unit.

Players held out of the scrimmage were Alfred Thomas (who has been injured a lot), Colby Orgeron, Noah Seiden, Shi'Keem Laister and Jha'Quan Jackson, all of whom were in shorts, Larry Brooks, who was in uniform but did not play, and Lance Robinson, whom I never saw. No one who is out has a serious injury as far as I know, and I saw all of them but Robinson walking on the field. Fritz prefers not to talk about injuries at all.

The first-team offensive line was the same as usual. The second-team offensive line has Cameron Jackel, Jackson Fort, Marcus (because they were not forcing Caleb Thomas to do double duty), Trey Tuggle and Timothy Shafter, whom Fritz did not rule out of getting a starting job yesterday after I declared the race won by Rashad Green in an article). I think Josh Remetich got reps with the first unit, too, at right guard.

The first-team defense had JoJo Dorceus at joker and Carlos Hatcher at end, with Jeffery Johnson and Eric Hicks in between them. The linebackers were Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson. The nickelback was Macon Clark. The cornerbacks were Jaylon Monroe and Kiland Harrison. The safeties were Derrion Rakestraw and Dyson.

The second-team defense had Angelo Anderson, who was a beast against the second-team line, at joker, Adonis Friloux and someone I missed inside (Seiden and Thomas were out), Marvin Moody and Kevin Henry at linebacker (with Machado and Corey Platt getting reps, too), Ajani Kerr at nickelback (with D.J. Douglas getting reps, too), Reggie Neely and Rattan at cornerback and Bailey Despanie at safety along with Dyson (who was pulling double duty in Brooks' absence).

They did a lot of special teams work today, too, beginning the scrimmage with field goals. With his brother Casey Glover as the holder, Merek Glover hit from 25 yards from the right hash, 30 yards from slightly inside the right hash, 33 yards from the middle and was was right right from 39 yards from the left hash. Graham Dable, with Ryan Wright as the holder. hit from 22 yards from the right hash, 25 yards from slightly inside the right hash and 33 yards from the middle. before missing wide left on a 39-yarder. Bobby Noel the missed a 39-yarder. I do not know where Kriston Esnard was.

They attempted kickoffs with kickoff coverage, and the first unit was Monroe, Toles, Rakestraw, Christian Daniels, Nick Anderson, Merek Glover, Dyson, Marvin Moody, Dorian Williams, D.J. Douglas and a number I did not catch from left to right.

I did not chart Ryan Wright's punts, but they were solid and one was booming. The No. 2 punter is Casey Glover. In the absence of Jackson, the punt returner was Bohanon. They did not do kickoff returns, but Bohanon, Wyatt and Cyron Sutton will be in the mix for the second deep back roll alongside Jackson.

There were six referees. They did not throw many flags, only two or three.

There will be no practice on Sunday, and Monday's workout will be at the Saints indoor facility. I plan to go if the Saints allow it (Tulane will if it is up to them).

Phat Watts turned in the catch of preseason camp today in a 2-minute drill near the end of the workout, grabbing a deep pass from Michael Pratt on his shoulder pad and holding on similar to David Tyree's Super helmet catch in the Super Bowl several years ago. It was not quite the same level of difficulty, but it was an impressive display by a receiver who has been inconsistent since arrive from junior college with twin brother Duece last year. Tulane needs some of its receivers to step up, and this was a good start. Freshman T.J. Huggins made some plays today as well, including a catch on a pass thrown behind him by Justin Ibieta, although he had another drop earlier and Duece Watts finished the practice with a touchdown grab from Ibieta in the 2-minute drill. It was the combo's second touchdown of the day after Duece Watts snagged a pretty pass in the back of the end zone and got his foot down inbounds during a 7-on-7 drill. In that same seven-on-seven work, Tyrek Presley leaped high to catch another Ibieta thrown in the back of the end zone and Shae Wyatt broke free on a crossing route for an easy score.

Michael Pratt's first two passes of the 7-on-7, which was a goal-line drill today, were dropped in the end zone, but the receivers were solid the rest of the way. Huggins dropped a pretty easy one, and Jaetavian Toles had one go off his hands on what would have been a tough catch. Toles rebounded on the next play for a touchdown, and Tyjae Spears looked quick out of the backfield for an easy scoring reception seconds later.

Ibieta had the touchdown passes to Wyatt and Presley and almost had another one to Presley, who's feet came out out of the back of the end zone. In his next segment, he held the ball a long time before throwing late and incomplete for Duece Watts, They made up for it with their beautiful scoring connection on the next play, but Ibieta could not find anyone open on the next snap and threw it away before throwing too low for Christian Daniels.

Saturday's scrimmage will be a big day for the receivers as they determine a pecking order. Wyatt, Cyron Sutton, Jaetavian Toles, Phat Watts, Presley, Daniels and Huggins all have shown flashes of play-making potential to varying degrees, but all of them have yet to prove (with the possible exception of Toles) they can be reliable factors.

In the first 11-on-11 segment, Pratt's second pass was tipped and then intercepted along the sideline. He completed a pass to Toles on a slant and hit Ygenio Booker with a swing pass that might have been a lateral. Either way, getting Booker in the open field, like he was there, should be a successful play this season.

Ibieta went in and immediately tried to thread a needle on a seam throw to Wyatt and was fortunate it was not picked off. In the six days of camp, I'd say Ibieta has thrown more pretty completions than Pratt, but his floor has been considerably lower, too, with some questionable decisions. If he cleans those up, he will be game-ready if needed, and Tulane could win with him.

Kai Horton did not get much going today, throwing low for Presley twice in a row in the goal-line 7-on-7 work. The most action that came on one of his players was a keeper that went nowhere but ended up in a near fight when someone slung offensive tackle Joseph Solomon to the ground.

In the two-minute drill, Pratt completed a pass to Phat Watts inside, threw wide of Wyatt and found tight end Tyrick James for a first down. He then threw incomplete for Wyatt on a back-shoulder pass and missed an open Toles for what would have been a first down. Those are the plays Pratt needs to cut out. Tulane's quarterbacks never have had a high completion percentage under Fritz, but he could be the first if he makes sure the routine throws are on target consistently.

Ibieta went in and completed a pass to Cam Carroll, scrambled on the next play and hit Huggins on the play I mentioned earlier for a good gain. He then threw too low for Sutton and was "sacked," ending the series as Fritz hollered he could not take a sack in that situation.

Each QB got another series, with Pratt getting the fantastic grab by Phat Watts and Ibieta throwing the toucheown pass to Duece Watts as the Watts twins ended with bang.

Tight end Keitha Jones sat out the practice with an unspecified injury. I also did not see third-string offensive tackle Haydan Shook, who was the only one of 15 scholarship linemen not practicing. The first-team offensive line was the same as yesterday, with Rashad Green at right tackle and Caleb Thomas at right guard along with the three usual suspects. The second-team line was Cameron Jackel, Jackson Fort, Thomas, Tuggle and Remetich splitting reps and Matt Lombardi from left to right. The third-team line was Solomon, Hutson Lillibridge, Ethan Marcus, Tuggle and Remetich and Tim Shafter from left to right.

I talked to Fritz, Rashad Green and Sincere Haynesworth after practice. I will post their comments shortly.

I was a little late arriving for today's practice (shorts and shoulder pads) after getting in a fender bender on my way there (no serious damage to my car or the truck that sideswiped me on a wide turn that wasn't wide enough, but now I have been in three accidents over the past 18 months after being in zero for the first 35 years of driving), and the very first two plays I saw in 7 on 7 were a dropped pass by Christian Daniels on an impressive seam throw by Justin Ibieta and a bobbled pass by freshman T.J. Huggins along the sideline that defensive back Shi'Keem Laister snatched out of the air. At this point it sounds like I'm obsessing on the issue, but the receiver errors happen every day in practice. Daniels is a primary offender. Although he gets open quite a bit and has made an impressive transformation into a route runner from a failed quarterback, he absolutely, positively needs to work on his hands to be trusted in game situations. Jaetavian Toles, meanwhile, was very good in the first portion of practice I saw, winning one-one-battles in one-on-one drills and beating a guy deep once, but he, too, joined the drops party near the end of the last 11-on-11 segment on a 20-yard pass that bounced right off his hands. The quarterback talent is at an all-time high under Willie Fritz, both with the starter (Michael Pratt) and backup (Justin Ibieta), but the receivers have to help them out more often.

Ibieta had a good day, avoiding the mistakes that have hurt him in early practices and exhibiting his arm talent. He hit Cyron Sutton over the middle with a nice throw in 7 on 7, threw a beauty to Tyrek Presley (who later received a tongue lashing from Chip Long for an easy drop) on an out route in 11-on -11, made a nice throw on the run to Phat Watts on the sideline, creating something out of nothing, and hit tight end Tyrick James in stride.

Pratt was pretty sharp, too, and his leadership skills cannot be mentioned enough. He talks with his receivers on the sideline after every series about what went right and wrong and is equally capable of pumping a guy up and offering constructive criticism. He connected with Jha'Quan Jackson for nice gains in both the 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 and also had a long scramble for a "touchdown" (it was not a totally live drill).

Willie Fritz explained what happened to Mykel Jones after practice today, and I owe Jones an apology for a post on another thread. I either forgot or never knew he suffered a serious knee injury agains Memphis in the regular season finale last year, tearing an ACL and doing other damage that forced him to miss all of spring drills. He really wanted to come back for a COVID-granted final year, but after watching him at the beginning of preseason drills, the team's medical staff nixed his return.

"He tried as hard as he could to play and really rehabbed the heck out of it," Fritz said. "Our doctors, our coaches and Mike, we just didn't feel comfortable with it and so he's not going to play with us. He's a great young man. It was a very significant injury. He worked his tail off trying to get back. He just couldn't do it."

Jones was not much of a factor last season, catching 11 passes through 11 games, but he worked hard to come back and do better before his body said no. HIs absence leaves Tulane with 85 scholarship players by my count, which used to be the NCAA maximum but will be raised this season (I don't believe an official number has been determined) due to the extra COVID year granted all willing seniors and grad transfers. Tulane still has seven players doing it--Corey Dublin, Jaetavian Toles, Marvin Moody, Kevin Henry, Jaylon Monroe, Ajani Kerr and Merek Glover, with Dublin, Monroe and Glover definite first-teamers, Kerr a likely starter, Toles a possible starter and Moody and Henry heavy contributors off the bench.

Tulane increased the amount of reps in each drill today after taking an NCAA-mandated one-day break following the initial four practices, going from 24 reps (5 for the first team, 5 for the second team, 2 for the third team with a repeat) to 32 reps (I believe it was 6, 6 and 4). Everyone on the team is going to get significant work through the weekend, when the Wave holds its first scrimmage at 8 a.m.

"Guys pushed through pretty well and a lot of guys got reps and we're going to continue to do that all the way through this weekend, when we scrimmage on Saturday, giving everybody a good amount of reps," Fritz said. "Everybody's going to go in the scrimmage. I'm hoping to give everybody almost 20 reps other than the quarterbacks. Then we're going to start working a little more with the first and second group beginning next week."

The first-team offensive line was Joey Claybrook, Dublin, Sincere Haynesworth (back from a two-day cramps break), Caleb Thomas and Rashad Green from left to right, although Josh Remetich replaced Thomas at right guard in the second 11-on-11 session. Green has gotten time at first-team right guard and tackle in the preseason but appears to be settling in at tackle.

"He's got great movement," Fritz said. "He's a big fellow. He's almost 6-foot-3 and he's 310 pounds and has outstanding movement.You have to have that on the edge with tackles. The college game is a little different than the pro game because you're really not blocking as big guys as you think you are out there at tackle. Most of the defensive ends in our league are around 250, so he's got weight advantage, but you've got to be able to move. They are all quick, so you have to be able to move with them. That's what we're excited about with Rashad."

The second-team line was Tim Shafter, Jackson Fort, Thomas, Remetich and Matt Lombardi from left to right. I could be premature, but it looks to me like four spots are solidified on the first unit, with Thomas and Remetich battling at right guard. Thomas would be the top center if Haynesworth got hurt, while Lombardi is the top reserve tackle, probably on either side of the line. We will see if anything changes after the scrimmage.

As promised, Tyjae Spears shed his no-contact jersey and was in white, signifying he is full go. He is wearing a brace on his leg, and Fritz said he was not sure when or if the brace would be discarded, adding it did not appear to slow down Spears in any way. Tulane has no one in a no-contact jersey and has avoided significant injuries to this point in camp. Reserve defensive lineman Colby Orgeron has been unable to practice from the start, and Noah Seiden joined him on the sideline today after practicing Monday, but I did not notice anyone else.

Third-string quarterback Kai Horton had the best throw I've seen him make in camp, hitting Sutton with a laser deep down the sideline in 7-on-7 work. With his head swimming, Horton looked really poor in the first couple of practices, but he looked better today. He also hit Ygenio Booker on a screen, and Booker took off like a rocket. He has to prove it in games, but I believe Booker will be the best receiving running back in the Fritz era.

There was almost the first fight of preseason camp after a fumble on a reverse in 11-on-11. The offensive linemen and defensive linemen got heated and started shoving each other before breaking it up as Fritz blew his whistle. He yelled at them to cut it out and quit wasting everyone's time.

Fritz was asked today what he expected out of his pass rush, and he said he thought it could be just as good as last year despite the loss of Patrick Johnson and Cam Sample.

"I'm excited about it," he said. "We lost two great pass rushers with Cam and Patrick, but we've got some good pass rushers. We have some good guys inside. Jeffery Johnson, Eric Hicks and Adonis Friloux can all rush the passer. We've got some linebackers who did a good job with inside blitz and outside blitz. (End) Jo Jo Dorceus, we're having a hard time blocking him right now, so we've got the opportunity to have a great pass rush this season just like we did last year."

The news about Dorceus is the most significant. I can't say I have noticed it first hand, but the Wave definitely needs an impact newcomer on the edge as a pass rusher, and he is the best candidate after having productive years at Memphis. The other guys like Angelo Anderson and Carlos Hatcher and Darius Hodges simply have not played as much college football as Dorceus.

Macon Clark is spending most of his time at safety in preseason drills after getting time at nickelback last year and in the spring. He introduced himself as a safety in the Fan Night a couple weeks ago, and he may end up starting there in a quality four-player group that includes Nick Brooks, Derrion Rakestraw and Rudy Dyson.

"He can do both (safety and nickel)," Fritz said. "Right now we feel pretty good about two deep at the nickel, the strong and the safety, but all of a sudden during the season when you get one or two guys banged up, they better be able to play a couple of spots. He's smart enough to do that. He's done it in the past. He's a good player."

Chip Long's wife and two young daughters attend practice almost every day and watch from the top of the Iberia Suite. Today, his youngest daughter pointed out a cat was sleeping in the front row of the stands and asked me and Ed Daniels to stand on top of a bench and look over the wall to see it. Sure enough, the cat turned and looked right at me when I did it. Like I said the other day, this is a full-service report.

Until today, I did not have time to transcribe several of my interviews in the first four days of practice. Here they are:

CHRIS HAMPTON

On First Wave of Defense jerseys for first-teamers on each day of preseason camp:

"That was my idea. We actually did that at McNeese State and I thought it was a good idea to create competition that the first unit means something when you are out there. The depth chart rotates daily. This is a business of what have you done for me lately, so I'm trying to get the guys to buy in and relish the grind of practicing every day and competing amongst themselves. Competition makes them better."

Jeffery Johnson an example of a presumed and almost certain first-teamer having to earn it in practice and not wearing the special jersey;

"Exactly right. Another guy had a little better practice yesterday (I'm not sure who was wearing the jersey), so he was 77. He may have practiced the best today, so tomorrow he may have that jersey on (he did not). That's how it going. We'll do it through camp. Once the season starts, we won't do it."

On Johnson being in transfer portal:

"It didn't last long. He realized that he should come back and finish his education here at Tulane and finish his senior season with his friends. That was one of those deals where maybe there was some outside influence. We can't control that, but we're glad to have him back. He's extremely valuable. He's a four-year starter. There's not a lot of big guys like him anywhere. He can move, he can play and he's had a great offseason, a tremendous spring. He's getting better and better every day during camp, so we're looking forward to seeing him play this year. He weighs about 295. He looks the best I've ever seen him. He's in tremendous shape."

On defense after three days of camp:

"I feel fine. I feel like we're improving each and every day. You strive for perfection and there are mistakes obviously, but we get to correct them. That's the beauty of fall camp and spring ball. We get to corredt the mistakes. We're trending the right way. We're not ready in any shape, form or fashion yet, but we're trending in the right direction."

On D.J. Douglas:

"He's a pretty good player. He's been coached. He knows what he's doing, he's tough, he competes, he has a great understanding of the game, natural instincts. He really loves football. We're glad to have him."

(I turned the recorder off and asked him about Rishi Rattan because I knew if he thought Rattan was not a viable competitor for playing time, he would not want to say that in front of Tulane's video. He said Rattan did have a chance to get in the mix while certainly not guaranteeing it, adding he had an awkward style but got the job done and made big plays in practice. In my view, it's still a long shot, but Rattan bears watching)

DORIAN WILLIAMS

On energy Chris Hampton brings:

"Coach Hampton brings a lot of energy. He is going to get on you when you mess up, but it's all out of love. He's a great coach. He'll run with you all the way to the ball because he's going to make sure we work. He says everybody is going to get better this fall camp."

On linebackers:

"It's great to have everybody back, and even the young kids coming in, it feels good to have everybody back. We know we are the head of the defense and have to keep every communicating and running to the ball. We have to be leaders on this team as far as special teams and defense."

On young guys who are standing out:

"Dev (Devean Deal; I did not catch him saying that until just now as I transcribe it, so Deal is playing linebacker after being listed as a tight end) is good. Corey Platt's an athlete. Mandel (Eugene) is a speedster. We're going to put weight on him and he's going to be good. Rishi (Rattan) is a walk-on DB and he balls at practice every day."

On communication to eliminate mistakes:

"We're big on film this year. We're changing a lot of like who has control of the communication. The DBs are calling coverages. The linebackers are going to handle it up front, and then just communicating with the guys on the back end to make sure we're on the same page. We have a lot of meetings together so you see what everybody has to do, not just what your position has to do."

On Oklahoma and Ole Miss early in season:

"We all view those as great opportunities to learn as a defense and learn what we need to improve on, and really those are the money games. If guys want to get drafted, those are the games where you come out and you show the scouts and fans what we are really made of. This is a great opportunity. We love it."

On NIL:

"I have a couple of opportunities with Wagyu Beef Bar company. That's what I do. There are a couple people who have reached out, and I feel like it's a great opportunity for all student-athletes to make the extra money, even to help out families because a lot of people were taking the financial aid they were getting and giving it back to people at home. I feel like it's a great opportunity to help them help themselves here and help the people at home."

DEVIN BRUMFIELD

"For me it was just getting closer to home. I now have a child, so that was the big thing for me. I chose Tulane because it was a place I I knew I wasn't going to be promised anything and I knew I would come to work. I'm now in a room full of guys who have proven themselves in Yulman, and I just want to be next and be a great part of that room. Being away from family for three years, there's nothing like playing in front of the people that love and support you your whole life. That's going to be the biggest thing for me is to impress my family back home."

On him (Covington) Tyjae Spears (Ponchatoula) and Iverson Celestine (Fontainbleau) all coming from the same North Shore high school football district:

"For me it's special. I'm older than those guys, so I was the first one out, but it shows the talent over there is being recognized, and to all be in the same place is special so we can go out and show what we can do on the North Shore."

Covington went 12-0 (before losing to Hahnville in quarterfinals of state playoffs) in his senior year:

"We all came in as freshmen. We knew what we had but didn't quite know, so we worked our butts off from freshman year and senior year it all came together. It was a special year for all of us and will be remembered at that school forever."

On practicing as hard as anyone Fritz has seen:

"For me it came from high school, that 12-0 team I played for in my senior year. Utah was really great at guys finishing. If you want to be the best, you've got to practice the best. Being here at Tulane, they've got guys working their butts off like Tyjae Spears and Cameron Carroll and now Iverson Celestine. If you take a day off, you are going to get passed up. We all want to be the best and are going to continue to work."

On Spears coming back from ACL tear:

"From the day Tyjae stepped back on the field at Football School (The team's term for the summer conditioning session), we knew he was special. We knew what he did before, and he's continuing every day to get better and he's proving he's the Tyjae Spears from before his injury. Like I tell him every day, be as confident as you can be and the sky's the limit. There's never a day you don't see Tyjae Spears giving a 100 percent."

On Chip Long:

"Coach Long is very serious, he's very particular and he loves the tempo and pushing us to be in a position to win. I love coach Long and hopefully we'll have a special year."

No longer listed on official roster online

The excessive drops finally became too much to take for wide receivers coach Jeff Conway on Monday. After the first 11-on-11 session two-thirds of the way through Tulane's fourth practice, he gathered his group and laid into them, saying "I'm tired of dropped balls, Aren't you?" as part of his loud, motivational speech. The miscues were epidemic early in the practice, and camp star Jha'Quan Jackson even got into the act on the second play of a 7-on-7 drills, dropping an easy throw from Michael Pratt. A few reps later, Tyrek Presley managed to hold on to a Pratt pass but promptly was stripped for a fumble. The situation did not get any better when Justin Ibieta took over, with freshman T.J. Huggins dropping a beautiful pass that Ibieta threaded threw too coverage down the middle of the field. That play came immediately after Huggins failed to make what would have been an outstanding catch on an overthrown deep ball. Can't blame him for that one, but as I pointed out several times last year, those were plays Tulane's opponents made in games that the Wave almost never did.

When Pratt returned for his second set of five plays, the results were the same. Jaetavian Toles dropped one on a slant and Cyron Sutton dropped one on a short out. Then it was Ibieta's turn again, and Tyrek Presley dropped a deep ball after getting open down the middle of the field.

In the 11-on-11 session, Jackson could not bring in a tough, sliding catch on the sideline from a scrambling Pratt and Toles dropped a much easier one. Conway had seen enough by the point, prompting his stern lecture when the team took a three-minute break a little later. It's one thing when this was an issue during the spring--Tulane was depleted at receiver due to multiple injuries and the guys who were healthy were run ragged--and another thing when it's still happening with a nearly full complement of receivers in the preseason. Other than Mykel Jones and Ryan Thompson, who I did not see today, every receiver was out there.

I'm dwelling on the negative, but the receivers responded a bit in a goal-line drill that ended practice. With the ball placed at the 4 and 2, Pratt hit Ygenio Booker in the corner of the end zone after four unsuccessful plays for the offense, and the duo did a celebratory dance as the first-team offense took a break. When Ibieta went in against the No. 2 defense, Sutton beat cornerback Kevaris Hall on a fade route for a score and Huggins made a tough catch on a slant with a defender trying to slap the ball away from him for another score. At the very end, they gave the ball to the offense at its own 1-yard line, and Pratt immediately found Jackson down the sideline for about 25 yards against zone coverage.

It was a good day for the defense overall, particularly at the start of the goal-line drill. Cameron Carroll fumbled on the first play after immediate penetration make the exchange shaky between him and Pratt. Carroll was stuffed on the second play with no hole whatsoever. Pratt tried to run to his left and was surrounded quickly on the third snap before getting sacked by Angelo Anderson and a player I could not identify (one of the 11 players wearing no number and a First Wave of Defense jersey (I incorrectly called it First Line of Defense in yesterday's report). Ibieta's set of plays in the goal-line drill ended well, but on his first one, safety Rudy Dyson jumped a slant route for an interception and ran 100 yards for a touchdown (it would have bene a touchdown in a live drill as well). Those are the plays that separate Ibieta from Pratt, who rarely makes the killer mistake. Ibieta trusts his arm a little too much at times and does not see defenders in the way. He threw an interception in one-on-one drills earlier in practice when freshman cornerback Kolby Phillips stepped in front of Toles He also bobbled a snap at the end of the practice inside of his own 5-yard line.

Pratt has stuff he needs to clean up, too. He likes making back-shoulder throws on the sideline, but he threw wide of Shae Wyatt for what would have been a big gain on a back-shoulder throw during 7 on 7 work. He then overthrew an open Tyrek Presley deep.

Sincere Haynesworth sat out practice due to cramping issues from the previous two days, so Caleb Thomas filled in as the starting center. Josh Remetich was the first-team right guard, with Rashad Green the first-team right tackle as the Wave continues to double train several of its linemen. The second-team line had Cameron Jackel at left tackle, Jackson Fort and Hutson Lillibridge taking turns at left guard, Ehan Marcus at center, Trey Tuggle at right guard and Timothy Shafter at right tackle.

A play that didn't work yesterday--a throwback to Pratt, worked well today in the goal line drill, but with Ibieta the recipient of a scoring toss against the No. 2 defense.

For the second straight day, Angelo Anderson did not get a First Wave of Defense jersey. I'll be very surprised if he does not start at joker against Oklahoma, but he said defensive coordinator Chris Hampton told him he was not running out every play and he made sure he did Monday in an effort to get back on the first unit. It's an effective motivational technique.

The No. 2 defense had cornerbacks Shi'Keem Laister and Lance Robinson (another surprising omission from the First Wave of Defense), D.J. Douglas and Ajani Kerr rotating at nickelback, Bailey Despanie and Dyson at safety, Marvin Moody and Corey Platt Jr. at linebacker and Anderson, Noah Taliancich, Elijah Champaigne and Michael Lunz up front.

After taking Tuesday off by NCAA rule (the fifth day at the beginning of preseason drills), Tulane will be back Wednesday. Fritz said the first scrimmage would be Saturday.

On what will be the only Sunday practice of preseason camp, Tulane worked out in shoulder pads this morning at Yulman Stadium, adding some energy and pop to the third day. The Green Wave also handled the heat better than on Saturday, when more players cramped than in any single day I've witnessed in Willie Fritz's tenure. Fritz added a couple of extra breaks, forcing players to go to the sideline, hydrate and take their helmets off in the middle of practice segments rather than just at the end of them. I did not see any player going to the ground with debilitating cramps, unlike Friday,, when Josh Remetich, Sincere Haynesworth, Will Wallace and Shae Wyatt all went to the ground within seconds of each other. Remetich had the worst of it, being taken off the field on a cart after trainers removed his jersey, and he sat out all but the beginning of practice on Sunday, removing his jersey and pads and watching the rest of the day from the sideline. Haynesworth, too, left early, although he had some reps in the first 11-on-11 drill, unlike Remetich. Wallace and Wyatt were full go.

Drops are a problem for the receivers. That much is clear after three days. When I arrived at practice today, Ygenio Booker and T.J. Huggins dropped balls in the end zone on simple throwing and catching drills with no defenders on the field. When they went to 1-on-1 battles, Tyrek Presley promptly dropped a pass from Michael Pratt that hit him in the hands. Christian Daniels could not haul in a tougher catch, Cyron Sutton dropped a slightly low throw, Wallace had one go of his hands when he jumped for it and Bryce Bohanon dropped one. Ball security was a problem in 7-on-7 work as well, with Bohanon getting stripped by D.J. Douglas and Huggins getting stripped on consecutive plays. Presley dropped two more passes, and the first one was an easy catch with no excuses while the second one was more challenging. The drops were much less prevalent in 11-on-11 drills, but they need to stop. There are too many overall.

If I were ranking the wideouts right now, Jha'Quan Jackson would be the clear No. 1, with Duece Watts behind him and Shae Wyatt third. Jackson is the clear star at the position so far, and he burned safety Bailey Despanie badly on a deep angled route to hall in a long pass from Pratt in 7 on 7 for the prettiest play of the day. Earlier, during one-on-one drills, he beat Ajani Kerr with a nice hesitation move before sprinting to catch a nice pass from Justin Ibieta on a corner route. Jackson is not perfect yet, but he's smooth and a big-play guy. Watts did not catch a pass in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 when I was watching, but he did not drop any either and has proven his worth in the past. He got a stern lecture from Chip Long at one point, and later Long brought a playbook over to the sideline to continue the discussion with him more quietly. Wyatt, rebounding from a rough second day, was back to his opening-day form. Although he slipped as he made his cut in the one-on-one drills, he later caught a pass over the middle from Ibieta in 7-on-7 drills and made a nice grab of another Ibieta pass after beating Lance Robinson to the sideline. Finally, he caught a touchdown pass from Ibieta in red zone work. Wyatt runs better routes and gets open more frequently than the receivers not named Jackson, at least to this point. Toles is inconsistent, although he made a nice inside move to get a touchdown catch from Pratt in the OT drill at the end of practice. Presley, who had a very slow start to his career, is up and down. He scored a touchdown in 1-on-1 drills, beating his man to the inside, but his hands are not reliable. I haven't seen a whole lot out of Cyron Sutton, although he caught a beautiful pass from Ibieta Phat on the sideline in the last 11-on-11 session, which was designed to simulate overtime, nor from Phat Watts or the three freshman receivers, but it's still early.

Ygenio Booker continues to flash. He caught a deep pass from Ibieta in the first 11-on-11 segment and then did a dancing, sideline celebration with Phat Watts. Booker will get a chance to be a significant factor in the passing game right away this year.

During 7 on 7 and 11 on 11, Pratt took five snaps, followed by Ibieta getting five snaps and Kai Horton getting two. Ibieta makes some really nice throws and has a little more zip on his throws than Pratt, but Pratt has enough arm strength to get the job done in Chip Long's offense and possesses all of the intangibles. Horton is far behind both of them. I had Pratt going 6 for 10 in 7-on-7 drills and Ibieta going 7 of 10. Three of Ibieta's last four completions were checkdowns.

I liked what I was from Douglas today. He broke up a pass for Daniels in the corner of the end zone at the end of 1-on-1 competition, getting over there quickly. He stripped Bohanon as I already pointed out, and just seems ball active. He is backing up Kerr at nickelback at the moment.

Fritz had both of the top two quarterbacks attempt 2-point conversions,. Pratt was a little late on a throw on an out route by "Booker, and the pass was broken up at the last second. Ibieta tried to run his in, and when the drill is not live, it is impossible to gauge whether he would have been successful.

Near the end of practice, tight end Keitha Jones stayed on the ground after landing awkardly in the end zone while failing to catch up to a pass. They were about to run another snap while trainers were attending to him in the end zone before coaches on the defensive sideline finally got the attention of the players on the field and halted a play right before the snap.

The only interception of the day came at the end of the first series in the OT simulation, when a DB (the defensive starters did not have their jersey numbers on, wearing shirts that read "First Line of Defense" instead) was not fooled by a pass-back to Pratt and picked off an underthrown ball by Duece Watts. Pratt, though, showed one of his intangibles when the ball was fumbled on another trick play. With two defenders closer to it than he was, he sprinted and dove on the ball to retain possession even though it was not really a live drill. He is very competitive and constantly is encouraging and coaching teammates after series when he is on the sideline.

Tyjae Spears took one handoff, turned the corner and ran about 60 yards for a touchdown, showing he still has good acceleration. It likely would not have been a touchdown in a live drill, but he was not going to stop until he crossed the goal line.

For the third consecutive practice, Horton hooked up with high school teammate Mason Courtney, a walk-on running back, for a touchdown, this time on his first snap from the 25-yard line in the OT drill. He also ended the day with a touchdown to uncovered walk-on tight end Jonathan Kahn on a misdirection play. He did not do much in between those scores, though.

The first-team offensive line at the start of the first 11-on-11 drills was Claybrook, Dublin, Haynesworth, Caleb Thomas and Matt Lombardi. Haynesworth excited shortly thereafter, so Thomas became the first-team center the rest of the way. The second-team line was Cameron Jackel, Hutson Lillibridge, Ethan Marcus Trey Tuggle and Joseph Solomon, with Jackson Fort replacing Lillibridge at left guard at times, Lillibridge getting some reps at right guard and Haydan Shook getting some reps at backup right tackle. Rashad Green sat out with an unspecified injury, and I did not see Timothy Shafter.

The second-team defense had Darius Hodges and Angelo Anderson on the outside, Jeffery Johnson and Noah Seiden on the inside, Marvin Moody and Mandel Eugene at linebacker, Kevaris Hall (his first sighting) and Lance Robinson at cornerback, Kerr at nickelback and Rudy (formerly Cornelius) Dyson and Despanie at safety. Obviously Johnson is going to start, but Chris Hampton believes in shaking things up defensively and likely was using it as a motivational tool for Johnson, with other guys wearing the First Line of Defense jersey. I'm guessing Macon Clark was the first-team nickel because Kerr and Douglas had their jersey numbers on and there is no other viable canddiate. Rishi Rattan and Ski'Keem Laister got reps with the second unit at cornerback, too, as did Kolby Phillips and Reggie Neely.









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