The only full-time starter Tulane has lost to transfer under Willie Fritz was Junior Diaz, who left for two years a as a grad student at FAU to return to his native south Florida.

This year, nine backups have entered the transfer portal so far. I will update this as to their destination when the info arrives:

Jorien Vallien--Southern

Jamiran James --Nicholls State

Quentin Brown--Sam Houston State

Kevin LeDee--?

Tyler Johnson--?

Chris Joyce--?

Sean Harper--Alabama State

Tirise Barge--?

Coby Neenan--?

Conner Richardson--?

Jacquez Norman__?

According to 247 he entered the transfer portal a few days ago.

We don't know when or if the season will start, but assuming it happens, here's my stab at who will start with quick commentary for each position. Coby Neenan, by the way, finally entered the transfer portal. He never panned out as a four-year scholarship kicker, but he will improve the APR rating after graduating.

I will run through the defense tomorrow.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Projected starter: Keon Howard

Confidence level: Limited. I still expect Tulane to pursue a grad transfer. Howard showed enough in five spring practices to indicate he will have a shot to start anyway, depending on the quality of the transfer. The premature end to spring practices across the country limited the transfer field.

Running back

Projected starters: Amare Jones and Corey Dauphine

Confidence level: high. I will be surprised if they are not starting on opening day, with Jones at slotback. but I stick to my post-spring assertion that Tyjae Spears will lead this team in rushing. The depth and talent at this position is incredible.

Wide receiver

Projected starters: Mykel Jones and Jha'Quan Jackson

Confidence level: moderate. Jackson looked like the best wideout on the roster in the spring, though he is unproven in games. Jones is fast. Jaetavian Toles, who caught one pass in the last four games a year ago, would be the likely third starter in a three-receiver set.

Tight end

Projected starter: Tyrick James

Confidence level: high. James looked good in the spring. Will Wallace will be a factor, too. The duo started together in two-tight end sets three times last year.

Left tackle

Projected starter: Joey Claybrook

Confidence level: moderate. He will start on one side of the line but I'm not sure where.

Left guard

Projected starter: Corey Dublin

Confidence level: total lock. Barring injury, Dublin will start every game in his career.

Center

Projected starter: Sincere Haynesworth

Confidence level: High. After starting five times at guard as a true freshmen, he will stick at center unless his snapping issues of preseason 2019 return.

Right guard

Projected starter: Ben Knutson

Confidence level: low. I'd like to pull the trigger on Rashad Green, but with summer presence likely limited, it's tough to know how the freshmen will prepare. Josh Remetich could be a factor, too.

Right tackle

Projected starter: Jaylen Miller

Confidence level: moderate.

I expect Miller to start at left or right tackle after transferring from Duke, but Csmeron Jackel will get a shot, too.

Yesterday I handled the offense. Now it's time for the defense.

DEFENSE

DE/Joker/OLB

Projected starter: Patrick Johnson

Confidence level: absolute. The only question about this spot is what to call it. I've never liked the made-up terms for positions like Strike (Kentucky used that one when I covered Florida) and Joker and I consider Patrick Johnson's spot more of a defensive line assignment than linebacker even though he usually meets with the linebackers during practice breaks. Anyway, Johnson is due for a bounce-back year if he stays healthy. The combination of maybe believing his hype, opponents game-planning for him, an increased role in pass coverage and playing through a torn labrum in the second half of the season prompted his sack total to plummet to 4 from 10 1/2 in 2018. He has a ton of talent and the work ethic to back it up, so there is every reason to expect a big senior season as he makes his NFL push.

Nose tackle

Projected starter: Jeffery Johnson

Confidence level: absolute. Johnson appeared headed for a monster impact as a sophomore when he held his own against Auburn in September, but he never duplicated that performance and was a liability at times when he tried to play through ankle injuries. If he stays healthy, he is a rock in the middle with better movement than his size indicates. He should have a much better season as a junior than he did as a sophomore.

Defensive tackle

Projected starter: De'Andre Williams

Confidence level: absolute. Williams was Tulane's best lineman last year despite being the most unheralded entering the season. He is not a dominator, but he makes a lot of plays and is super reliable. There is no reason to expect a drop-off in his senior year.

Defensive end

Projected starter: Cameron Sample.

Confidence level: absolute. Let's pause for a second to consider how good Tulane's D-line can be. A group that was considered one of the best 10 in the country in the 2019 preseason before underachieving returns three seniors and a junior with 98 career starts. That's how a team contends for a championship. Sample has not quite lived up the promise of a potential-laden freshman season, but he is a playmaker who is good at all aspects of the game when he is healthy. It's exciting to think about what this group can do with the return of injured reserves Carlos Hatcher and Juan Monjarres, plus Davon Wright and Alfred Thomas along with Armoni Dixon and promising freshman Adonis Friloux.

Inside linebacker

Projected starters: Marvin Moody and Nick Anderson

Confidence level: moderate. It is hard to envision Moody losing his starting spot despite not living up to lofty expectations through three years, but the second spot should be a tight competition between Anderson and Oklahoma State grad transfer Kevin Henry. I loved Anderson's performance in the Armed Forces Bowl, so I gave him the nod. With the line in front of them, these guys will get the opportunity to make a ton of plays. Are they up to the task?

Nickelback

Projected starter: Macon Clark

Confidence level: moderate. So much of what Tulane does in the secondary depends on what the coaches decide to do with leading tackler Chase Kuerschen, who is very good when he has a target lined up but struggles covering fast receivers. Clark, the backup free safety, spent most of his time in the five spring practices at nickelback. He, too, struggled in coverage at times last year, so a change made sense at a position bereft of returners other than the seldom-used KJ Vault. Willie Langham is the next likeliest candidate here.

Cornerback

Projected starters: Jaylon Monroe and Kyle Meyers

Confidence level: pretty good. I'm penciling in Meyers based solely on his recruiting ranking coming out of high school and his reputation, He did not do a whole lot at FSU last season, but the coaches did not bring him in to be a backup. Monroe has tremendous potential as a cover guy but needs to improve as a tackler and maintaining confidence when he gives up a gain. With speedster Kiland Harrison emerging in the spring, he and Meyers will have competition when the season starts.

Strong safety

Projected starter: Larry Brooks

Confidence level: high. I believe Brooks will make the biggest jump of anyone on the defense, as his two interceptions in the final two games a year ago indicated. Brooks learned on the job as a backup but is ready to be an all-around playmaker as a starter. Tulane needs someone like that because it did not have a ball hawk in the secondary a year ago.

Free safety

Projected starter: Chase Kuerschen

Confidence level: high. I've seen no evidence the coaches will move or bench Kuerschen because they like his smarts and tackling ability. They have to scheme in a way that keeps him from bad matchups, though, which is not easy for a guy playing the last line of defense. The problem is there are no obvious replacement candidates. Ton'Quez Ball, who got some run with the first team in the spring when Kuerschen sat out with an injury, is unproven. Tyler Judson, who impressed as a playmaker at times in the spring, backed up Brooks rather than getting reps at free safety. Clark, last year's backup, was not always solid in coverage, either. I see Tulane beginning the year with Kuerschen at free safety and making decisions from there based on the overall performance of the secondary.

The shindig, which I've still never attended, was supposed to July 12-14 in Newport, Rhode Island.

They plan to hold a virtual conference at a date to be determined instead of the actual event.

I am having a hard time keeping track of who is here and who is gone. I believe you are allowed 13 scholarships. We have 7 new players (2 new freshmen and 5 transfers)

I believe we have the following coming back.

Russell
Walker
Days
Pope
Ali
Koka
McGee

By my count we show 14. Anybody know who is leaving and are we still looking for more players?

I'm sure most of you noticed that he entered the transfer portal yesterday. Although he entered it last fall he decided to stay, and from what I'm led to believe he stayed specifically so that he could graduate and have two remaining years of eligibility just like McMillan did.

He's a logical fit for us for personal and for football reasons, being a hometown kid and also the exact type of QB that Fritz wants. If he comes to Tulane he's already better than McMillan, although he's still an unpolished gem. He's probably not going to look like our savior in our first 3-4 games but he will definitely get better the more that he plays. And his floor and ceiling are both much higher than McMillan's ever were. This would be a fantastic pickup for us.

Does anyone have any inside word on what his intentions are?

This is by no means a complete list, but just following twitter, here are some of the guys who have been offered in the last few days. I will keep updating this list.

Da'Quan Gonzalez

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Coltin Deery

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Andrew Adair

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Jacob Rodriguez

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Jalen Macon

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Andrew Jones

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Darnell Mooney went in round No. 5 at No. 173 to the Bears becoming the highest Wave pick since Lorenzo Doss went No. 164 in 2015. It is the fourth straight year a Tulane player has been drafted, a streak that had not happened since 1999-2002.

Mooney, the last player to arrive in Willie Fritz's first recruiting class, turned into the best player of the group and made an impression right away despite missing all of the summer that first year before arriving for the start of preseason drills.

After finishing his Tulane career with 151 catches (11th most in school history), 2,529 yards (6th most) and 19 TDs (tied for 8th most), he still was considered a draft long shot because of his slight build (5-11, 175) until he ran a 4.38 at the NFL combine, the fifth fastest time among all the wideouts there. His body of work on video became important after he wowed them with his speed, and they noticed he made a lot of big catches in traffic. He also dropped a few too many passes during his time at Tulane, an issue that developed right after he told me in an interview that he never had dropped a pass in a game.

ESPN draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, though calling him "Darrell Mooney" on air, was very complimentary, saying this: "You can play him inside, you can play him outside, he is ultra-twitched up." He added he got the best of Auburn first-round draft pick CB Noah Igbinoghene in September and compared him to veteran NFL wideout Travis Benjamin, who has 208 career receptions and 19 TDs. Both of them are around 175 pounds.

Have anyone heard any news on the seniors for this upcoming weekend?

He was a big-timer coming out of high school who rode the bench at Alabama as a freshman, a 6-4 guard from Florence, Miss.

Hunter is building for the future.

Oton Jankovic, who played sparingly for the Commodores as a freshman but had 5 points in a late-season game against Georgia, is the latest addition for Ron Hunter. I assume he will have to sit out next season as a transfer, but that's not longer a done deal. He chose Vanderbilt over Georgia Tech, Saint Louis and Siena among others.

Here is a story on him when he committed to Vanderbilt and another rating his progress near the end of the season.

https://www.nashvillepost.com/sport...oin-vanderbilt-basketballs-2019-signing-class.

https://basketballsocietyonline.com/oton-jankovic-is-a-vanderbilt-player-to-keep-an-eye-on

The Holy Cross running back tweeted his commitment a little more than an hour ago, and I got it confirmed.

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Here's his profile.

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Running behind Josh Remetich for a pass-first team, Handy did not put up huge numbers as a junior but was very effective when he got the ball. He had Holy Cross's lone touchdown against Rummel's stout defense and had two key touchdowns in a big comeback overtime win against St. Aug. Holy Cross went 5-5 in the regular season and lost 9-7 to St. Paul's in the first round of the state playoffs.

Tulane recently got its first commitment for 2021, one of the earliest such in recent memory. But the recruiting year will pose many challenges, primarily due to adjustments made to the Covid 19 pandemic.

While Tulane missed most of its spring practices, coaches across the country also lost the opportunity to view spring practices of the many high schools with promising recruits. Colleges, including Tulane, also had to cancel football camps and are missing out on weighing, timing, coaching, and working out kids to gain a more accurate assessment of their potential. Rescheduling these camps in the summer may prove impossible.

Coaches are also missing out on many of the “face to face” meetings so important to judging a young man’s character and commitment, while also expressing more personally his school's interest in the recruit.

On the academic side, many SAT and ACT testing opportunities have been cancelled or put on indefinite delay. Many schools have cancelled for the year though quite a few are continuing with virtual learning. But that doesn't help a kid who doesn't have a computer. School boards across the country are struggling with graduation requirements, GPA’s and class ranking. How will this affect the student athlete attempting to attain NCAA minimum grades and test scores?

And, of course, no one really knows when football (high school, college, or pro) will resume. There are too many “what ifs?” to get into but delay, cancellation or curtailment of the 2020 season at either the high school or college level could add to the recruiting confusion and unknowns.

Every school faces these and many other challenges and the NCAA will undoubtedly make some accommodations and establish some guidelines, but, in the end, the more prepared coaching staffs will fare better than others. I expect ours will do better than most.

I’d love to know more about how the Tulane staff is working the recruiting angle.

Roll Wave!!

It is Billy Wiles, a quarterback from Class 5A Stone Bridge, Virginia. He is a 2-star pro-style recruit without impressive offers but the Tulane coaches really like him. HIs team has lost in the state championship game two years in a row. He is considered a better thrower than runner, which appears to be the direction Will Hall is taking the offense.

I will see if I can get in touch with him today.

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Tulane had 12 scholarship defensive backs on the roster for spring drills, although Kanyon Walker did not practice due to a hip injury that has sidelined him from almost the time he arrived a year ago and Chase Kuerschen was in and out due to a minor injury and Chris Joyce, who will be suspended for the first four games of the season as he finishes his year-long punishment for a PED, missed at least two of the five days.

If the 2020 season comes off, Tulane still has a few battles to settle in the secondary with several options. The coaches rotated players at nickelback looking for the right fit at a position that lost its top three performers from 2019 (Will Harper and Larry Bryant were seniors, and Tirise Barge entered the transfer portal). Redshirt freshman Kiland Harrison, who is very fast, made a push at cornerback. Larry Brooks looked good at strong safety, and it appears Kuerschen will be the starting free safety.

Here is a rundown of the three positions:

1) Nickelback

I liked KJ Vault's athletic ability in his early practices as a freshman, but he still has not found a position at Tulane. The coaches moved him to nickleback from linebacker last year, and although he is the only returner at that spot, his chance of starting is slim in my view. He was the fourth-team guy at nickel in 2019, making four tackles while playing in eight games, and he got lost in coverage a couple of times this spring, looking silly on a deep TD pass in the corner to Phat Watts in the final practice. Macon Clark, the backup free safety a year ago, spent plenty of time as the first-string nickel in the spring. His coverage skills as a sophomore were not as advanced as Brooks, but he is a physical player and could be more suited to being closer to the line of scrimmage.

The other guy who got a look at nickel was Willie Langham, who served as a backup cornerback last year and on paper appeared to be the likely choice to replace the departed Thakarius Keyes as a starter. I expect it come down to a Langham-Clark battle, with both playing, and maybe Vault being used as a a blitzer when he plays the position. It remains unclear what will happen, though. No one stood out, and Langham also got some reps with the first unit at cornerback.

2) Cornerback

Harrison introduced himself after redshirting last year, acquitting himself well as the primary No. 1 cornerback opposite the returning Jaylon Monroe. His youth is a concern, but he has the speed and coverage ability to be an outstanding player and did not make many mistakes in the abbreviated spring and should challenge FSU grad transfer Kyle Meyers in the fall. Meyers, who started eight games at FSU in 2018 but redshirted this year after playing four games, is the clear frontrunner and presumed starter, although he will have to prove himself in preseason practice.

Monroe could be an All-AAC caliber player, but the question with him always is mindset. He tends to get down on himself when he gets beaten and needs to continue working on his mentality. He is not physically imposing, so he needs to be very strong in coverage to get the most out of his ability and do a better job of high-pointing the ball in one-one-one coverage. His two interceptions and four break-ups were lower than I would have expected going into 2019.

Langham can slide back to cornerback full time if the coaches like the other options at nickelback. He had 19 tackles a year ago, a sack and a fumble return for a touchdown. With that year of experience under his belt, he will play a significant role somewhere. Joyce will be a factor when he returns, too, and Langham may be needed at cornerback until that point. The coaches were high on Joyce's ability before he got suspended last year. The other returning scholarship cornerback, redshirt freshman Levi Williams, worked with the second unit all spring.

My best bet is Monroe and Meyers as the starters in the fall, with Harrison as the top backup before Joyce returns.

3) Safety

Brooks, who finished with a team-high four interceptions in 2019, is ready to be an impact starter. He had interceptions against SMU and Southern Miss to close the season despite not starting either game and can be a complete safety--solid as a tackler and as a ball hawk.

The other spot is more questionable. Kuerschen gives Tulane a lot of good things--his 76 tackles were a team high and his one-on-one stop of Houston quarterback D'Eriq King inside the 5 near the end of regulation was the most important defensive play of the year for the Green Wave--but he is vulnerable in coverage. The question is whether his headiness and tackling ability are good enough to overcome his liability at free safety, and we do not have a definitive answer entering his senior year. An experiment at linebacker in the spring of 2018 did not work, so it is an interesting dilemma.

When Kuerschen missed time this spring due to injury, redshirt freshman Ton'Quez Ball worked with the first unit. I did not see enough of him to get a good idea of his readiness. Fellow redshirt freshman Tyler Judson, Brooks' backup, made a stronger impression on me. He looks like a future player. Clark cannot be ruled out, either, but I get the sense the coaches are going to go with Kuerschen at free safety, which is why Clark spent most of his time at nickel in the spring. They want to get their best players on the field.

Freshmen

Tulane signed three freshmen, and all of them are tall in the mold Willie Fritz wants with highly rated cornerback Kevaris Hall, cornerback Shi'Keem Laister and Reggie Neely, who played a lot of wide receiver in high school and whose athletic ability Fritz loves. I do not expect any of them to play big roles in 2020, but they'll get their shot in preseason drills.

Conner Richardson tweeted he was entering transfer portal today.

It makes sense. He was at the bottom of depth chart with another TE coming in for fall.

I was in the middle of writing my offensive line spring review three days ago when I got the text about Jaylen Miller choosing Tulane, so I scrapped it (with help from my 9-year old son, who closed out the file while he used my computer to complete his online school work Tuesday morning) and started over.

Here is attempt No. 2 (and Miller still has not returned my texts).

Even though Tulane finished third in school history for points and yards under new offensive coordinator Will Hall, the Green Wave did it in spite of its offensive line rather than because of it. That statement might be a tad harsh, but new offensive line coach Cody Kennedy recognized quickly he would need to upgrade the talent level up front. The line was dealt a significant blow when Tyler Johnson, whom two insiders told me last August was the best blocker on the team despite his diminutive size (for a lineman), suffered a knee injury in practice after the opener and incurred the wrath of the coaches soon afterward (I never found out exactly what the issue was). After playing a reserve role against Auburn, he never played again, prompting Joey Claybrook to move from right tackle to left tackle and marginal redshirt senior Keyshawn McLeod to move from guard to right tackle.

The Wave had to disguise its blocking weaknesses to succeed in 2019, overcoming 27 penalties* on the linemen along the way (that's my unofficial count) although the two worst offenders are gone (McLeod drew six holding calls; Montano had four holding calls and a false start). Tulane signed five highly rated offensive linemen in the 2020 class in a huge push. Some of those guys will compete for playing time in the fall, but offensive line is one of the toughest spots for true freshmen to contribute right away, making the addition of Miller vital.

In the abbreviated spring practice, the starting line was Claybrook at LT, Corey Dublin at LG, Sincere Haynesworth at C, Ben Knutson at RG and Cameron Jackel at RT. The second-team line was Nik Hogan at LT, Michael Remondet at LG, Stephen Lewerenz at C, Trace Oldner at RG and walk-on Timothy Shafter at RT. There was nothing wrong with the left side, but both guys on the right side are unproven as legitimate AAC starters.

Here's my assessment of each position, from left to right (penalties from 2019 in parentheses)

1) Claybrook (two holds, one facemask, one false start)

He drew rave reviews when he entered the starting lineup at right tackle for four games late in 2018, coinciding with Tulane's surge down the stretch. He was solid for the most part after switching to the left side early last year to replace Johnson and definitely will start somewhere this fall, either at left tackle or right tackle.

2) Dublin (four holding calls, one personal foul).

Entering his fourth year as a starter and third at guard after a one-year experiment at center as a sophomore, look for Dublin to earn All-Conference consideration. His body is not exactly chiseled, but he performs on the field when he avoids penalties and is an above-average run blocker.

3) Haynesworth (one holding call)

Haynesworth is not a dominant player, but he was effective at right guard as a true freshman because he is very smart and a good technician. Penalized less than any of his more experienced teammates, he appears headed on the Dublin path of a four-year starter. His snaps in 2019 preseason practices as the backup center were shaky, but he cleared up that problem in the five practices this spring.

4) Knutson (no holds, three false starts)

This spot is now the biggest concern. Knutson, who looks the part, started six games last season but lost his spot to Haynesworth because he was too slow, allowing speed guys to get past him. Don't be surprised if freshmen Rashad Green or Josh Remetich push him in the fall just like Haynesworth did last year. Although Knutson did not get called for holding, his three false starts indicated a lack of focus at times.

5) Miller/Jackel

I addressed these two in the thread about Miller's decision. Willie Fritz was high on Jackel's potential last spring although he did not believe he was ready at the time, so he should be ready to make the leap as a redshirt junior. That said, I believe Miller is the better option. Although he did not start a game for Duke last year, the Blue Devils had an underrated line and the redshirt freshman who beat him out performed quite well. Miller started three games in a row in 2018 before breaking an ankle, giving him three times as many career starts as Jackel, who has looked shaky at times in practice over the past two years. Tulane does not bring in grad transfers to be backups at a position where the starter rarely leaves the field, so you would have to expect Miller to be the frontrunner. Jackel will have to outplay him in practice to earn the job.

6) Reserves

Since starting offensive linemen play every down until games gets out of hand, depth is a factor only when someone gets hurt or when someone underperforms. It will be interesting to see what Remetich and Green do in practice along with tackle Trey Tuggle, three of the highest rated players in a solid freshman class. The other two incoming linemen, Matthew Lombardi and Joseph Solomon, will get a shot, too as Tulane seeks new blood up front. Of the holdover backups, it is too early to judge whether any are ready, and the cancellation of the last 10 spring practices did not help them.

Will Tulane's line be better this year? I think so because Haynesworth, if he snaps reliably, should be an upgrade on Montano, who worked hard but was merely adequate at center and struggled at times with the increased talent level of the AAC compared to the Ivy League. Miller figures to be an upgrade on McLeod, who lost his composure too many times. Plus, the three returning starters all have another year of experience. Then again, a line often is only as good as its weakest link, and right guard is a question mark. It would be a huge boon if one of the touted freshman is mature enough mentally and physically to make an impact.

*Rounding out the penalties, my game-by-game review revealed one incorrect attribution to Johnson against UConn (he did not play), one false start on Shafter against Missouri State and one false start against Auburn that was given to a number (no name) that did not exist on the roster.

The breakdown was 19 holds, one facemask, one personal foul and six false starts. Some of them were the result of just plain getting beaten, but the others have to be corrected. That's far too many.

Willie Fritz said Tulane needed to get bigger at linebacker on the February signing day, and he followed suit during the five practices of spring ball, with the two biggest linebackers (6-0, 240-pound Oklahoma State grad transfer Kevin Henry and 6-2, 230-pound Marvin Moody) working on the first team. Junior Nick Anderson (5-10, 230) who capped off a middling season as a sophomore Juco transfer with an outstanding Armed Forces Bowl performance against Southern Miss, and true sophomore Dorian Williams (6-1, 210) worked on the second team. True freshman Jesus Machado (6-1, 205) a spring enrollee, usually practiced with the third unit but got some reps higher up, too.

The Green Wave will miss Lawrence Graham, who led the linebackers with 67 tackles 7 1/2 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and six quarterback hurries last year, but the depth will be better in 2020. Graham, Moody and Anderson were basically the only guys who rotated at the two linebacker spots, with Williams (nine tackles) getting spot duty. Next fall, all five scholarship linebackers who participated in spring drills figure to have significant roles, although none of them are proven big-time performers.

Henry, a former LSU DB commitment who switched to linebacker when he ended up at Oklahoma State, looked good in the spring, moving around well and getting his hands in the way of a few passes. He was never a regular starter at Oklahoma State but was a popular backup and is very experienced, entering his sixth year after being granted an extra season of eligibility due to an ACL tear in 2017. He also has to be happy he is away from the whackadoodle utterings of Cowboys coach Mike Gundy, too. He made a career-high 23 tackles in 2019, when he was fully recovered from the ACL injury.

It's fair to say Moody has underachieved in his Tulane career even though he has made 127 tackles in the last two years, including a total of 71 in 2018 that was the third-highest total on the team. He can do everything but is undisciplined and has hurt the defense with mental errors and by getting out of his gap at times. Maybe this fall it will all come together for him as a senior. If he lives up to his potential, it will make a huge difference.

Anderson looked good in the spring, too. I expected him to make a bigger impact as a sophomore than he did, but it may have been a case of needing a year to adjust to the system. He had a season-high five tackles against Southern Miss and was all over the field, and I expect him to build on that performance whether he starts or not. HIs height is a detriment, but you don't have to go back far in Tulane history to find a big-time linebacker who was shorter than that.

I did not get as good a read on Dorian Williams, who had five tackles in his debut against FIU but only four the rest of the way. He is athletic but likely needs to put on some weight to get a bigger role.

Machado was impressive in the spring. He deflected a pass that turned into an interception in one of the practices and looked active throughout. The question is how well he digests the system as a true freshman, but the coaches are optimistic he will be a quick learner.

The lone incoming freshman, Matthew HIghtower, is an athletic player who likely will be redshirted as he gets into the weight room to become stronger.

I see Moody, Henry and Anderson rotating as the top three at linebacker, with Machado and Williams getting a chance to show what they can do, too. The key is Moody. If he plays like he can, with two seniors and a junior getting the bulk of the downs, Tulane should be solid at this position.

With only one day of anything close to a full-contact scrimmage in the abbreviated spring practice, it was hard to judge a defensive line that is coming off a disappointing year, but I was able to glean a few things from the five workouts. Tulane was without starting joker Patrick Johnson and reserve end Juan Monjarres the whole time and was very thin at defensive tackle, limiting some of the things the coaches could do.

First, a look back at last year. when a group one publication rated the 10th best in the country in all of the FBS did not come close to performing at that level. Patrick Johnson, who said at AAC Media Days his goal was to break Mark Olivari's school single-season sack record (14), finished with four after making 10 1/2 a year earlier. Still, he played better than he was given credit for in the first half of the year, having a very active night at Memphis (six tackles and his play backed up those stats) when everyone else was invisible. He tailed off big time in the second half of the year and now we know why--he played through a torn labrum. This spring, he took mental reps every day and will be 100 percent even if the season starts on time, which is questionable.

De'Andre Williams had a heck of a year at defensive tackle, but Tulane will need more from Cameron Sample at end and Jeffery Johnson at nose tackle in 2019. Jeffery Johnson played well against Auburn, when the line looked like it would be terrific all year against the run, but he did not live up to his billing the rest of the way, partly due to an ankle injury. When he's not 100-percent healthy, he's slow. Sample, coming off a knee injury in 2018, was meh at times, and this is a guy with All-AAC ability and the work ethic to get it done. The other problem in 2019 was a lack of depth, with early season-ending injuries to Monjarres and Carlos Hatcher really hurting, Jamiran James never finding his groove, Davon Wright not making a significant impact and Alfred Thomas getting hurt, too. Malik Lawal had some good moments, but the Arizona State grad transfer was a little undersized and came in as a linebacker before being pressed into duty up front.

The result was a unit that did not get the sack total it amassed in 2018, with a precipitous drop to 21 from 41. Although defensive coordinator Jack Curtis pointed out they still got pressure but struggled to finish plays, that's what matters. It was not just opponents game planning for Tulane's pass rush. The rush simply was not there in the same way as in 2018.

I really like Sample, Patrick Johnson and De'Andre Williams as returning starters and expect all of them to have big years. I'm not as sold on Jeffery Johnson, but if he lives up to the potential others say he has, the line should be much better in 2020, particularly if the backups stay healthy.

Some other limited observations from spring ball, where the starting unit was Sample, Jeffrey Johnson, De'Andre Williams and Hatcher every day and the second-team group tended to be Armoni Dixon, Davon Wright, Eric HIcks and Alfred Thomas, with some variation:

1) Alfred Thomas and Davon Wright switched spots, with Thomas moving outside and Wright moving inside. I never asked Fritz about the decision, so I don't know if it was an experiment or a real change. Thomas has not done much in two years, so maybe they wanted to see what he could do at a different spot. Wright has had flashes the past two seasons but needs to be more consistent.

2) Hatcher being healthy should help. He was good enough to start three games as a true freshman, and although he did next to nothing last year even before getting hurt, he worked with the first unit in Patrick Johnson's absence for all five spring practices.

3) Adonis Friloux could be a godsend inside, where Tulane seriously lacks depth. Walk-on Noah Seiden worked with the second team at times in the spring, and he's a non-factor, but Fritz said on the late-period signing day that Friloux should be ready to play as a true freshman. Tulane needs for him to play well, with Wright, maybe Thomas, incoming freshman Brandon Brown and redshirt freshman Eric Hicks the other options.

4) Dixon, a redshirt freshman, looks good as a pass rusher. It was a limited sample, but playing second-team joker, he harassed the quarterbacks frequently. Among him, Hatcher and Monjarres, who was still rehabbing a knee injury in the spring and spent plenty of time on the exercise bike, Tulane will have more options in the second unit outside than inside, including Angelo Anderson, one of the highest-rated members of the touted signing class.

5) I did not notice as much from Darius Hodges, Torri Singletary (who lined up with the second unit at times) and freshman Noah Taliancich, whom I never saw practicing). They may be progressing well. I just didn't see it personally while my focus was elsewhere.

He is a shooter who shot well for Pittsburgh before suffering a concussion that sidelined him for three games. His role diminished dramatically after that. Tulane will be his fourth school in four years.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...hy-guard-transfer-portal/stories/202003150127

In need of a starter quality offensive tackle in the worst way, Tulane got exactly what it wanted when Duke graduate transfer Jaylen Miller announced on Instagram he would play for the Green Wave.

Miller, a 6-3, 315-pound former 3-star prospect from Jacksonville, Fla, started three games at left tackle for the Blue Devils in 2018 but lost a battle with then redshirt freshman Casey Holman for that spot last fall, appearing in nine games as a backup. Earlier in his career, he redshirting in 2016 and played in two games for a total of 14 snaps in 2017.

Tulane ended spring drills with redshirt junior Joey Claybrook at left tackle and unproven redshirt junior Cameron Jackel, whose only career start came against Missouri State last season, at right tackle. If Miller takes over at his accustomed left side, look for Claybrook to move back to right tackle, where he started four games at the end of 2018 and the opener last year before starting the rest of the way at left tackle.

Miller's addition gives Tulane four clear starters on the offensive line. He joins Claybook, senior left guard Corey Dublin and sophomore center Sincere Haynesworth, leaving only right guard as a question mark entering 2020. Virginia grad transfer Ben Knutson started there in the five completed spring practices, but he struggled with his footwork last fall and lost his starting job to Haynesworth for the last five games.

Miller had offers from Georgia Tech, Missouri and West Virginia among others coming out of Providence School in 2016.

Although Tulane finished as the third-highest scoring team and racked up the third-highest yardage total in school history under new offensive coordinator Will Hall last fall, new offensive line coach Cody Kennedy recognized the need for a significant upgrade in talent up front. Tulane signed five freshmen linemen--some of whom will compete for playing time right away--but the addition of an experienced player like Miller was a huge priority.