It felt extremely hot at Yulman Stadium, and the tempo might have been affected because Willie Fritz was not thrilled with the results.

"It's sometimes amazing. You take a day off and think you are going to have a real good one, but we were OK today. We don't want to get spoiled by going indoors at the Saints. We want to make sure this is an advantage for us every time we play anybody in the heat."

Winwave was right and I was wrong about Thakarius Keyes, who was in a walking boot today after getting hurt in Saturday's scrimmage, when he went down at the end of a play and needed assistance from trainers before getting up and hobbling to the sideline. Fritz never gives specifics on injuries, but he talked about Keyes.

"We're going to shut him down for about a week, a weak-and-a-half," he said. "We'll get him healthy and not have that be a problem anymore."

Keyes entered preseason drills as the guy I considered the No. 3 cornerback behind starters Parry Nickerson and Donnie Lewis, with a chance to challenge Lewis. It has not worked out that to this point. The backup CBs have been Monroe and Langham as Keyes struggled to stay healthy, and the injury Saturday prompted the decision to sit him for a while.

I'm dividing the rest of the report into categories:

1) FRESHMEN RISING

Remember when people were disappointed with the signing class Tulane brought in last February? The concern was understandable considering the low rankings it received, but I know Tulane's coaches thought a lot of those guys were underrated dramatically.

As the Wave began the third week of preseason camp Monday morning, it appears we can score one for the coaches. Obviously the real answer on the class's quality won't come until the games start and maybe not until next year, but freshmen continue to dot the two-deep depth chart, particularly on defense, and Fritz continues to praise them.

Today I asked him if anyone had moved up after coaches reviewed the video from the two scrimmages over the weekend. He evaded the question a little bit but singled out the freshmen as a group.

"We have some freshman linebackers who are working in that No. 2 spot. KJ Vault, Marvin Moody, Monty Montgomery. Those guys have all done some good things. We are trying to see about the consistency part of it right now. Chase Kuerschen is running No. 2 right now. Jaylon Monroe is running No. 2. Willie Langham is pushing. We've got a lot of freshmen that are pushing to be in that No. 2 spot and some of them to get in the rotation.

The only freshmen defenders Fritz did not name were the defensive linemen, who seldom make much of an impact in the first seasons, Tirise Barge, who has gotten reps with the second unit at nickelback, and safety Quentin Brown. That's a pretty impressive percentage, and these guys are good athletes. Why some of them weren't recruited more heavily appears to be a mistake by other programs rather than Tulane reaching, a stark contrast to past classes under Bob Toledo and Curtis Johnson.

2) OLINE TRAINING

John Leglue continues to double train at center in practice to give Tulane a viable option if Junior Diaz gets hurt, just as Leglue did last year. Leglue actually took reps with the first-team unit while Diaz was on the second team for a portion of practice, but don't read anything into that. Fritz said Diaz at center was the only certainty for Tulane,with everyone else capable of playing more than one spot as the coaches search for the functional offensive line the Wave has not had since 2011.

"Right now we have to practice everybody at a bunch of different positions because you never know what happens throughout the season," Fritz said. "This is the time to do it. Dominique Briggs can play guard and center and he might even be a guy that plays tackle. Leglue can play any position on the offensive line. That gives you depth. If a guy goes out, you're not just putting in the next guy. You're putting in the next best guy."

The lineup has been stable enough lately that Tulane likely will go this starting lineup: Leglue at LT, Corey Dublin at LG, Diaz at C, Briggs at RG and Keyshawn McLeod at RT. The only wiggle room is at guard, where Leeward Brown could work his way back to the first unit. I don't see Tyler Johnson beating out McLeod at right tackle, and Joey Claybrook certainly is not going to pass Leglue at left tackle.

3) BULLISH ON BANKS

Lindsey Scott's decision to transfer from LSU today caused excitement all across Tulane message boards, but whether or not he would be interested in coming to Tulane is irrelevant to this season. After praising Jonathan Banks' performance in Saturday's scrimmage, Fritz said he followed with a good practice Monday. He made a an excellent pass to Brian Newman on an out pattern zipping the ball to him on time on the numbers, something Tulane's QBs could not do last season. He also threw a touchdown pass to tight end Charles Jones on a fade. He did make a bad pitch on an option, putting the ball on the ground, but that was one of his few mistakes today.

"He had a pretty good practice today," Fritz said. "He's learning the offense. When he pulls it and runs it, I don't know if all those times the defense thought they tackled him the other day, they tackled him one time (Banks was not allowed to be hit)."

That's been Fritz' recurring theme with Banks. He believes he will be very effective as a runner, which I can't validate since they never make the top two QBs live in practice, but he's talking about Banks' strength when he takes off. We'll find out soon enough.

This was not one of Brantley's better days. He threw an out pass about five yards out of bounds and threw a duck downfield a little later, but those were out of character for him in the preseason, when he's been much better than he was last fall as a thrower. He's also very fast and continues to run the option like it's drawn up.

4) HEAPING PRAISE ON HUDERSON

Just as he did in front of season ticket holders Saturday, Fritz had high praise for freshman running back Stephon Huderson. Tulane will use four running backs this year, and the rotation will be determined by performance. Huderson, the only freshman to participate in spring drills this year, has looked good in camp.

"He's really tough. He's really smart. Going through spring helped him out tremendously. He's really tough, he's really smart, he takes to coaching and doesn't make the same mistake twice. You see guys come from these winning (high school) programs, and he obviously had great practice habits established long before he came to us."

So what is Huderson's running style? Fritz reached back into his past.

"He reminds me of a guy that played for me at Central Missouri, a guy named Lee Thompson who went for about 4,000 yards. He's just like Lee. He's low to the ground. If he were 6 foot tall, he'd be 215, 220 (pounds; he's 5-10, 185). It's hard to get a good, solid shot on him. He's strong and has very good vision. When you're running that inside zone, you want to be slow to the hole but fast through it, and he really does a good job of that."

5) PRACTICE CHANGE COMING

Regardless of what the depth chart looks like at the beginning of the year, look for Fritz to play a lot of guys against Grambling, not because he doesn't respect the Tigers but because he knows practice production does not always dictate game performance.

"I really think early in the year is the time to rotate guys," he said. "Like I've said many times before, game shape's different than practice shape. I was telling these guys before the first ball game, you are going to catch your second wind. Don't panic when you get out there after three plays and you're sucking air. We've got enough depth where we can rotate some guys."

NOTES

...The philosophy in practice will change as Tulane gets closer to the season. He said they would start paring it down about nine days away from the opener against Grambling to focus on the Tigers, who run a three-man front, walk the linebackers up the gap and do unconventional things defensively.

...Fritz said Larry Bryant, who is working with the second-team defense at rush end behind Quinlan Carroll, is banged up a bit, hampering his effectiveness, but he expects him to be fine and loves his work ethic. He is capable of playing DE and the nickel pass rusher Tulane uses in some of its alignments.

...Freshman defensive end Michael Scott had a cast on his hand today, but Fritz said the injury was not serious and they were just trying to immobilize it to make sure it healed properly.

...Will Harper got some reps with the second-team defense at safety today while Kuerschen worked with the third team. Clearly, though, Fritz still considers Kuerschen a second-teamer, and they are rotating guys to see how they fare.

...No Zach Harris again today, making it at least five straight practices he has missed to rest a sore knee. As usual, Luke Jackson replaced him on the first unit.

...Tre Jackson still has not practiced this preseason. I will get an update on him later this week.

Tulane had its second scrimmage in as many days on Saturday morning, but with a different venue, moving from the comfortable confines of the Saints indoor facility to the Yulman Stadium, where a constant cloud cover and a brief mist kept conditions much cooler than normal outdoors in New Orleans in August.

This time, the practice was open to reporters and season-ticket holders, and as Willie Fritz promised, it featured live tackling of the quarterbacks for a portion, something I have not seen in a practice since I started covering the team in 2010. I got there a little after 9, and I did not see Jonathan Banks or Johnathan Brantley being made live, but freshmen Khalil McClain and Dane Ledford definitely got that treatment.

On the first possession of the full-tackling portion of the scrimmage (top two QBs excluded), Banks connected with Jacob Robertson for one of the prettiest plays of preseason camp, laying a deep ball down the sideline perfectly as Robertson beat freshman cornerback Jaylon Monroe by a step, ran under it and cruised into the end zone for about a 55-yard score. You could not have drawn up the offensive execution any better, and that is something I never saw in practice last year during a live scrimmage.

The offense did not do a whole lot on the other plays with the first and second group, but Banks was sharp, looking better than he has the rest of the week. As for Robertson, I'm ready to make the call for him as the third starter if Tulane uses the base three-wideout formation that has been Fritz' staple at Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern. It's no lock, but Robertson has made more plays than Jabril Clewis or the other wideouts besides Terren Encalade and Darnell Mooney. Robertson ended spring drills in front of Clewis on the listed depth chart, and I have seen nothing to indicate the change in order I predicted before preseason camp began.

Brantley was not as sharp today as he had been earlier in the week, fumbling a snap and not making any big passes, but he did get to the corner on an option to the left that would have gone for a huge gain even if he were allowed to be tackled, which he wasn't. He beat every defender to the boundary, easily, in what had to be a busted assignment by someone.

The line play was decent for the most part, although Banks was "sacked" quickly on one play (the whistle blew when the pocket collapsed immediately) and rush end Larry Bryant used freshman Joey Claybrook as a turnstile to get to Dane Ledford in about 1 second flat.

The battle between McClain and Ledford for third string is pretty close, but McClain clearly has the edge and has taken reps first of the two in every practice I've seen. On his first play in the live portion, McClain ran and was tackled by Lawrence Graham for a short gain. He made a nice pitch to Stephon Huderson on an option, threw incomplete on a pass that glanced off walk-on Rocky Ferony's hands and hit Kevin LeDee on a short sideline route in his first series.

Next up was Ledford, who had an embarrassing Aaron Brooks-like play where he tried to throw and the ball slipped out the back for a fumble before he brought his arm forward. He then completed a short pass to LeDee after holding on to the ball forever (it likely would have been sack against an opponent) and should have been sacked again when Bryant blew by Claybrook, but he held up and didn't hit him.

McClain went back in and overthrew Chris Johnson on a deep post when Johnson appeared to have a slight lead on Stephon Lofton, got nothing on an option and found Darius Bradwell on a short out. An option pitch to Corey Dauphine yielded a short gain, and McClain took off running for a short gain on the next play.

Back in went Ledford, who immediately hooked up with D.J. Owens on a deep post to the 5-yard line that Fritz praised. My take: he really underthrew him, preventing it from being a touchdown, but Owens made a nice adjustment to catch it just beyond Willie Langham. The possession did not produce a touchdown because the defense blew up an option pick to Bradwell, who made a heck of an effort to avoid a tackle for a 7-yard loss but still went down at the 8. Another Bradwell carry got stuffed, and Fritz blew his whistle to end the practice.

Offensive line improvement is Tulane's most critical issue, and the first-team line today was John Leglue at left tackle, freshman Corey Dublin at left guard, Junior Diaz at center, Dominique Briggs at right guard and Keyshawn McLeod at right tackle. That probably will be the opening-day line, which should please those of you who did not like Leeward Brown's performance last season. Fritz said yesterday he would make some changes to the depth chart after viewing the video of Friday's scrimmage, and Briggs over Brown appears to be one of them. Dublin has worked with the first unit all week, so he seems set.

The second-team line was Claybrook at left tackle, Cameron Jackel at left guard, Leglue at center (Briggs simply did not snap enough to warrant reps there), Brown at right guard and Tyler Johnson at right tackle. John Washington did not practice, if you're wondering, but I forgot to ask about his status after practice.

The first-team defense appears set in stone pending Zach Harris' status. Harris missed his fourth consecutive practice with a bothersome knee but likely will be ready for the opener against Grambling, with Luke Jackson starting in his place at WLB if he's not. Quinlan Carroll is getting almost all the reps with the first team at rush end, clearing up any mystery about one of the open positions, with Bryant the next guy in.

The second-team defense had Bryant, De'Andre Williams, Braynon Edwards and Peter Woullard on the line, Tirise Barge at nickelback, Monty Montgomery and KJ Vault at linebacker, Monroe and Langham at cornerback and P.J. Hall and Chase Kuerschen at safety. That lineup has been pretty stable this week. Barge has looked good, and although Hall would play before him at nickelback, that's a compliment to Hall, who has been double-trained, rather than criticism of Barge. I heard a player tell a sports info staffer to watch out for Barge as a surprise contributor.

NOTES

...There were two scouts from the Titans at practice today, marking that team's second presence at practice in as many weeks.

...Andrew Hicks took a turn on the exercise bike and ran sprints on the sideline while unable to practice due to a minor injury that has kept him out all week.

...In kickoffs, Randy Harvey kicked to the 4 and Dontrell Hilliard returned it, looking like he had a crease to the left side if the drill had been live. Zach Block kicked to the goal line, where Devin Glenn returned it. Still, look for Sherman Badie to be the primary kickoff returner.

...On the scoreboard for a portion of the scrimmage was the message: Tulane Green Wave: NOLA's College Football Team. That's going to be a repeated theme from the Tulane marketing staff this year.

...Tulane will nominate Leglue for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award. Leglue is smart on the field because he has played three positions this week and four in camp, getting a few reps at right guard yesterday while someone was unavailable to go along with his starting left tackle spot, backup center role and right tackle, where he began preseason camp before moving to the left side. It's only a matter of time before he gets a rep at left guard.

Tulane conducted a full scrimmage at the Saints indoor facility today, but practice ended nearly 30 minutes earlier than expected. Since the policy for those workouts is media availability for the last 30 minutes, we saw maybe four or five plays before coach Willie Fritz ended it.

Jonathan Brantley was the quarterback at the end, and his final play was a deep pass to D.J. Owens that freshman safety Chase Kuerschen broke up perfectly down the sideline near the end zone. It's clear that Kuerschen and P.J. Hall have supplanted the two Harpers on the second-team defense at safety, and with plays like that, it is easy to see why the coaches like Kuerschen. Hall struggled as a true freshman cornerback last fall but showed the physical ability to be good once he got a little older. With cornerback being one of Tulane's deepest positions, he appears to have found a home at safety, although he also remains the top backup at nickelback. Freshman Tirise Barge is playing with the second unit at nickelback, but if Jarrod Franklin needed to go out, Hall would the first guy to replace him.

The other plays I saw were a dropped pass by Owens on a low throw to the outside, A Brantley completion to Devin Glenn on a short out and an interference call on somebody I did not catch by the AAC refs Fritz brought in today.

Here is Fritz' Q&A:

"We've been going pretty hard for quite a while now and it probably isn't an ideal time to have a scrimmage when you're maybe not feeling 100 percent mentally and physically, but you've got to be able to do it, and we want to take advantage of the officials being here. We'll go back and watch the tape. Some guy will have taken advantage of the reps they got and they are going to move up the depth chart and some guys will go lower on the depth chart. I told them all before we got out here, this is the only way I can evaluate is seeing what you do when you get out there in these game-like situations.

"We did a little bit of tackling. Obviously we've got to find some guys that can snap the football. Junior's doing a great job of that, but we have to get at least a couple of other guys who can snap it well. You can't get started if you don't get good snaps."

Chase Kuerschen, a freshman safety from Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic High, made a good play on the deep ball at the end of the scrimmage. What do you loke about him?

"He's very smart and he just has a great attention to detail. He practices hard. He's always into it. He's always focused. It's interesting. We've got a lot of guys from some really good high school programs, and it's interesting to watch the way they go about their work. They are guys you don't have to get them going and make sure they're focused. They've been coached like they are in a college program, and he's one of them."

Watching Corey Dauphine, it's obvious how he can help this team next year when he becomes eligible to play. How can he help this team this year?

"Just by what he does. He's got great practice habits. He's hustling around. As a matter of fact I'm going to make a point of that in one of our team meetings about how this guy is ineligible, but he practices like he's going to get 30 carries a game. He's going to get zero. I can guarantee that this year. He's helping us win. I really believe that every day guys are either helping us lose or helping us win. There's no in between, and he helps us win just by his attitude and his effort. He's just a fun guy to be around."

Yesterday he dropped an option pitch, which is the first thing I've seen him do wrong.

"Yeah, he dropped it, and we talked about it. We don't want our guys to go on the ground in that particular situation (trying to recover the loose ball in a drill that wasn't live), but he's had a good camp. He's going to be a really good player for us."

What have you seen from Jonathan Banks in his progression during camp?

"Sometimes you see progress getting made, and then we're throwing more stuff at him. We've got a lot of the offense in, and we've got a high expectation for him and all our players, in particular our quarterback. There's a lot of stuff going on. You've got the play clock in the two-minute situation, you've got the game clock and you've got to know what both of those are. You've got to know down and distance, and then you've got to get the call sending guys in motion, making sure that you've got plenty of time, speeding guys up, protections, so it's a lot of stuff on that quarterback. You throw a lot at the wall and see what sticks. Hopefully this is all sticking for him right now."

How important is it to put Banks in these scrimmage situations so he is prepared?

"Oh, it's great. This is the first time we've ever done it this fall. We didn't do in in the spring, so this is the first time he's done it, and it looked sloppy as all get out, but it always looks sloppy the first time you do it. We'll get better and better and better. It's organized chaos, is what you want it to end up looking like. It was his first experience with it. It was Brantley's first this fall, too, and they'll learn and get better from it."

How much should a scrimmage help him show his full range of abilities?

"It's really hard sometimes when they blow the whistle sometimes. They think it's a sack, and I think about half the time it probably isn't. They've got to get him down. He's a big guy, and he's quick. I try to tell those guys when they start scrambling, if it's covered, be decisive in your decision (to run). That could be one of the best plays we've got."

You are going to have the AAC refs again tomorrow. Will the practice be similar?

"It will be similar, but we'll do half the amount of special teams we did. We will do field goal versus field goal block. They don't have their net up, so we can't kick in here. We'll get nine kicks there, and the scrimmage will be similar."

You had said you would work on punts today. Who were the guys catching them?

"We had a bunch of guys getting a few catches in. Dontrell (Hillard), Sherman (Badie), Donnie Lewis, Dane Ledford. I know those four for sure got catches. Today we used the Juggs (machine) because we can't hit the ceiling, and every once in a while our punter will hit it."

Nico Marley had a sack last night. The hardest part for him is just getting any opportunity to show what he can do, so how nice is it to see him getting a shot in Washington?

"Nothing he does surprises me, and I think he can do some stuff in the kicking game, too. We led off the other night with a play he made in a scrimmage. I don't know if you guys saw it or not, but he made a heck of a hit, and he got up and started talking to the offense. I hope he gets a chance."

I also interviewed Dauphine on how he was handling his transfer year. It may not be evident from the transcription, but this guy clearly gets its. He's not only a fantastic player, but he has the pefect attitude. Here's that conversation:

It's obvious how you can help this team next year, but how can you help this team this year in practice?

"Just motivate them, go all out and do a little scout team, then I'm going to do a little reps with the team. I'll help them as much as I can, motivate them and just keep them going."

What was the major factor in you deciding to transfer to Tulane from Texas Tech?

"The major opportunity was they run the ball and playing time. They've got two running backs about to leave, and next year it's going to be time for me to step up, play that leader role and just keep going."

What other schools did you consider when you chose Texas Tech in 2015?

"Florida, Washington State, Illinois State, Tulane, U of H (Houston), Arizona State."

You redshirted your first year, carried twice for 27 yards in the opener last year and then fell down the depth chart. Did the coaches explain why?

"They didn't really give me a reason. Until this day they didn't give me a reason. I asked one of the coaches what was the reason, and he didn't really give me a good one. But hey, he just told me to keep on working hard, I'm a good back, I'm a great back. He just basically told me I wasn't a good fit for the offense. I'm more of a power back."

What are your best assets?

"I'm a power back, but I've been working on getting everything. I've been working on being a wide receiver, a back, everything."

How do you like this system?

"Oh I like it. I love it. They are going to have a lot in store for me and will try to find ways to use me. This offense fits me perfectly."

Jordan Cornish is eligible to play for the Tulane basketball team this year after sitting out his transfer year from UNLV, and he just described last year as the longest in his life. How will you handle the waiting?

"I actually talked to Jordan, too. I said, man, I already know it's going to be a long season, but I'm just going to stay focused, hit it the classroom and motivate them for the season. That's how I'm going to take it."

What do you like about these coaches the most?

"They are going to work with you. They are going make time to help you out and make sure are OK. That's what I like about them. They're more about their players."

Yesterday you dropped a pitch on an option. How much did they get on you for that?

"They got on me good. That's me just not being focused, and that's what I have to work on--just being consistent and focused."

How easy is it to lose focus when you know you're not going to play?

"It's very easy. I just have to stay focused. I still have a lot to learn being away from football for a good long time (not playing in games), but I'll be good."

Tulane practiced for two hours at the Saints indoor practice facility today, and I was allowed to watch the final 30 minutes or so. Although the offensive line was by no means perfect, it was better than on Wednesday, when it really struggled. This time, the quarterbacks usually had time to look for their first option at least, but not always, particularly on play-action routes.

“I thought we did a better job,” coach Willie Fritz said. “We had about four or five plays of really firm protection. The great thing about play-action pass is most of it is not going to be the quick variety. Some of the other routes are quick and you don’t have to have great protection, but most of our play action, the element of surprise is helping them, but you have to be firm for three or four solid seconds so the route can progress. We have to do a better job of that.”

On the first play of the 11-on-11 drill, it looked like Jonathan Banks was going to connect with Darnell Mooney for a long touchdown, but he could not run under it, coming up a step short. Sherman Badie then ran through a nice hole up the middle (as always, that comes with an asterisk since it was a non-tackling drill) for a big gain before Parry Nickerson came in untouched on a corner blitz and knocked the ball from Banks’ hands.

Although he did not hit Banks, the contact was a little awkward on his arm, and Nickerson drew a criticism from one of the defensive coaches to play smart in practice.

A little later, walk-on wide receiver Rocky Ferony dropped a pass in the end zone from Johnathan Brantley. I had to double check the number to make sure it was Ferony, who normally does not get reps with the second unit. Brantley also was sacked once when the pocket collapsed on the left side of the offensive line.

In Banks’ second session, he made a really nice play, scrambling when no one was open right away and finding Jacob Robertson near the goal line in red zone work. It was a nice bit of improvisation and another pass on the money when he was on the run. Banks is not always accurate on straight deep balls, but he continues to be sharp when he throws on the run.

Linebacker Zach Harris missed his third consecutive practice with a knee issue and likely will be out a little longer. It’s not a new injury, and the trainers decided the best way to treat it was rest. Obviously, that bears watching because Tulane really needs him. Luke Jackson replaced him on the first-team unit alongside Rae Juan Marbley.

“He just has to wait a little bit, stay off of it and get healthy,” Fritz said. “We’ve tried a lot of things, and the last one is just pure rest.”

The defensive starters are easy to figure out, but it is harder to get a read on the second-string guys because of rotations and constant switching between the base defense and a nickel look. Chase Kuerschen and P.J. Hall were the backup safeties today, so I guess my presumption Will and Sean Harper had held on to their roles was incorrect. I also saw Chase Napoleon getting reps at third-team linebacker along with Monty Montgomery.

The freshmen, who were not highly rated as a group by recruiting sites, have made a good early impression.

“I’m very impressed,” Fritz said. “It’s a good class. I think we really hit on a bunch of guys. All of them at the very least will be guys that will compete for starting job, and more than half of them I’m pretty certain within the next year or two, they will be starting for us. All of them are going to be competitive and play.”

I watched the wide receivers extensively, and the truth is outside of Terren Encalade and Mooney, no one has proven to be reliable yet. Encalade returned to practice after missing two days with a sore hamstring. It feels like Jacob Robertson, who ended spring on top of the depth chart as the third receiver, is getting the most opportunities, but Jabril Clewis, Devin Glenn, D.J. Owens and Chris Johnson are in the mix, too. Tulane often is using only two wideouts at a time anyway. The freshman wideouts have not made a big impression this week.

If I had to guess today, I’d pencil in Robertson as the third starter, with Clewis behind him and Glenn still backing up Mooney. There’s still plenty to determine at that position in the next few weeks.

Fritz remains high on Clewis, who did not get as many reps as I was expecting today.

“He’s got an opportunity to be a good player,” Fritz said. “He’s bigger, he’s physical and he’s got good speed. We’ve got to get him better at high pointing the ball. If he can high point the ball, he’s going to make a lot of big plays for us because he’s a size mismatch out on the perimeter.”

NOTES

...Tre Jackson remains unable to practice while recovering from a knee problem. Fritz said he would be out at least the next couple of days as well.

...Defensive end Peter Woullard practiced in Harris’ jersey today because his was ripped. It also was Woullard’s birthday today, and the entire team sang Happy Birthday to him at the end of the practice.

...Tulane will let season ticket holders watch the last 30 minutes of Saturday’s practice from the Glazer Club. Food will be served and Fritz will speak to the group after the practice, which will have AAC officials. The officials also will work Friday’s closed practice at the Saints facility.

…Freshman Khalil McClain has a strong arm, but he doesn’t use it much. He holds on to the ball too long even when he is not flushed out of the pocket. Like many newcomers, he needs to get comfortable knowing where guys are going to be.

…I saw Corey Dauphine make a mistake today. He dropped a good pitch from Brantley on an option. First error I’ve noticed from him in preseason camp.

…Charles Jones and Banks had a clear miscommunication during red zone team drills. Banks threw to the back of the end zone and Jones cut toward the middle as the ball sailed well over his head to the outside.

…Freshman tight end Will Wallace made a nice catch and run on a pass from Banks. Other than Jones occasionally, the tight ends have not been noticeable in preseason camp, but this was an exception.

For any of you who are members of YOGWF, could you please go on the "fall practice" thread and tell these morons that an Advocate editor took out the words "they arrived in New Orleans" in a sentence that read "they never had run the option before" in the story I sent on the triple option looking better.

That thread is an example of why most sportswriters hate fans more than the fans hate sportswriters, which is saying a lot. The hostility toward me exhibited by someone called Johnny Mac is bizarre to say the least, but then these are probably the same guys who insisted I was pretending to be at the Wake Forest game last year when they "knew" I really was just watching it on TV. It's just a few people, but it makes intelligent people think all fans are idiots.

I talked to Luke Jackson after practice today. Here's his Q&A:

You are part of a seven-man group of fifth-year seniors--six on defense--who were redshirted the last time Tulane made a bowl game. It was a lot different for you because you were diagnosed with testicular cancer that November. (My story here: http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orle...cle_0109383c-ea6b-5ec6-a34d-d68414a7187d.html) But what are your memories of that season?

"I missed most of the (bowl) activities, but I remember most of the stories about going to eat and the extra events that they do for it. The bowl game was fun. I was on the sideline. The atmosphere was crazy with all the fans. It wasn’t the best experience because we lost, but it as good to experience something like that."

What would it mean to end your career in a bowl game?

"Now that I’m on the field playing, it’s definitely a big goal. In my last year I want to end on the highest note possible and get the program going in the best direction. he best way you could end it is in a bowl game, but obviously I wouldn’t want to go out with a loss in the last bowl game. We just made some dumb mistakes in the first half. I was disappointed just being a freshman not playing, like man, we should have won that game. I couldn’t imagine being a fifth-year senior in my last game, finally made it to a bowl game, and we lose it. That’s not an option really. We can’t take a loss."

Do you see any similarities between this team and that team?

"It’s pretty similar. That was CJ’s second year and this is coach Fritz’s second year. I think we could have done better last year. We had some bad games that we could have easily won, but we have a bunch of seniors coming back and a big freshman class like we did when I was a freshman. We’re playing better competition now, but we’re there as a team as long as we keep competing."

What is your role this year?

"Mainly just special teams is a big part, and coach Fritz makes a big deal about that. Obviously linebacker I’ll try the biggest role possible, playing inside and outside, wherever they need me. If they need me at D end, I’ll play D end. Whatever it takes."

But your regular position is weakside linebacker. How have you adjusted to it after playing end for most of your career?

"It’s a little more running, but I kind of like it better. You’re not dealing with an O lineman the whole time and you’re keying more of the whole play and knowing what’s going on. Right now I’m playing Will, but you never know. Whatever they want to do, I’ll do. I’ve played some outside depending on the calls."

When did you make the move?

"It was towards the end of the season last year. I started playing some SAM for a certain front. After that, in the spring they moved me for good. I’ve been there since. It’s been fun."

How much do you think you will play defensively?

"Hopefully I'll be a big contributor. We’ve got a great linebacker corps right now. Nobody’s got a solidified spot. I can’t say I’m starting or how much I’m going to play, but whatever I can do to play as much as possible."

How important is Ade Aruna to this defense?

"He’s going to be a big part. We have Eldrick Washington on the other side, too, and Sean Wilson. We are going to have a great D line. We’re missing Tanzel, but on any given day you look at three starters, and it’s who are you going to block. Pass rush rise, Ade is going to be a big part with his athleticism."

Today was the hottest practice of the preseason, and at least in terms of the protection, also the worst. I got there later than normal and practice ended considerably earlier, at 9:53 to be exact, but in 11-on-11 drills, the line really struggled to keep heat off the quarterbacks.

It was a little reminiscent of the last week of spring drills. There were not many complete passes, although Jacob Robertson got his foot inbounds in the back of the end zone after hauling in a pass from Johnathan Brantley and D.J. Owens caught one on an in route in the red zone that he likely would have converted into a touchdown during a live drill. Jonathan Banks also did a nice job moving his feet in the pocket to buy some time before hooking up with Travis Tucker. The throw was late and low, but he really had no other choice considering the protection breakdown, and it got the job done.

Coach Willie Fritz will get a closer look at the protection on Friday and Saturday, first at the Saints facility and then at Yulman Stadium.

"We are going to do a lot more scrimmaging Friday and Saturday," he said. "The tough part for us right now is all of the quarterbacks look OK when we protect things. We had a really difficult time protecting things today. I'm going to tell the quarterbacks the best way to help our offensive linemen be better pass protectors is run the crap out of the ball. When you run the crap out of the ball, the defensive plays lateral and they are in a balance instead of getting in that staggered stance and just jumping off the ball and coming every time. We have to do a better job running."

Part of the problem Wednesday may have been the weather. It was steamy, causing some issues across the board in practice.

"It was OK," Fritz said. "We have to do a good job of transitioning from the cozy confines of the Saints facility to coming out here. We want being able to play in heat and humidity to be an advantage for us. The worst thing that can happen is you worry about just surviving the game and not executing and playing every play. We've got to be in good enough shape to do that right now. It's mostly about mental toughness more than anything else. We've got a bunch of tough guys, mentally and physically. We need more."

The news wasn't all a downer. Before I arrived, the Wave actually had a full-tackling, one-on-one goal line drill. The quarterbacks were throwing to the receivers, who were trying to get into the end zone. I heard Devin Glenn got stoned on one of the plays. It was the type of drill Tulane never used last preseason because depth issues made Fritz too concerned about getting guys hurt.

"It's huge to have depth," Fritz said. "I'm not the guy to sit around and talk about injuries, but we had a bunch of guys hurt last year and we had really short lines at a lot of positions. I think we brought six offensive linemen to the last game (a win at UConn) that were healthy. We brought seven and one guy didn't dress, so we have some more depth now and were able to get a lot of good reps in. Our philosophy is next man up anyway. If a guy goes down, the next guy's gotta go. These guys know I don't sit around and whine about that stuff because it doesn't help you any, but having depth is great for practice and it's great for the games. If we have someone who can take a few reps away from Rod Teamer on defense, I can play him in the kicking game. If I don't, it's hard for me to do it. Last year I would have loved to have played Nico (Marley) on a bunch of the special teams, but he was playing every snap on defense and I just couldn't afford to do it."

With some of the same issues cropping up today that made Tulane look bad at the end of spring, Fritz was asked if he felt the team really believed this is the year when it really turns things around.

"I think they believe it," he said. "They talk about it, and now we just have to go out and execute and do it, especially in practice. Some of the guys had a great practice today and other guys, aah. Every great team I've been a part of, they really get after it every single day. We have to start getting towards that a little bit more."

NOTES

**Terren Encalade missed his second consecutive practice with a hamstring issue, but he was walking OK on the sideline and had his helmet. Andrew Hicks had a hamstring tighten on him during practice and spent some time on the exercise bike.

**Some of the completions this week have been out of bounds, with the quarterbacks leading the receivers too much. Brantley hit Brian Newman on an out route when he was a least two yards past the sideline when he caught it. That's something which needs to get better, too.

**The depth charts on offense and defense were the same as yesterday. With Encalade out, it looked like Jacob Robertson got more reps with the first unit. I'm still not clear on all of the wide receiver spots. I know Encalade essentially is what used to be called the flanker, with Jabril Clewis and Robertson normally sharing time at what used to be called split end and Darnell Mooney and Jet Glenn getting most of the reps at the slot, but it's unclear to me where the rest of the guys fit it. I'll work on it the rest of the week.

**Fritz said he had not identified the definite lead punt returner or kickoff returners yet, adding the team would work on it a lot on Friday and Saturday.

"The Juggs gun comes off with a nice spiral, and it's like playing catch with the quarterback from 15 yards," Fritz said. "You ought to catch every one of them, but catching a live ball off the punter's foot is really a good deal."

**Tulane will practice tomorrow morning and Friday morning at the Saints facility, taking advantage of the Saints trip to Cleveland.

I saw about the last 40 minutes of the practice at the Saints facility today. My focus was on the depth chart when they went to 11-on-11 work. First, John Leglue has moved to left tackle officially, another example of why this is a good coaching staff. He's the best tackle they have, and it just makes sense to have him protect the quarterback's blind side.

The other first-teamers on the line were Leeward Brown at left guard, Junior Diaz at center, Corey Dublin at right guard (for every rep, too, but there's a caveat) and Keyshawn McLeod at right tackle. I'd say all but Dublin are locks to start now, but Dublin is getting his reps because Dominique Briggs is the guy they've moved to center to replace the injured Hunter Knighton. They can't have Diaz take every rep, so Briggs is filling in until Knighton gets healthy. I would expect Briggs to start over Dublin at right guard, but Dublin's move up the depth chart as a true freshman is significant.

The second-team offensive line was Joey Claybrook at left tackle, Cameron Jackel at left guard, Briggs at center, John Washington at right guard and Tyler Johnson at right tackle. I think we can close the book on Devon Johnson, who showed potential as a true freshman but never got into good shape or showed the desire to be a Division I lineman. He's a redshirt junior now and playing behind true freshmen. Brian Webb, who likely would have been a non-factor anyway, is out with a knee injury.

The first-team defensive line had Ade Aruna at left end, although he was flanked by linebacker Luke Jackson as a rush end, Sean Wilson in the middle, Eldrick Washington at right tackle and Quinlan Carroll at left end. After vacillating on this one, I'm pretty confident Carroll will start the opener, which I believe is the right choice. He is productive when healthy. Larry Bryant rotated in for reps with the first unit, too, and I think he and Carroll will split time at rush end when Tulane is in its base defense.

The second team defensive line had Bryant and Carroll alternating at one spot, De'Andre Williams and Braynon Edwards at tackle and Peter Woullard at the other end spot.

Zach Harris unfortunately is out with another injury (I didn't ask) and was watching practice with his jersey on but no helmet, so the first-team LBs were Rae Juan Marbley and Lawrence Graham. Vault and Monty Montgomery got the most reps on the second-team unit.

The first-team secondary was the usual suspects, with the second team consisting of cornerbacks Willie Langham and Jaylon Monroe, P.J. Hall at the nickel (although he did not line up as close to the line as Jarrod Franklin) and Chase Kuerschen and Tirise Barge at safety. I did not see Thakarius Keyes, who is a second-team CB when healthy.

The skill positions were the same as always, although Devin Glenn had a carry at running back and Darius Bradwell lined up as a wide receiver for a couple of plays, showing Tulane's increased versatility, or at least the attempt to be more versatile. Chris Johnson came up slightly gimpy after running a deep pattern, but he appeared to be OK. There were not many completions downfield today, fewer than in any of the other 11-on-11 drills I've watched.

Here's what Willie Fritz said after practice:

"We had another good day. We always have a good day out here."

Corey Dublin worked with the first team today. What has he done to get in this position?

"He's tough, he's got enough mass to play right away, good feet, great work ethic, good stamina. A lot of times big guys don't have a whole lot of stamina. Also one of our guards (Briggs) we're looking at at center right now since Hunter Knighton got hurt. But he (Dublin) definitely right now is in our top eight, and he's got a chance to be a guy that starts for us."

Is Leglue staying at left tackle?

"He's going to be left tackle, and if we have a difficult time to get somebody to do accurate snaps besides Junior, John will be second-team center."

Can you go over again the thought process behind going after Banks? (an AP writer was there to do a season preview)

"Well, for our offense we have to have a quarterback who can do both. He's got to be able to run the ball and he's got to be able to throw it. It's good we don't have to substitute. I've had teams where I had to have another guy that was a wildcat quarterback and another guy to hand it off and throw it. Now you don't have to get in that wildcat. They don't know exactly what you're thinking when you're in personnel groupings (which of course is exactly what CJ's staff did for four consecutive years every time they substituted packages). We've got to get better play at that position, offensive line, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs. We have to get better across the board. It's no secret we did not play great on offense, so we have to get better across the board offensively."

What do you want to see Banks improve the most?

"The big thing I worry about is execution of the play. Too often quarterbacks see other things and are worried about things that are out of their control. I just want him to execute the play and do his job. Taking care of the football is critical at that position. Our margin for error is not real big, and we'd like for it to be a little bit bigger by taking care of the football."

He's had a lot of starts at the juco level, but how big a step up is it going to be for him?

"A huge step. Organization, attention to detail, we've got five times more coaches than they've got. I had like two video players when I was the head coach at Blinn. It was hard. It is just completely and totally different, but he had a taste of that when he was at Kansas State."

You have seven fifth-year seniors, and a lot of them are going to be contributors on defense. How much does that help?

"It helps out as long as they buy in and they have. The guys here have been tremendous with their buy-in and doing things. It's hard when you make changes, and those guys have been great leaders for our program."

How do you feel about the offensive line?

"We'll be much better. Much better there. We really are. It hurt us when we lost Junior Diaz (last year against Navy). He's a really good player, and center is so key as far as making calls. He's always got a little bounce in his step. He's a physical, gym rat kind of guy, and it's great to have him back. Right now we've got eight guys that are capable of playing at a Division I level. We need a couple more."

(The eight he's talking about are the five starters plus Dublin, John Washington and Tyler Johnson, although I guess he thinks one of them is not quite there yet because Knighton would be the eighth)

What kind of camp is Quinlan Carroll having?

"He's having a great camp. He's really doing a good job and playing in space, he does a good job rushing the passer. He's a smart, smart player."

Has Braynon Edwards continued the progress he made in the spring?

"He had a really good summer. He's lost 80-something pounds. He looks like a different guy, but he's still a load in there. It's hard for them (opponents) to get movement and a crease in the middle of the line, which is what you want."

It was a hot, humid morning at Yulman Stadium as Tulane started practice about 30 minutes later than normal, although the weather still was not as bad as it often gets this time of the year in New Orleans. The workout was in shoulder pads and shorts.

I missed about half of the 11-on-11 drills because I took a phone call from my wife right when 11-on-11 drills started because we're having major plumbing issues in the new house we bought in mid city after all the flooding Saturday (apparently, the pipes are clogged due to backup or, worse, a pipe broke, causing significant issues we will not have to pay for but will be irritating in the short term). But there were some interesting freshmen rotating in for reps with the first unit when I started watching, including safety Chase Kuerschen and linebackers KJ Vault and Monty Montgomery. The receivers had a little case of the drops, with Jabril Clewis dropping one on an out route, Chris Johnson dropping what would have been a touchdown pass on a long ball from Johnathan Brantley and Darnell Mooney making a juggling catch on an inside pass he should have caught cleanly. Even cornerback Stephon Lofton caught the disease what should have been an easy interception (I missed the QB).

The day ended with freshman Dane Ledford connecting with Glenn on a deep out near the goal line. Fellow freshman Khalil McClain made the throw of the day, though, threading a pass between two defenders to Johnson on an inside route for a nice gain. McClain tends to do what Brantley did in the preseason last year--run at every opportunity in non-contact drills, making it hard to get a read on him--but he continues to show a live arm when he uses it.

For the third straight time at Yulman Stadium and presumably the sixth straight practice, Glen Cuiellette got no reps after one-on-one drills. I have to think McClain will be the third-string guy when they release a depth chart, but no confirmation from Willie Fritz on that one yet. He did say, as he had intimated last week, that the coaches met for two hours on Sunday to firm up the depth chart and make some changes. He's just not ready to say what they are, although the freshmen moving up on defense likely is one of them.

There is some injury news, which usually happens after the first full-contact practice (Saturday at the Saints facility). Hunter Knighton has a sprained right knee, and Fritz said he would miss three to four weeks, putting his availability for the opener against Grambling in question. Freshman defensive end Nick Kubiet is out with a knee injury, and in one of the more predictable moments of the preseason, Miles Strickland was pedaling on the exercise bike when I walked into the stadium. Strickland just can't seem to stay healthy for any stretch of time.

Tre Jackson did not practice today. He had knee problems at the end of spring drills that stemmed from a serious knee injury he sustained in his senior year of high school, but Fritz said he expected him to return in three to four days. Jackson was making a big push in the spring before he got hurt.

A few wide receivers were hobbling, too. Terren Encalade appeared to be favoring a hamstring and did not participate in seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 drills, although he was watching from the middle of the field. Jacob Robertson, who did not appear able to run full speed on patterns early in practice, took a turn on the bike and did not practice the rest of the way.

They did a drill I hadn't seen much with one player trying to beat another player in a restricted area between two cones who was trying to stop him from getting down the field. Most guys were able to get past the defender after initial difficulty, but freshman linebacker Quentin Brown was completely stoned for about 10 seconds by Will Harper. He could not make any progress, then got lectured by a coach explaining what he wasn't doing.

Clewis and defensive tackle Braynon Edwards were there, which represents progress after the missed the first three days of practice due to classes. The rain last week was beneficial for them, allowing them to practice Thursday and Friday, and now they no longer have conflicts.

When I walked in, they were in the midst of a field goal drill. I have missed every one of those since the start of spring drills aside from the spring game because they do they at the beginning of practice. I charted the last seven attempts. Coby Neenan, the frontrunner, connected on a 35-yarder from the middle of the field in his last kick.

Randy Harvey was then about eight yards short after a bad snap on a 35-yarder. Even allowing for the bad snap, that should never happen on a kick of that distance. Harvey followed by making a 30-yarder and a 27-yarder from the right hash that also had a low snap.

Freshman walk-on Noah Singer from West Palm Beach was next in line. He made an ugly kick from 27 yards that still would count for 3 points, hit a second one from 27 yards and was good on a 29-yarder with yet another low snap. I did not catch the number of the snapper, but I assume it was Geron Eatherly.

I keep bringing this up, but Corey Dauphine looks sensational. His practice work ethic is impressive since he can't play this year, and I see him as a 1,000-yard back in Fritz' system when he becomes eligible next season.

I have a dental appointment and then have to do basketball interviews at 1:30, but I will get a quote board up later today from Fritz and defensive coordinator Jack Curtis (on the secondary, his position) and maybe a little from Jarrod Franklin. I'm working on a feature for the Advocate's tab section on the seven fifth-year seniors who were redshirted the last time Tulane went to a bowl game and what they remember about that season and how much it would mean to them to experience it themselves. (Franklin, Nickerson, Aruna, Badie, Carroll, Eldrick Washington and Luke Jackson).

For the second time in three days, someone who watched Tulane's practice last night sent me a description of what happened, and this was off the video, which allowed them to really analyze the plays.

I'd love to say I asked for this help, but it would be a lie. The information was volunteered and is yet another thing I like about the Fritz staff. It's a level of trust I never developed with CJ and his staff, for whatever reason.

Saturday's practice was the first one in full pads and was an important one since Fritz said earlier in the week he wanted to have a clear idea of the depth chart at every position going into the second week.

Banks started 11-on-11 drills (this one wasn't live) with a 20-yard completion to Clewis over the middle off of play action. Brantley, whose arm has looked much better than a year ago, followed with a 35-yard strike to Owens for a score, also off play action.

Teamer had an INT on an overthrown ball (no ID on the QB) and Willie Langham had the night's other INT on a scramble drill, snagging the ball in the back of the end zone.

Banks also had a short completion to Brian Newman, who made a nice catch on a slant, and hit Clewis for 8 yards on an out route. The practices at the Saints facility were helpful for Clewis, who missed the first three days due to a class conflict but obviously was available for the night practices at the Saints facility.

Badie had a 10-yard run that might have been a TD if it had been a live drills. He had to make a safety miss, and it was hard to tell if he would have made the tackle. The hole was opened up by Leglue and Leeward Brown.

Bradwell showed good vision on a 10-yard gain, getting good blocks from Leglue, Brown and Diaz.

McClain hit Owens for 8 yards on an out route. McClain has a big arm, and it has come through hard work as well as natural ability. He broke all the QB lifting records this summer.

Hilliard made a nice run, too, getting blocks from Leglue and Corey Dublin.

Ledford hit walk-on Reed Green for 15 yards off play action and connected with Dauphine for a 65-yard score on a wheel route. This is not my spy talking, but my own opinion--Dauphine will be Tulane's best back in a while when he becomes eligible next year, and that's on a team that has had several good backs in recent years.

Marbley had a tackle for a loss. He's going to have to play big this year, and he has the natural ability to do it.

Bradwell made a nice cut for a 30-yard run, where he likely would have been tackled by the cornerback in a live drill.

Lawrence Graham shot the gap for a sack.

Banks threw incomplete to Johnson deep, putting the ball on the money, but Langham made a nice play to break it up.

A handoff to Devin Glenn went nowhere when Braynon Edwards blew the play up. He's another guy that missed the first three practices due to a class conflict but has been available for the last three.

Huderson made a beautiful cut to find a hole and was off to the races. It might have been a long TD in a live drill.

Brantley closed the drills with a 10-yard completion to Ardoin and a pitch to Glenn that would have gained at least 10 yards.

LIVE DRILL

Bradwell broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and gained 10 yards.

Tyrese Barge came up with a big hit to cause a fumble (No ID of the runner)

Mooeny ran a fade to the back of the end zone and got a toe in as he hauled in a pass from Banks.

---That's what I was sent. More really good stuff. They will be back at Yulman Stadium tomorrow morning after taking today off, and I will be interested to see them for the first time since Wednesday. They have three scheduled practices at the Saints facility this week, including Tuesday, but I believe there will be some availability to the media in some of those.

I did not attend last night's workout, but someone who did has been cleared to give me some info on what happened.

In seven-on-seven drills, Teamer made a nice pass breakup before Banks scrambled out of the pocket and hit Glenn for 15 yards on a crossing route. If Banks has a big year, it will because of his ability to throw on the run. Banks also hit Toles for 10 yards on an out route, connected with Mooney for 40 yards on a seam route over safety Sean Harper, hit Charles Jones for 10 yards in the middle of the field and made a perfect throw on a comeback route that Hilliard dropped.

When it was Brantley's turn, he threw high on a slant to Mooney, a nice pass to Hilliard out of the backfield, had a pass broken up by LB Monty Montgomery when he jumped the route, something my spy says Montgomery has done more than once this week. Brantley then missed Mooney on a corner route and threw it away when no one was open.

Khalil McClain could not connect with Robertson on go route because Will Harper broke it up. McClain then tucked it and ran, which he does more often than the other QBs in practice, before connecting with Toles on a hitch. Of the three freshmen, Toles is the one who may play right away. He is good after the catch, too.

Dane Ledford was next and had a pass to Prouet tipped and picked off by Kuerschen, who tried to score on the return but was stripped by Bradwell after he chased him down, causing a lecture on ball security by Willie Fritz.

Banks came back and hit Mooney on comeback route to the far hash, one he throws very well and should be a nice addition to Tulane's play sheet. Banks then ran when Jaylon Monroe had good coverage on his primary target and hit Glenn for 50 yards when he made a diving catch on a seam route.

My spy says the guys who have stood out in camp other than the usual suspects are Shenall, who is vitally important as the starting free safety at a position he has not played a whole lot in the past, Sample, who is up to 265 pounds from 250 and likely will play inside, Keyes, who has been out with a sprained ankle after having a terrific opening day, Bradwell, whose potential power is unmatched by the other running backs and is faster than he looks, and Willie Langham, who has gone from 168 pounds to 183 pounds since he arrived this summer. Although Kevin LeDee still needs to get stronger, he is up to 190 pounds, an increase of at least 10 pounds, on his 6-5 frame.

Here are some 40 times of guys before training camp, which was not an emphasis in the summer because they were working more on conditioning than speed training:

Glenn: 4.38
Badie: 4.41
Hilliard: 4.41
Mooney: 4.45
Chris Johnson: 4.55
Teamer: 4.57
Brantley: 4.59
Bryant: 4.60
Banks: 4.61
Sample: 4.82

That's good stuff. I have been skeptical about Glenn at WR from the time he moved there, but he has improved exponentially since the beginning of spring drills. If he can sustain that level into games, he will be an added weapon I did not anticipate.

I've been a Bradwell guy from the start. I love his competitiveness. It's always uncertain when a quarterback moves to running back, but I like his chances to be a big contributor.

It was good to get some analysis of the defensive freshmen who have stepped up.

It's Tyrick James, a 3-star TE from China Springs, Texas.

He can play tight end or linebacker in college and is versatile enought that he will be his team's starting QB this year. He is the sixth 3-star guy among Tulane's 13 commitments according to Rivals and had offers from Kansas State and SMU.

Here's a story on him from earlier this summer:

https://kansasstate.rivals.com/news/wildcats-trust-talent-of-james

Two guys are coming in today.

1) Patrick Shegog, QB, 6-0, 170, South Panola, Miss.

Skinny: Shegog is rated the 10th best player in the state of Mississippi going into this season SESFootball and could be a stud even though he is not rated by Rivals, 247 Sports or Scout. South Panola did not score a lot of points last year in his first season as a starter, but he has a lot of upside.

Here is his Hudl video:

http://www.hudl.com/profile/5289211/patrick-shegog

2) Michael Remondet, OL, Ascension Episcopal, 6-4, 265.

Skinny: He has offers from Marshall and ULL and was at Tulane's camp earlier this summer. Ascension Episcopal is a 1A school in Lafayette. Remondet was honorable mention all-state according to Nola.com.

I am hearing Tulane is on the verge of another 3-stat commitment after losing the St. Aug RB yesterday.

Stay tuned.

Tulane canceled this morning's practice due to steady rain, but the Wave will work out tonight at the Saints facility in a closed practice.

Your intrepid reporter here hates rain, so I had no interest in standing under an umbrella watching a wet workout anyway.

Yesterday, I left out some material I gathered on Tulane running the option in practice. Here it is:

Tulane looks much better on the option even though Jonathan Banks never ran it in junior college and Brantley never ran it in high school. They are both natural athletes and are learning what to do, with Brantley having a slight edge in that department since he is in his second year.

Last year, even in practice, the spacing between the quarterback and the running back and the timing of the pitch appeared off. The definitive nadir of the season came on the pitch six against UCF when Glen Cuiellette ran the option to his right and pitched directly to a UCF defender, who waltzed into the end zone for a touchdown for one of three defensive touchdowns the Knights scored in rapid succession.

"We've made progress on that, and we're a little better equipped to do a lot more with that this year," Tulane offensive coordinator Doug Ruse. "It wasn't just the quarterback. Several positions didn't suit us as well last year, but now that we have another recruiting class, we are better suited to do it. That's what we do offensively."

Tulane’s players had no clue what to do on the option last year, and it affected all parts of the offense, including dive plays off the pre-snap option motion. Defenders did not worry about the Wave hurting them with the option, so they stayed home.

If three days of preseason drills are any indication, they won't be able to afford that luxury this season.

“It (the option) opens (everything else) up big time," Willie Fritz said. "When those guys are a threat running the football, you then see when a quarterback carries out a fake real well, that’s his blocking because now it gets a safety or a linebacker to take a step out of place and it opens it up for Sherman (Badie) or Dontrell (Hilliard) or (Darius) Bradwell or (Stephon) Huderson to get a little extra crease, and that’s where the big plays occur.”

That's exactly what happened twice on Wednesday.

"One time Banks and one time Brantley pulled a ball on a third-and-short and one of them was a fourth-and-one, and shoot, they’re both maybe touchdowns," Fritz said. "When you’re handing the ball off all the time, you’re playing 10 on 11 football. When you’re running option, you’re playing 11 on 11."

Brantley has improved dramatically in that department over 12 months. Although Banks is still a work in progress on the option, he is far ahead of where Cuiellette was last year. Some guys just have a better feel for it than others.

“The option game’s new to him (Banks),” Ruse said. “He’s got all the physical tools to do it, but his feet are still kind of all over the place right now. He’s still having to think about it to do it correctly, which is what I said earlier. Brantley’s a perfect example. He’s been in the system for a year and now he does (option) things correctly automatically, which is where everyone will be once they get the reps.”

The growing pains a year ago were expected. Running the option correctly takes a lot of time and practice and attention to detail. It was obvious almost every time Tulane ran the option last year that the quarterbacks were thinking about what they needed to do instead of relying on instinct, messing up the timing.

“It’s a high rep scheme,” Ruse said. “We’re not old school triple (option) like some teams are, but it’s really the same principle. You’ve just got to rep it, rep it, develop muscle memory so the guys are executing the proper footwork and the proper mechanics without thinking about it. The more you're thinking, the slower you are."

The Advocate is in the process of booking flights for me to all six Tulane road games this year.

This is a big step forward for Tulane coverage. And if you're wondering, they still have no intention of putting me on staff, so my status at this site will stay the same.

Due to a conflict, I got to practice later than the first two days, around 9:10, but saw the entire 11-on-11 portion.

Three days into camp, Andrew Hicks has accepted a planned move to tight end. He practiced there exclusively today, and wide receivers coach Jeff Conway said he would stay there.

"We've moved him to tight end full time," Conway said. "Part of his development is learning all the new blocking schemes, which we don't really resemble what we do at wideout. That's the biggest change. We know Andrew can run and catch, but the blocking phase, the run phase, is still and wait-and-see on Andrew."

Although Tulane's best receiver by far is Terren Encalade, Devin Glenn made the play of the day with a touchdown in the back of the end zone on a post pattern, running under a nice throw by Jonathan Banks. Glenn's 5-7 height always will be a limitation, making the quarterbacks throw very accurately if they want to hit him, but he has improved by leaps and bounds from early last fall, when he still wasn't buying into the position. He was overjoyed when he was moved back to running back temporarily due to injuries and disappointed when he returned to wideout a few weeks later, finishing with only three catches for 32 yards as the new coaching staff failed to figure out a way to utilize his track speed.

This year might be a different story. Glenn, the fastest player on the team, self-reported he ran a 4.31 40, during the summer.

"We want to utilize it everywhere we can, to be honest with you," Conway said. "Devin had done a great job of grasping, and it took a while, and committing himself to the receiver spot. Well now because of his great speed he is catching the deep ball with regularity, and that helps us a bunch."

Even a play Glenn didn't make impressed Conway. On the opening day of preseason drills, Conway watched a deep ball leave the quarterback's hands and immediately thought it would be well out of Glenn's reach. Instead, he made up the distance with his blazing speed and tracked it down before dropping it.

"Just the fact that he got there is tremendous progress," Conway said.

Glenn and Encalade are Tulane's best and really only deep threats until some of the freshmen maybe gain some experience. Jabril Clewis, who has not practiced yet due to a summer class conflict, was good on intermediate routes in the spring but largely came up empty on deep routes, failing to get separation. Chris Johnson, the fastest of last year's newcomers, is just returning to practice from a serious knee injury and is about 80- to 85-percent healthy according to Conway.

When Conway began coaching the receivers in the spring of 2016, Tulane had four scholarship wide receivers, an unimaginably low number for a D1 program. Now it's 10, a much more acceptable number, and walk-on junior Brian Newman (he is incorrectly listed as a senior on the official roster) is as good as a scholarship receiver.

"There are drills where instead of going both sides of the field, we had to go one at a time (in 2016), "Conway said. "Well now, because we've got seven quarterbacks running and 13 wideouts running (the other two walk-ons are Rocky Ferony and Reed Green), we can go both sides of the field an increase our reps. Kids at this level get better by doing, and the fact that we can go out on the field and not stand around to save their legs is a huge help."

The breakdown of the wideouts:

Encalade, Glenn, Clewis and Newman are juniors.
Darnell Mooney and D.J. Owens are true sophomores
Chris Johnson and Jacob Robertson are redshirt freshmen
Jaetavian Toles, Travis Tucker and Kevin LeDee are true freshmen.

Although I was impressed the most by Tucker of the freshmen on day 1, both Willie Fritz and Conway labeled Toles the most likely to contribute in his first year. He is quicker than his taller classmates, who at 6-3 (Tucker) and 6-5 (LeDee) need some time to develop into their bodies. He has not been spectacular by any means, but he makes a few nice plays every day.

"To his credit, he'll have a bad play and then come right back with a tremendous play," Conway said. "He has some resiliency, quickness and good ball skills. He's been able to go get the deep ball much better than what we anticipated, but there's so much to be learned and we're in a better place right now (depth-wise to not have to rely on a freshman)."

Robertson showed a lot of improvement in spring drills, and Owens, who caught one pass for a 28-yard touchdown a year ago (against Houston), has stepped up in the first three days of camp. He is a thickly built 5-10, 195 pounds and is making more plays after a relatively quiet spring.

"He was one of those freshmen last year who was just lost," Conway said. "Part of it was because we put him in a tough position. He played a lot of running back in high school, and that transition to receiver was a huge deal for him. Now that he's settled in, he's just so much better than what we anticipated. We're really happy with his progress."

Mooney was the only freshman who was ready to play last fall--despite not getting to enroll in the summer--finishing with 24 catches, 267 yards and two scores, all second to Encalade on the team. Fritz wants him to get better at avoiding contact from physical cornerbacks who bump him off his routes, and the early signs are good. Mooney caught a pass from Banks on the last play of Wednesdays' practice on a nice out route.

"He's still a very talented player, but he's so much more cerebral now," Conway said. "He thinks about things that he's supposed to do, routes and blocking concepts. It's not just that I've got that guy (on me). Now it's I've got this technique and I know where the ball's going. It's just a whole different world for him and a tremendous improvement."

Newman, a 5-8 receiver who transferred from Division II Hillsdale College, made a lot of plays in Tuesday's practice. Although he did not have a catch in 11-on-11 drills Wednesday, he has been working with the second team frequently. I'm always skeptical of walk-on wideouts-Larry Dace played his way into a scholarship but never was a big factor in the passing game, and I can't come up with a second impactful walk-on receiver at Tulane--but Newman at least bears watching. He had 26 catches for 293 yards and three scores as a sophomore at Hillsdale in 2015.

"We are extremely happy to have him in the program," Conway said. "Unless he gets injured, I see Brian getting playing time this year, which is a tremendous accomplishment for anybody, much less a guy who transfers and has to sit out a year."

Of the true freshmen, LeDee looks the furthest away because his legs are very skinny. He clearly needs to bulk up and become comfortable in his 6-5 frame.

"He and Travis Tucker kind of represent where we want to go with that position on our football team--a bigger kid," Conway said. "In our league we're battling guys that look like that. I can assure you with Kevin's work ethic, in two years he'll look like an NFL receiver lining up out there. Right now he's a little thin-limbed, and you'd expect that."

It's early, but aside from Encalade, Glenn and Clewis starting, I expect Robertson, Owens and Newman to be on the second group at the start of the year, with Toles getting a chance to show what he can do. I doubt the other two freshmen or Johnson will be a factor at that point. Johnson looks rusty and unsure of himself coming off the injury. He actually was on the training table getting looked at when I arrived today, but he appeared OK the rest of the way.

"Part of that, too, with Chris is conditioning because he's been under rehab the entire summer, and the conditioning phase of it is still a critical part," Conway said. "He's still a ways away, but it's good to have him out there because he is a talented young man."

Basically last year Tulane had two D1 wideouts in Encalade and Mooney. This year it should be at least six. This group still has plenty of proving to do before it is a team strength, but it's no longer an obvious weakness.

In my practice report yesterday, i mentioned I would post an Aruna Q&A, but I ran out of time and have no working internet at home.

Here it is:

What was the motivation behind the number change, going to No. 1?

“To me there’s nothing behind it for real. I used to wear a wide receiver’s number, and I just wanted something different for my senior year. There’s nothing behind it. I just wanted another number.”

Coach Fritz has been pretty open about wanting you to fill the shoes that Tanzel has left. Are you embracing that?

“Oh yeah. I have to kind of be the leader this year. I just have to show the other guys how to get it done and take everybody with me. This season is going to be a journey. There are going to be some hard times. I just have to be there to be like a big brother for them and get it done.”

They are continuing to have you line up inside in some situations. How big of an adjustment is it for you, and do you embrace that?

“Knowing my background, I didn’t play much football, and I just embrace whatever the coaches bring to the table. That is kind of good for me because it makes me play more physical than just being outside. I’m going to do whatever the coaches want us to do, regardless of what it is.”

Without Tanzel, there is a need there. Do you see that as a factor because you just don’t have a lot of depth inside?

“We don’t, but we have it pretty good. We have Sean Wilson and Eldrick Washington and De’Andre Williams. They might not do the same thing Tanzel does, but they are going to fill into that gap and do whatever we can to give our offense a chance during the games.”

You’ve openly talked about being the sack leader in the conference this year. What gives you the confidence to talk like that?

“I just believe I’ve spent of ton of time as a college football player. I think I can do that this year. I just want to show people how much better I’ve gotten from my freshman year to my senior year. I just kind of feel like I can do it. I can be the sack leader in the conference this season.”

What does Parry Nickerson bring to this team?

“Parry brings experience. He brings everything to this team. He brings that intensity. If you’re a freshman, you can learn a lot from Parry and he can teach a lot, just to what we’re trying to do this season. We’re trying to play in a bowl game, so we need everybody to play and come together as a team. All the freshmen can look at Parry and he can show them how to get it done. He’s a very special guy on our team.”

With the media picking you guys last in the conference, do you feel like you guys are better than that?

“I’m just more focused on our team. We want to play in a bowl game and change the program. I’m not concerned about all the people picking us last. I’m just more concerned about my team.”

You redshirted the last time Tulane made a bowl game, in 2013. What do you remember about that year?

“That year was phenomenal. I can tell, as soon as we were like 4-0 (in conference), there were scouts here every day. I’m talking about scouts from every team. It was one of the seasons that gave me the motivation to want to play. I wish I could have played that year. I didn’t know much about football, but that year was special. The whole defense, the way we played that year, I really loved football. That made me want to get out there and play for them. I think we are going to do something similar to that this year. This past summer we’ve been working so hard just to get better on defense and as a team as a whole. We have to come together as a team and execute whatever the coaches want us to do on the field.”

It seems like you’re playing around the alignments up front after being a strict 4-3 team with Tanzel here. How much does that help your game be a little more versatile?

“Like I said earlier, it just makes me play more physical. I know that part of the game, people don’t really know much about me. Oh, can he stop the run? Yeah, I can. It’s just making me play more physical than what I was. It’s not like I wasn’t physical before, but when you are playing inside, you have to be able to hold your gap and just stay there. People will see me doing more than what I did the past season.”

I arrived about 8:45 for Tulane's first preseason practice in year No. 2 of the Willie Fritz era. The update is a little later than usual because my wife and I just moved into a new house, and due to monumental mistake by AT&T (they went to the wrong address), I will not have wifi and home until Aug. 10. I had to make a series of phone calls today to even get that Aug. 10 date. Ridiculous, but I now am somewhere with wifi.

The only player out with an injury--as far as I could tell--is Robert Kennedy. Fritz said he was ahead of schedule, however, and said he was pretty sure Kennedy would play at some point this year. In other words, don't count on him being back any time soon.

Two more players--Jabril Clewis and Braynon Edwards--missed practice entire due to summer school classes. That's one of the disadvantages of the NCAA eliminating two-a--days and allowing schools to start practice a week earlier. Instead of having conflicts with summer school for one week, Tulane has a conflict for two weeks.

A host of players had to leave at 10:15 to go to class, but Fritz blew the whistle about a minute later to end the day, so they missed little other than the post-practice huddle and announcements. That list included Jonathan Banks, Larry Bryant, Jarrod Franklin, Darius Bradwell, Jacob Robertson, Stephon Huderson, Dominique Briggs, Peter Woullard, Eldrick Washington and Rae Juan Marbley among others.

Just after I got there, one-on-one drills with the receivers going against the defensive backs started, with all six quarterbacks getting one rep at a time. Jonathan Banks threw a perfect strike to tight end Charles Jones on a deep route and was very accurate in this drill. Freshman Khalil McClain was impressive, too, with Dane Ledford frequently throwing slightly behind his target. Cuiellette lofted a nice floater on an out pattern to freshman Travis Tucker, who stood out of the most among the large freshman group of receivers. Johnathan Brantley overthrew a couple of receivers, but he showed good arm strength after having all sorts of problems throwing last year, prompting Fritz to admit recently on a local radio show that he told Brantley not to throw at all in the pregame before Navy last year because he didn't want the Middies to realize how weak his arm was due to soreness.

Next then went to 7-on-7 work, and the incompletion rate went up dramatically. Brantley threw nice pass to Tucker. Banks looked deep a lot with little success, throwing into coverage on one and misfiring on a long ball to Devin Glenn, although receivers coach Jeff Conway got on Glenn for not recognizing the ball was going to the inside of him instead of outside.

Chris Johnson, coming of ACL surgery, participated in the practice with a brace on his right knee.

The worst play of the day came on a option pitch to freshman Kevin LeDee, whose 6-5 frame makes him ill-suited to that style. The pitch was low and he dropped it. That part of the offense, a staple in Fritz' system, needs to get a lot better than it was last year. It's the difference between a negative play and a potential 50-yard gain when run correctly.

Parry Nickerson, who had minor knee surgery after missing the spring game, practiced and looked 100 percent. Miles Strickland, who spent his first year and most of the spring on the sideline with injuries, practiced, too, as did cornerback P.J. Hall, who was not cleared for contact in the spring. I did not notice Tre Jackson, who missed the end of spring drills with a recurrence of a high school knee injury, and will check again tomorrow.

Freshman cornerback Willie Langham is an impressive physical specimen. Fritz was impressed with the size of the AAC wideouts last year, and at 6-2, Langham will be able to match up with them in the future.

There were no surprises on the first-team depth chart when they went 11-on-11 for a brief period (no pads, so no contact), although Ade Aruna spent more time inside than outside. That's strictly dictated by numbers, as I indicated before practice this morning. Tulane is perilously thin at tackle and will need big years from Sean Wilson and Eldrick Washington plus an in-shape Edwards to provide depth. I should get my first look at Edwards tomorrow.

Trying to read too much into an opening workout is silly, but Fritz pointed out (and I agree) that the freshman class blends in. Often those guys look a lot weaker and skinnier (or fat and out of shape, depending on the position) than their teammates, but that's not the case with this group.

The Advocate is in the process of booking flights for me to all six Tulane road games this year.

This is a big step forward for Tulane coverage. And if you're wondering, they still have no intention of putting me on staff, so my status at this site will stay the same.

Day two of Tulane's preseason camp left coach Willie Fritz a little disappointed, but only because there were four false-start penalties in the 60-play 11-on-11 work at the end after there were two on Monday. He wants unforced mistakes like that to decrease rather than increase.

"We have to do a better job on that," he said. "That's a big part of our philosophy is the Wave don't beat the Wave. We want to make sure the other team beats us, not ourselves. If we play clean, we have an excellent chance of winning. That was a little disappointing, but I saw some good things. (Johnathan Brantley) had a good day running the option and throwing the football. The other thing you gotta look at is who was that guy playing with, who was his line, who were his backs, who's playing defense as well. You have to temper your enthusiasm sometimes and go back and watch the tape, but we're getting better. We had a good walkthrough last evening and we'll have another good one tonight."

There definitely is no change in the pecking order at quarterback, with Jonathan Banks No. 1 and Brantley a clear No. 2 after two days. Glen Cuiellette threw during one-on-ones but did not get any reps in seven-on-seven or 11-on-11, with freshmen Khalil McClain and Dane Ledford operating as the No. 3 and 4 QBs. Cuiellette did not throw well in 1-on-1 work, so he might have a slight shoulder, although Fritz did not bring it up after practice.

Not much has changed on the depth chart after two days of non-contact work, but John Leglue spent some time at left tackle with Keyshawn McLeod getting reps at right tackle. I predicted Tyler Johnson as a starting OL before camp began, but given what has been posted on this message board and my own eyes, I'm changing it to McLeod. It's always made sense to me for Leglue to go on the left side because, in the coaches' eyes, he is Tulane's best tackle.

"We're having him do both," Fritz said. "Last year we barely had one deep. We're trying to get where we can play at least eight guys. We'd like to have three tackles, two centers and three guards. If you can do that, you've got some pretty good depth."

Depth is only part of the issue, of course. Tulane needs its offensive linemen to improve across the board, but I can see eight guys ready to play: Leglue, McLeod and Tyler Johnson at tackle; Dominique Briggs, Leeward Brown and John Washington at guard; and Junior Diaz and Hunter Knighton at center, with Knighton having the flexibility to play anywhere on the line in case someone gets hurt. But ready to play well? We'll have to wait and see.

Ade Aruna continued to get the bulk of his work inside, and Fritz continued to play down that development.

"He's a guy we feel like we can move from a defensive end playing outside the tackles to playing inside as a 3 technique in pass rush match-ups against guards. The only time we'll really do that is in pass rushing situations. We're trying to take advantage of a matchup. Maybe they've got a weak guard. That's what we tried to do with Tanzel (Smart) a lot last year in passing situations. We tried to get him on the worst of the two guards."

Aruna talked after practice (his Q&A comes later), but he identified De'Andre Williams after starters Sean Wilson and Eldrick Washington as a guy who was really coming on. Braynon Edwards missed practice because of a class conflict for the second straight day, along with wide receiver Jabril Clewis, and Fritz said they would be out all week for summer school. It's the product of the NCAA making a late decision about changing the schedule, allowing teams to begin practice a week earlier due to the elimination of two-a-days. The class schedules already had been set up, so this is not simply an issue of Tulane academics getting in the way of football. Still, it's never good when a likely starter (Clewis) and a project who was coming on in the spring (Edwards) have to miss an entire week of practice.

I got there just as one-on-one passing drills began, and I charted a lot of them. The rotation, with one rep and off, was Banks, Brantley. McLain, Ledford, Cuiellette. The two walk-ons did not participate.

Banks threw an incomplete pass to Chris Johnson deep when he was blanketed by Jaylon Monroe, had a pass go off the hands of tight end Will Wallace in front of P.J. Hall, threw a perfect strike deep down the sideline to Terren Encalade for a long gain on Jarrod Franklin, (Encalade is head and shoulders above the rest of the receivers), hit Darnell Mooney on a slant inside of Stephon Lofton and hit Johnson on an out route when he made a nice catch.

Brantley hit Jacob Robertson on an inside route against Willie Langham, threw a short pass to Charles Jones on Sean Harper, watched Jaetavian Toles drop a throw on Thakarius Keyes, could not connect with Robertson deep when he was covered well by Quentin Brown and hit a receiver on an out route (I missed the number).

McClain, who has a live arm, overthrew Connor Prouet on Taris Shenall, ran when D.J. Owens slipped to the ground making his cut and threw a very short completion to Chris Johnson on Langham. I missed his other reps.

Ledford had a pass go off the hands of Brian Newman on Tirise Barge, completed a deep, underthrown ball to an open Devin Glenn, forcing Glenn to wrestle it away from Lofton, hit Robertson on an out route, threw behind Kevin LeDee on Shenall and hit Newman over the middle on Teamer.

Cuiellette threw a comeback to Mooney when Mooney faked Keyes out of his socks with a quick reversal, hit Reed Green on a post pattern against Quentin Brown, hit Kendall Ardoin on an out route against walk-on Jeremy Allen and woefully underthrew a deep ball down the middle that Parry Nickerson intercepted easily in front of Glenn.

Next they went to 7 on 7 work, with Banks and then Brantley getting six reps in a row before the two freshman got three reps each. I missed Banks' first three plays while I checked something on my phone, but he completed a short out to Toles on his fourth rep, had Wallace make a juggling catch down the sideline and threaded a beautiful pass to Jones in traffic, but Jones dropped it.

Brantley began his stint with back-to-back bangs, going deep to a wide open Travis Tucker down the middle and following with a pretty deep ball to Toles on a post pattern, beating Lofton. He then overthrew Chris Johnson on the run, misfired deep into traffic for Robertson, who struggled to get separation all day coming off his knee injury, scrambled and threw into the ground and completed a short sideline pass to Robertson after scrambling again. Brantley's arm is better this year, but he still needs to work on his patience and keeping plays alive when he gets out of the pocket rather than just putting his head down and running.

McLain was next, getting three reps. He threaded a perfect pass to Andew Hicks down the sideline, but Hicks dropped it. He then completed a short one to Prouet in the flat and ran when no one was open right away. Ledford came in, completing a pass to Hilliard in the flat, completing a pass to Mooney but throwing it late and making him wait on the outside and connecting with Glenn on a short sideline gain.

Banks went back in, throwing out of bounds to Robertson deep. He made the catch but was not close to staying inbounds. Banks then threw a picture-perfect pass to LeDee, who was well-covered by Donnie Lewis. The ball dropped right into his hands, and he did an excellent job shielding Lewis from the ball, but he dropped it. LeDee is wearing a glove on one his right hand, possible to protect an injury. Banks finished up with two completions to Encalade and Glenn.

Brantley got another opportunity, completing two short passes to Wallace and Hilliard, before the team broke up into individual drills.

Larry Bryant practiced with the linebackers in those individual drills, as did Quinlan Carroll. When both of them play on the defensive line, they function as stand-up ends, or really outside linebackers.

The usual suspects were on the first team in 11-on-11 work, although Newman, the senior walk-on wide receiver from Dallas, is pretty high on the list. It will be interesting to see if he continues to get reps with the upper units. He definitely runs good routes and has good hands.

The Wave also is executing the option much more crisply, with Sherman Badie and Glenn the most effective players on the team as pitch men. Both Banks and Brantley seem to have the right angle with the running backs now--something that rarely happened last fall--and their pitches are accurate.

Aruna, who tends to fall down with injuries that appear serious but turn out not to be, went down early in the 11-on-11 work, holding his hands on his helmet while trainers looked at his left ankle. A minute later, he got up, limped for a second, then took his position for the next rep. It's an interesting thing, but since he almost never misses any time, it's not a big deal.

I'll post quotes later.

This is everyone who reported--81 scholarship players and 15 walk-ons:


Tulane Football

2017 Preseason Numerical Roster


No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Exp. Hometown/Previous School(s)

1 Ade Aruna DE 6-6 270 RSr.-3L Akure, Nigeria/La Lumiere (Ind.) School

1 Jonathan Banks QB 6-3 220 Jr.-TR Humble, Texas/Kansas State/Independence CC

2 Dane Ledford QB 6-0 195 Fr.-HS Argyle, Texas/Argyle HS

2 Roderic Teamer, Jr. S 6-0 210 Jr.-2L New Orleans, La./Brother Martin

3 Sherman Badie RB 6-0 205 RSr.-3L Metairie, La./John Curtis Christian

4 Larry Bryant LB 6-1 210 So.-1L Kennesaw, Ga./North Cobb

4 P.J. Hurst QB 6-1 175 So.-SQ Pacific Palisades, Calif./Palisades Charter

5 Terren Encalade WR 6-0 190 RJr.-2L East Pointe a la Hache, La./Belle Chasse HS

6 Jarrod Franklin NB 6-0 205 RSr.-3L Baton Rouge, La./Univ. Laboratory School

6 Corey Dauphine RB 6-0 194 So.-TR Port Arthur, Texas/Texas Tech

7 Devin Glenn WR 5-7 160 Jr.-2L New Orleans, La./Warren Easton HS

8 Willie Langham DB 6-2 185 Fr.-HS McAdory, Ala./McAdory HS

8 Khalil McClain QB 6-3 220 Fr.-HS Creekside, Ga./Creekside HS

9 Chris Johnson WR 6-1 195 So.-1L Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville Magnet

10 Darius Bradwell RB 6-1 225 So.-1L Tallahassee, Fla./Godby HS

10 Jeremy Allen DB 6-0 200 Fr.-WO Chicago, Ill./Highland Park HS

11 Johnathan Brantley QB 6-1 195 So.-1L Houston, Texas/C.E. King HS

11 Tre Jackson CB 5-10 185 RFr.-SQ Baton Rouge, La./University Laboratory School

12 Sean Harper DB 6-1 210 So.-1L Fayetteville, Ga./Fayette County HS

13 Brian Newman WR 5-8 185 Sr.-SQ Houston, Texas/St. Pius X

14 Quentin Brown DB 6-1 205 Fr.-HS Conroe, Texas/Conroe HS

14 Glen Cuiellette QB 6-0 215 RJr.-1L Mandeville, La./Mandeville HS

15 Jacob Robertson, Jr. WR 6-1 175 RFr.-SQ College Park, Ga./Woodward Academy

16 P.J. Hall DB 6-0 190 So.-1L Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS

16 Miles Lapeyre QB 5-11 185 Fr.-WO New Orleans, La./Newman HS

17 Parry Nickerson CB 6-0 180 RSr.-3L Algiers, La./West Jefferson

19 Taris Shenall FS 6-0 190 Jr.-2L Marrero, La./John Ehret

20 Chase Napoleon DB 5-9 205 So.-1L Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie

21 Donnie Lewis, Jr. CB 6-1 190 RJr.-2L Baton Rouge, La./Central

22 Stephon Huderson RB 5-10 185 Fr.-HS Petal, Miss./Petal HS

23 Jaylon Monroe DB 5-9 175 Fr.-HS Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite HS

24 Eric Lewis DB 5-11 190 So.-1L LaPlace, La./St. Charles Catholic

25 Will Harper S 6-0 195 So.-1L Memphis, Tenn./Sandy Creek (Ga.) HS

26 Dontrell Hilliard RB 6-0 205 Sr. -3L Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville HS

27 Reed Green WR 6-0 190 Jr.-SQ Meridian, Miss./West Lauderdale

28 Marvin Moody LB 6-3 220 Fr.-HS Bryant, Ark./Bryant HS

29 Jared Bertrand RB 5-6 180 Jr.-SQ Covington, La./Archbishop Hannan

30 Monty Montgomery LB 5-11 210 Fr.-HS Norcross, Ga./Norcross HS

31 Miles Strickland RB 5-9 185 RFr.-SQ Madison, Ala./Bob Jones

32 Stephon Lofton CB 6-0 185 RJr.-2L New Orleans, La./Miller-McCoy Academy

33 Tirise Barge DB 5-11 185 Fr.-HS Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County HS

34 Patrick Johnson DE 6-2 235 Fr.-HS Chattanooga, Tenn./Notre Dame HS

35 Lawrence Graham LB 5-11 225 So.-1L Lauderhill, Fla./American Heritage School

36 Chase Kuerschen DB 6-1 205 Fr.-HS Knoxville, Tenn./Knoxville Catholic HS

37 Thakarius Keyes DB 6-2 190 So.-1L Laurel, Miss./Laurel

38 KJ Vault LB 6-1 205 Fr.-HS Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS

39 Michael Scott DE 6-3 230 Fr.-HS Tallahassee, Fla./North Florida Christian HS

40 Zachery Harris LB 6-0 225 RJr.-2L New Orleans, La./Holy Cross

40 Connor Prouet TE 6-1 230 Fr.-WO New Orleans, La./Jesuit HS

41 Enrique Carrasquero P 5-11 195 Jr.-SQ Metairie, La./Rummell

42 Torri Singletary, Jr. DE 6-4 215 Fr.-HS Baldwin, Fla./Baldwin HS

43 Coby Neenan PK/P 6-2 185 RFr.-SQ Dothan, Ala./Northview

44 Luke Jackson DE 6-3 235 RSr.-2L LaPlace, La./St. Charles Catholic

45 Randy Harvey PK 6-0 205 Jr.-2L Destrehan, La./Destrehan

46 Will Wallace TE 6-4 250 Fr.-HS Natchez, Miss./Cathedral HS

47 Andrew Zuckerman RB 5-9 190 So.-1L Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill

48 De’Andre Williams DL 6-3 280 RFr.-SQ Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville Magnet

49 Zachary Block P/PK 6-5 200 Jr.-2L Clermont, Fla./East Ridge

50 Tyler Johnson OL 6-3 280 So.-1L Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson

51 Junior Diaz C 6-1 300 RJr.-2L Miami, Fla./Miami Central

52 Dominique Briggs OL 6-3 295 Jr.-TR Tulsa, Okla./Coffeyville CC

53 Keyshawn McLeod OL 6-4 305 RSo.-1L Port Charlotte, Fla./Port Charlotte

54 Quinlan Carroll DE 6-2 220 RSr.-3L Belle Chasse, La./Belle Chasse

55 Cameron Sample DE 6-4 265 Fr.-HS Snellville, Ga./Shiloh HS

56 Rae Juan Marbley LB 6-0 245 Sr.-3L Destrehan, La./Destrehan

57 Peter Woullard DE 6-4 255 RJr.-1L New Orleans, La./St. Augustine

58 Brian Webb OL 6-2 310 RSo.-SQ New Orleans, La./Miller-McCoy Academy

60 Geron Eatherly LS 6-0 210 So.-1L San Antonio, Texas/Tom C. Clark

62 Merek Glover PK 6-0 195 So.-SQ Long Island, N.Y./Friend’s Academy

63 Cameron Jackel OL 6-6 300 Fr.-HS Marrero, La./Archbishop Shaw HS

64 Corey Dublin OL 6-4 290 Fr.-HS New Orleans/Jesuit HS

65 Braynon Edwards DT 6-2 330 RJr.-1L Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep

69 Hunter Knighton OL 6-5 300 Gr.-TR Pottstown, Pa./Miami (Fla.)

71 Leeward Brown OL 6-4 330 RSo.-1L Miami, Fla./Miramar

72 John Leglue OL 6-7 310 RJr.-2L Alexandria, La./Holy Savior Menard Central

74 Devon Johnson OL 6-5 305 RJr.-2L Amite, La./Amite

76 John Washington OL/TE 6-2 295 RSo.-1L West Monroe, La./West Monroe

79 Joey Claybrook OL 6-7 285 Fr.-HS Starkville, Miss./Starkville HS

80 Andrew Hicks WR 6-3 225 Jr.-1L Belle Chasse, La./Belle Chasse

81 D.J. Owens WR 5-10 195 So.-1L Acworth, Ga./North Paulding

82 Jaetavian Toles WR 6-1 180 Fr.-HS Stratford, Texas/Stratford HS

83 Travis Tucker WR 6-3 215 Fr.-HS Senatobia, Miss./Senatobia HS

84 Charles Jones, II TE 6-4 255 RJr.-2L New Orleans, La./St. Augustine

85 Rocky Ferony WR 6-3 185 RFr.-SQ Cedar Park, Texas/Cedar Park

86 Darnell Mooney WR 6-0 175 So.-1L Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City

87 Kevin LeDee WR 6-5 185 Fr.-HS Cypress Ridge, Texas/Cypress Ridge HS

88 Jabril Clewis WR 6-2 220 Jr.-TR San Diego/San Diego State/Grossmont College

89 Kendall Ardoin TE 6-5 240 RJr.-2L Ville Platte, La./Ville Platte

90 Robert Kennedy DE 6-1 270 RJr.-2L Belle Chasse, La./Belle Chasse

91 Eldrick Washington DT 6-2 285 RSr.-3L Harvey, La./Helen Cox

92 Noah Singer PK 5-9 165 Fr.-WO West Palm Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Acad.

93 Austin Streaty LS 5-11 225 Fr.-WO Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Acad.

94 Sean Wilson DT 6-4 305 Sr.-3L Port Sulphur, La./South Plaquemines

97 Deion Rainey DL 6-2 250 RFr.-SQ Baton Rouge, La./Southern University Lab School

98 Nick Kubiet DE 6-4 240 Fr.-HS Palm Coast, Fla./Matanzas HS

99 Justin Walton DL 6-2 235 Fr.-WO Cleveland, Ohio/University School

Look for Jason Swann to commit soon. He's a 3-star OG from Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale who has offers from Syracuse, Mississippi State and NC State among others.

Tulane's recruiting is really picking up steam this year. Swann is ranked 27th nationally at guard.

His rivals profile:

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2018/jason-swann-37575

Here are my thoughts going into preseason camp, and some of them may change as I watch practice. I welcome any comments and your own picks.

QB: Jonathan Banks

--if it's anyone else, that's a bad sign.

RB: Dontrell Hilliard

--He slumped late last year but is the most versatile of the group. I think Bradwell is poised for a breakout. Not sure about Badie, who needs to stay healthy, or Huderson, who is talented but young.

WR: Terren Encalade, Darnell Mooney and Jabril Clewis

--Tulane needs better overall production at this spot, period, but at least finally has a lot of bodies.

TE: Charles Jones

--Good combo with Jones and Kendall Ardoin

OL: LT Tyler Johnson, LG Dominique Briggs, C Junior Diaz, RG Leeward Brown, RT John Leglue

--Diaz and Leglue are locks. The rest are uncertain, but everyone needs to improve from the spring. Wouldn't be shocked if Washington, Knighton and McLeod start. The five will come from those eight.

DL: ends Ade Aruna and Quinlan Carroll, DT Eldrick Washington, NG Sean Wilson

--I've gone back and forth on the second end spot but the coaches appear to want more speed on the edge. I prefer Carroll over Bryant if they go that way.

LB: Rae Juan Marbley at MLB, Zach Harris at WLB

--No competition here. Both are locks.

NB: Jarrod Franklin

--I like this move, but it's contingent on Taris Shenall holding up at FS, which is no sure thing.

CB: Parry Nickerson and Donnie Lewis

--All eyes will be on how Nickerson's knee holds up. Lewis has the biggest upside of a deep group of corners but needs to play better than last fall to hold on to his spot over Keyes and Hall.

Safety: Roderic Teamer at SS, Taris Shenall at FS

If Shenall falters, Franklin could move back here with P.J. Hall taking over at the nickel.

Note: I have no opinion on the kicking job because I managed to miss almost every kicking drill in the spring other than the spring game. Coby Neenan is the frontrunner going into camp, but if Randy Harvey is better in August, he will get the call in September.

I had to laugh when I saw this topic on another message board, but then I realized it came from something the CUSA commissioner said.

There's no comparison between the two leagues. The AAC is much better, regardless of the limited head-to-head results that point otherwise. It reminds me of all the people saying the Big East was better than the ACC about five years ago because of bowl results over the past decade. Yet, if you compared each team individually, it was obvious the ACC was better across the board.

That being said, the AAC needs to perform better in bowl games. It has been pathetic in the postseason the past two years, and that shapes perception. When I pointed out how poorly the league was doing in bowls last year, some AAC fan blogger ripped me to shreds on twitter and said I was always negative about the league. Never mind that I had tweeted several times during the regular season that the AAC was outperforming the Big 12 on the field.

What disappoints me about the AAC this year is South Florida's joke of a non-conference schedule. That is a team that should be good enough to beat top-20 caliber teams but never will get the chance with an OOC of San Jose State, Stony Brook, Illinois and UMass. If the Bulls run the table, which is unlikely considering their shaky defense, they still will have zero shot at the four-team playoff, unlike Houston the past two years.

But if USF plays its way into the access bowl and wins, and the league's other teams show up for their bowl games, the nonsensical notion about CUSA's relative strength will die.