Graff mentioned this week that Montalbano has been taking some batting practice. Does anyone know his status? Is he close to pinch-hitting. How's his leg? Is he walking? running? What are his chances of playing this year? If good, when? Any possibility of him being able to catch at some point this season? This is a good kid who sat out a year due to transfer rules to play at Tulane. He's now in hid fifth year. It would be great for him to get a chance to finish it off with some success.

Roll Wave!!!

Tulane had a light practice Tuesday morning on the heels of a heavier workout Monday afternoon, concentrating heavily on special teams (though not field goals) before ending with some seven-on-seven work.

I don't have to watch any more of Jonathan Banks to know he has the tools to be successful in the Willie Fritz/Doug Ruse offense. The only question now is whether he can translate his practice skills to game days, which some players can do and others can't. Today, he hooked up with Jabril Clewis and Darnell Mooney for consecutive touchdowns on red zone plays from the 3-yard line. He was decisive and accurate with his throws, zipping the one to Mooney on an in route with little open space. He almost had a third TD but was a little late with his throw, forcing Jacob Robertson to run out of bounds before he caught it on a comeback route.

The play of the day was turned in by Glen Cuiellette and Terren Encalade, who combined on a perfect throw and catch on a corner route in the back of the end zone. On his next play, though, Cuiellette fired a pass five yards over walk-on Rocky Ferony's head and out the back of the end zone.

John Leglue, who sprained his ankle last week, returned to practice today, helping the offensive line. Cornerback Donnie Lewis took some reps in individual drills but was not part of the 7-on-7 work. As I did once earlier this spring, I forgot about John Washington when I listed the injured offensive linemen in the Monday practice thread. He will not return this week, but everyone else who was not already hurt practiced today, leaving the line with Leglue, Devon Johnson, Keyshawn McLeod and Tyler Johnson at tackle, Leeward Brown, Dominique Briggs and Hunter Knighton at guard and Junior Diaz at center.

The tackling drill today for the linebackers and DBs involved one player holding a tackling pad and another tackling the pad. They never, ever skip the tackling drill in Fritz' practices.

To answer a post in another thread, Eric Thomas will not return to the team as a graduate senior. He participated in Pro Day at the Saints facility and played all four years of his career, so he has no eligibility left. I have no idea why he suddenly is listed as a grad senior on the official roster.

I talked to Encalade, Mooney, Clewis and wide receivers coach Jeff Conway for an Advocate feature after practice today. The receivers aren't great quotes, and Conway does not like to give specifics, but I will post some of what they said later.

The channel 4 TV crew was at practice today and dominated the questions for Fritz. Here's the transcript:

Is Encalade the No. 1 guy at wide receiver?

"He's doing a great job. He's really much improved and being more consistent catching the football. And the great think we like about Terren is he's very aggressive. He can block. Some receivers, that's not part of their game, but with our offense you've got to be able to do that. He's a great route runner, catches the ball well and also is very physical in blocking. He can be utilized in the kicking game, too.

"Right now he is (the No. 1 wideout), but we've got some other guys right there with him. Jabril Clewis has had a good spring. Darnell Mooney has gotten much better. Jacob Robertson is kind of like another new guy, too, because he got hurt last year, too. We're much improved in that area."

You said last year your receivers were smaller than the rest of the conference. Does Jabril Clewis give you that six?

"He's about 215 pounds, he's 6-1 and he really high points the ball. We've done a good job of throwing some fades to him and some 50-50 balls. I'm an old DB coach, and the toughest thing to do is teach those guys how to turn on the sideline and adjust to the football. It's difficult to do, and the receiver should have an advantage. Last year we couldn't really do that very often. He really allows us to do that. You can kind of throw it up for a jump ball."

How nice is it to have depth at receiver this spring?

"Well, we've got nine guys (counting walk-ons) and nobody's gotten hurt, so that's good. We kept nine from the first day of practice to the very end."

Jonathan Banks said he hadn't run the read option before. How hard was it to guess if he would be good in your system?

"Well he ran quite a bit of what we do, the zone read and the power. Obviously we wouldn't have recruited him if we didn't think he'd be able to do this type of offense. He's been able to pitch the ball as well. He's a tremendous threat running the ball. If a quarterback can run the ball a little bit, it opens up everything. He's done some of it before. Some of it he hadn't done, but he's really taken to it."

How has Darius Bradwell progressed at running back?

"He had a great practice yesterday. He's a big guy with great vision, and he's going to explode through arm tackles. I'm impressed with him, and he's another guy that can really do everything. He's got really soft hands, runs routes, is fast enough to run on the perimeter and is really good between the tackles. He's a bigger back, so he ought to be able to block."

Who approached whom about the move?

"He stayed there at quarterback last year but was having a hard time throwing the ball. What we saw was a good athlete who was staying over there by me, and we wanted to get him on the field. In the last game we ran him three plays in a row against Connecticut and he really showed some stuff to it. It's been a good move for our team."

How about the running back group in general?

"We're deep there. We've got some guys we think are bonafide Division i players. Dontrell Hilliard and Sherman Badie have looked really good. We've added Stephon Huderson. He's going to be a really good player for us. Unfortunately Corey Dauphine is ineligible this year, but he is going to be outstanding."

Leglue was back today?

"He sprained the heck out of his ankle and was unable to practice the last few days, but he's OK now and back ready to go, which is good. He'll play Saturday. "

Here is my interview with Jeff Conway after Tuesday morning's practice. Tulane will practice Thursday morning and then end the spring with the spring game on Saturday at 10 a.m.

You didn't have any injuries to your nine healthy wide receivers this spring (Encalade, Glenn, Robertson, Mooney, Owens, Clewis and walk-ons Brian Newman, Rocky Ferony and Reed Green). How much did that help (Andrew Hicks and Chris Johnson were out for the entire spring)?

"It always helps keeping everybody healthy because your better players get reps and get better, but the good thing is the kids who are running second and third team get a bunch of reps, too. In the springtime we evaluate everybody, and you can see them getting better day by day, which is really important."

It was a pretty raw receiving corps last year. How much better is is this spring?

"It's night and day. We are substantially better. Now this is spring to spring, and I do think we've made another step from the fall to the spring, but the real determining factor is when we get to the fall and we get to an actual game. I know this. The kids are working extremely hard to prep for that time period because they understand the importance. Without us telling them, they are fully aware of how we did in the passing game last year and how that has to be the next step for us."

What was the biggest problem for the receivers in the fall?

"It wasn't just one thing. We would have a little success in a short time period and then we would falter in some form or fashion, so I think more than anything we've developed some consistency. We've always had some talent. The coaching staff before us left us some good receivers, but developing that consistency is such a huge factor, and I think that's what we lacked at times last year.

"Matt Forte came to talk to us last Thursday, and one of the things he talked about is the coaches need to know what they are going to get, and you do that by being a consistent player every single day."

Encalade had a pretty good year last year. How much better can he become?

"The sky's the limit. First and foremost, he's got a work ethic that's unparalleled. As long as he continues that work ethic, he will get better because there are still some areas where he needs to improve on and he's working hard. One of the things that's good about Terren is that he doesn't just work on things that he's already good at. As a good receiver, to take the next step you want to be able to work on things you're not very good at, and that's hard to do for a young guy sometimes."

What is he best at?

"He's a really tough guy, so if we make an adjustment with him, he's mentally tough enough to be able to handle it and be successful and understand what we're talking about. Also, he's not necessarily a yeller and a screamer, but by working hard, and that's in all facets, we talk about on special teams having 18 to 22 players that are dependable who can run and hit. Those guys are the core of your special teams, and he's one of those guys. The kids look at him and see that he's a tough guy. It's leadership by example."

What do you like about Darnell Mooney and what does he need to work on?

"Again, the consistency is a big deal for him. Darnell's size is such that he has to overcome his lack of size. Now he has gained about 10 or 12 pounds from last year in the offseason program, and he should be given credit. We saw receivers last year we played against, big strong guys, and Darnell can be that kind of guy because he has those skills, but there are times he gets in a confined situation where he has to be stronger. He's already got the quickness. He has good hands. He understands receiver play. Just his physical maturation is a huge step forward."

How has Jabril Clewis meshed with what you are trying to do?

"Really well. He's been a nice surprise. You never know when you bring a young man in from the outside, especially someone who's been at a different university, how he's going to react to whatever changes we ask him to go through, and he's done very well in that regard. One of the good things is because he's a good kid and wants to learn, the rest of the position players and therefore the team has accepted him and embraced him and helped him along with the process, too."

Jacob Robertson, who got injured early last year, and D.J. Owens, who was redshirted, did not really have a role last year. How is their progress?

"We had a good feeling that Jacob had some skills that we could utilize here, so really this spring was his first exposure to full-time football in an extended period because he got injured so quick last year that we only saw bits and pieces of what he could do, and he's shown some big-play ability out here. And D.J. knows what he has to work on and is attacking those things."

What does he have to work on?

"D.J.'s big thing right now is for him to go hard every play. I guess I keep harping on the same thing, but it's consistency. D.J. will be very successful for two or three plays, and then they'll be a drop-off for two or three plays. That's what's kept him from being a big-time player, but I do think he's addressing that."

You have some walk-ons. Has anyone stood out?

"Brian Newman has really done a good job. He's a transfer as well (from Hillsdale College), and he's been in our program for a year. He's one of those kids who just does everything right. He comes in and watches a ton of extra film with us as coaches. He never misses workouts. He's constantly working hard. He has good hands. He has good quickness. He's not the biggest kid, but he's 185 pounds (5-8) and is very strong for any of the guys in our receiving corps. I can see Brian getting snaps next year. We don't really care whether you're scholarship or non-scholarship. If you're productive, we're going to play you. And then Rocky Ferony's done a good job, too."

Will Chris Johnson be ready for preseason practice?

"He will be healthy. We're told that he will be full go by the fall."

For Tulane's only afternoon practice of the spring, I got there at 4:30 and they already had finished early, but Willie Fritz was still on the field. He yelled at Jonathan Banks to finish his extra post-practice work because a local TV crew was waiting to interview him. At that point, Banks was pretty much the only player left on the field.

I talked to Fritz for a couple minutes, and for part of it I did not have my tape recorder running. He said Coby Neenan in the frontrunner to be the placekicker and was pretty good Monday after having, in his words, a terrific performance last week (I have missed every field goal drill this spring because they do it at the beginning of practice). Randy Harvey is next in line but is significantly behind Neenan at this point.

Here is what Fritz said after I turned the recorder on:

How was practice today?

"We had good work today. We had officials out here. We did a lot of down and distance, we did two-minute and got a couple of sets on that and then we went 56 plays. We worked on some kicking game, a little bit of punt block, kickoff, kickoff return and did some field goal versus block team as well, so we got a lot of work in."

What are your thoughts on Banks since you named him the frontrunner?

"He did a good job. He's obviously getting pressed by Glen and Johnathan Brantley. Those two have picked it up as well. Part of that is we're better in the offensive line, we're better at the receiver position, we're better at the backs. We all know what we're doing. All three of them, we want to close this out. I talked to them about just finishing."

How impressed are you with the receivers as a group?

"I've been very impressed with Terren (Encalade). He's really taken a leadership role. The thing I like about him is he's just really competitive, and that's in all facets of the game. The other thing I talked to our guys about today is being unselfish, doing things that aren't glamorous. A lot of that is with the receivers blocking, and Terren is a tough, hard-nosed competitor. I've been impressed with that."

Do you know what you're going to do in the spring game?

"We're going to be scripting it. We're down to seven offensive linemen and we might be at six. I'm going to have to find out, so it's not conducive to really going all out."

Daren Williams got hurt in practice last week. Is he OK?

"Yeah, he's going to be all right, but he's going to probably miss the rest of the spring. He sprained his ankle really good."

One other note: Deion Rainey is not hurt. He has been excused from practice to deal with a personal issue and everyone expects him to return in the fall. I did not get that from Fritz, who is guarded about any personal information, but from a very reliable source. Rainey definitely was not at practice last Friday, and I assumed it was due to a minor injury he had entering spring drills, but my assumption was wrong. He is healthy.

I am headed out to practice shortly and will check to see which offensive linemen are available. With Webb out and Leglue getting hurt last week, I know they were down to Diaz, Knighton, Briggs, Tyler Johnson, Devon Johnson, Brown and McLeod, and come to think of it, I did not see McLeod practicing Friday, either. If he got hurt, that would fit Fritz' definition of having six available linemen, although he seemed to indicate someone had gotten hurt yesterday.

Talking to the team and Jewett regularly, I never though things were as bad behind the scenes as others indicates on other message boards, but I also did not anticipate the dramatic turnaround this year after the 3-12 start. I was all prepared to bring up what happened to Florida in the first year under Andy Lopez in 1995, when he inherited a team with a lot of potential, did not mesh with the returning players and had an abysmal finish that left players' parents ripping him and saying he had ruined everything with his my-way-or-the-highway talk in the locker room while maintaining a happy face in public. The next year, Florida made the College World Series.

But that analogy does not apply anymore because the Green Wave has come together rather than splitting apart at the seams. If Tulane makes a regional, which obviously remains a big IF at this point, it will be more dangerous than it was the past two years. Pitching depth is not as important in a four-team regional as it is during a regular week, and this team hits better than the last two. Yes, I know they struck out an absurd 18 times against UConn Saturday, but they struck out a ton the last two years, too. Hunter Williams has become a superstar, and he will have more help this postseason than last. The infield defense is terrific. Corey Merrill is capable of pitching better than Tulane's opening-game starters in the postseason the last two years (Patrick Duester in 2015, Emerson Gibbs in 2016), when the Wave got whipped in its opening game by UNC Wilmington and Boston College. Christian Colletti, the AAC pitcher of the week, looks like the real deal out of the bullpen, solidifying a huge hole.

Sweeping UConn was the best sweep for Tulane is ages. The Huskies are not a good hitting team, and their infield defense was laughably bad on pop-ups (that being said, only the first of four blown pop-ups helped Tulane score any runs; the Wave came up empty after the other three), but their starting pitching is terrific. Tulane will not face a better 1-2-3 punch the rest of the way, including Houston. Suddenly, the Wave is doing what winning teams do, overcoming a massive pitching mismatch on paper in the opener, getting a command performance from Merrill on Friday and coming up huge in the clutch (a staple of David Pierce's teams) with two home runs in the ninth inning on Saturday.

The next step is getting a solid performance from Ross Massey tonight. The Wave probably is going to need him in the postseason because teams have begun hitting Solesky hard. Just after I proclaimed him rock solid, he has had three bad performances in a row, and honestly, LSU tattooed a lot of balls in his last "good start", but they all went right to Tulane outfielders in his three-inning scoreless stint at the Box. If Massey can recover from his complete loss of control earlier in the season, another big IF, the Wave should be able to win enough games to reach the postseason.

We'll know a lot more by next Tuesday because this six-game stretch is a killer. ULL, which has been to regionals five years in a row, needs a win tonight because of its low RPI and unexpectedly weak conference. USM, which will face Bjorngjeld tomorrow, is trying to get in position to host this year. Houston is Houston, and even without Seth Romero, is very talented and will want revenge for Tulane's series win that gave the Wave the AAC title in Houston last year. LSU is tired of losing to Tulane and will be motivated next Tuesday to end the three-game skid.

A 4-2 performance against that murderer's row would be great, but I'm not discounting anything with this team right now. Anything worse than 3-3 would spell trouble. For a team with this many seniors who have invested this much in the program, missing a regional obviously would be a crushing blow regardless of the second-half turnaround.

The best news is the games still matter. Not many, if any of us, would have predicted that a month ago, when it appeared Clearwater was Tulane's only hope for salvation.

We’re probably not going to get the kind of RPI that ensures our selection into the NCAA regionals. Our conference record, recovery from a 3-12 start, and performance against “top 50” teams are our best hopes for an “at large” berth.

One of the factors most people forget regarding RPI is the home/away factor. Each home win counts 0.7 for RPI calculations, while each home loss counts 1.3. Similarly, each away win counts 1.3 and each away loss counts 0.7. So, although we are now 18-18, for RPI purposes, we’re 13-11 at home and 5-7 on the road for a record of 15.6-19.2. To get to .500 by the end of the season, we need to go 13-7 (no matter the mix of home/away wins and losses). So, if we end up 31-25, our RPI winning percentage will be just above .500. Based on Warren Nolan’s current projection that our end-of-season SOS will by #28 (down from 25 just a few days ago), that would likely give us an RPI in the mid-60’s. That would probably give us a shot (likely slim) to get an “at large” berth in the regionals due to our strong finish, with the AAC tournament a deciding factor. To get to a sub-50 RPI, we now probably must get to a 33-23 record, 15-5 the rest of the way. That would likely win the regular season conference title, also. To me, that would get us in barring a 0-2 conference tourney.

Only results on the field count.

Roll Wave!

Because of a conflict, I could not stick around for interviews on Friday, but I attended almost the entire practice before leaving about two minutes prior to the end. They started an hour late after Willie Fritz let the players sleep in a bit, the result of having gone early Thursday to listen to Matt Forte and others address the team before practice.

Quinlan Carroll played linebacker and met with the linebacker unit rather than the defensive line, which spends most of its practice time on the field outside of Yulman Stadium. With the depth Tulane will have at end in the fall when everyone is healthy, the experiment makes sense, particularly since they are using some of the linebackerS in the role of a 3-4, a glorified end anyway. Carroll had a brace on his left leg for part of the practice, protecting his injury from last year, but he took it off for 11-on-11 work.

Tre Jackson, who has been excellent this spring, suffered a setback. I'll find out how he is after practice this afternoon, but when I got there Friday, he was on the trainer's table with a wrap around his knee. That's a concern because Fritz said earlier this spring he had worried about Jackson's future in football in December and January as his knee kept swelling up from a devastating injury he sustained as a senior in high school. Maybe it was a precautionary move to give him rest on the second day of consecutive practices, but maybe not.

Offensive tackle John Leglue did not practice, meaning Devon Johnson worked with the first-team offensive line. Tackle is a spot where Tulane has little quality depth and a spot where Tulane will need to stay healthy in the fall or risk a serious drop-off. The first-team line Friday was Tyler Johnson, Leeward Brown, Junior Diaz, Dominique Briggs and Devon Johnson. I'm not sold on the left side of the line yet, but there's still plenty of time, and as Fritz pointed out Thursday, competition. Tyler Johnson has Keyshawn McLeod pushing him. Brown has Hunter Knighton and Briggs to contend with in a three-way battle for two spots. And if Diaz gets hurts again, they will not have to move Leglue over this time, with Knighton capable of playing center.

Johnathan Brantley threw some really pretty passes in 7-on-7 work, hitting Darnell Mooney on an intermediate route before connecting with Jabril Clewis on a perfect deep ball. For good measure, Brantley scrambled on the next play and buckled the knees of safety Sean Harper with a cut, drawing some razzing for Harper from the offense's sideline. Brantley was not as sharp for the rest of the drill, including a wounded duck that landed out of bounds near no one, but he is showing progress.

Glen Cuiellette did not have his best day but he did throw a gorgeous sideline pass to D.J. Owens, threading the needed while Owens did a terrific job dragging a foot to make sure he stayed inbounds. Cuillette also completed one to Clewis over the middle. Barring injury, Tulane's three starting wide receivers for the opener against Grambling will be Clewis, Mooney and Terren Encalade. That's a good group, and Owens has made some plays in the spring, too.

Jonathan Banks did nothing to hurt his status as the frontrunner at QB. He hit Devin Glenn, who enjoyed his best day of the spring, before hooking up with Clewis on a frozen rope down the sideline. That pass resembled the ones Tanner Lee threw frequently in preseason practice in 2014, when he looked like he was headed for a big season. And yes, I know Lee did not duplicate those throws in real games, but he was playing in a dysfunctional offense. Banks isn't, and that throw to Clewis was big time. He also completed a pass to Mooney, who I think is Tulane's best route runner, down the middle.

In 11-on-11 work, Banks found walk-on Brian Newman, who has made some plays in the spring, behind everyone for a big gain. He also connected with Glenn again inside and threw a pretty floater to Mooney outside. Banks is not always accurate, but he can make a lot of different throws and does not have to be set to make them. My biggest concern with him is he tends to hold the ball too long, which doesn't hurt him in a no-contact drills but could get him in trouble during games.

DeAndre Williams got reps at nose guard when Tulane went to a three-man defensive front. To the best of my knowledge, Deion Rainey has not gotten a single rep in a team drill this spring due to injury. I did not see him practicing with the defensive on the outside field when I walked to the stadium, either, so he still is not healthy.

Cornerback Thakarius Keyes has not practiced this spring, but he was running around the field during practice with no helmet and a brace on his injured right leg. He was moving well.

The daily tackling drill Fritz ran with the linebackers and defensive backs was the one he teaches the most, with one player running at an angle and another player taking him to the ground with good form. Again, Fritz does not let them get away with bad technique. After one tackle by walk-on DB Sam Davis, he yelled, "He ran through that arm tackle," indicating there was no way Davis would have brought the guy to the ground with that attempt in a game. He also yelled a few times, "Don't allow them to cut back," which is not allowed in the drill but he could tell would have happened in a game with the angle the tackler was taking. There's no question one of the reasons Tulane tackled much better last year than in 2015 was Fritz' emphasis on proper technique.

They had a kickoff drill, and Zach Block's first one was perfect, going about five yards deep in the end zone just inbounds. Dontrell Hilliard appears to be the primary returner on kickoffs, with Stephon Huderson getting a look. Since Tre Jackson, another candidate, was unavailable, they used Newman.

I talked to Diaz after practice on Thursday (along with Will Guillory of the T-P, who was the one who requested him), and here's what he had to say:

JUNIOR DIAZ

What was it like having to sit out and deal with the injury last year?

"Dealing with the injury was kind of rough, especially watching my guys go out there without me. It was tough at first, but I knew that what I had to do was get healthier so I could help them out in whatever way possible, so that's what I did."

Coach said you were one of the better guys on the offensive line when you got hurt. How tough was that since you were playing some of your best football?

"When I got hurt it was a big surprise. It just put me down, but the guys stepped in and they helped. They were great, doing their jobs and just playing."

You and Charles Jones sat together on the side last year dealing with your ankle injuries. How much closer did that bring you together?

"That brought me and Charles really close. We had a lot in common then. We're kind of like best friends now. I look to him, we talk all the time. It definitely brought us closer, the same struggle, the same rehab, the same everything. We're kind of like brothers now more than before."

How much did you push each other during the rehab process?

"It was always competition back and forth, just safe competition pushing each other and making each other better every day."

Coach Fritz says he never has to worry about your snaps in the shotgun. Is that something you pride yourself on?

"Yeah. Our offensive line G.A. (Mack Helms) makes us work every day after practice 50 snaps. I give a lot of credit to that, and I also give a lot of credit to the guys next to me making me comfortable, knowing I can snap the ball with peace of mind before I have to do my assignment."

In high school, did you do shotgun snapping?

"In high school we did both under center and shotgun, but we did a lot of shotgun, so I definitely came here with an advantage."

Is there more depth and competition on the offensive line?

"Yeah, definitely. The guys push each other every day. There's a lot of competition all around, so that just feeds us to be more hungry and be more aggressive and just to get out job done."

How long did it take before your ankle was back to where you wanted it to be?

"It took a while, but everybody was great with me helping me come back, making me feel comfortable, so once I started spring, I felt great, ready to go."

How much did that hurt when it happened? It looked pretty nasty.

"I was in shock more than anything else. I'd never gotten hurt before. That was my first time, so I didn't know what to think, but I feel great now."

What makes Alex Atkins such a good coach?

"Oh, man, he definitely has patience with us, that's for sure. He reiterates certain points, he's there for us, just all around, he's like another father to us. That's what we love most about him."

Last night slowed down a number of our hitters, but almost everyone in the lineup has been hitting well of late with the exception of Witherspoon, who is 2 for his last 17 (.118). And some are really “tearing the cover off the ball.” Kaplan is 11 for his last 27 (.407). Williams is 12 for 34 (.353). DeHart is 13 for 28 (.464). Hope is 8 for 23 (.348). S Gozzo is 8 for 26 (.308). Brown is 5 for 14 (.357). P. Gozzo is 8 for 31 (.258). Willsey is 10 for 37 (.270). Hoese is 5 for 15 (.333) and Owen is 8 for 26 (.308). If guys can keep up anything like those averages, get Witherspoon untracked, and get some pitching, we could have a lot of fun the rest of this year.

Roll Wave!!!

Tight end Charles Jones became a forgotten man on the Tulane roster when he battled injuries last year. He suffered a high ankle sprain against Southern in week 3 and then tore ligaments and broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot against UMass in the fifth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season and requiring a pair of surgeries, one in October and then another one in December.

Ultimately, Jones applied for and received a medical redshirt from the NCAA, meaning he will be a redshirt junior in the fall as he tries to rekindle the feeling he had when he played right away as a true freshman out of St. Aug, catching 21 passes with three touchdowns while starting six times. He followed up with 19 receptions and five starters in Curtis Johnson's final year, but he did not make a reception in his injury-plagued 2016 seasons under Willie Fritz.

"It was very difficult watching my team go out there and battle," he said. "I could watch from the sidelines. I kind of felt like we were the Spartans and I was that one soldier that just had to go back home and tell the story about the rest of them. I'm glad to be back."

He punctuated that point with a tremendous catch in Thursday morning's practice, high-pointing a ball from Jonathan Banks in the back of the end zone for a pretty touchdown. He and Kendall Ardoin are competing for the first-team spot, and he believes the lost year helped him in some ways.

"That year was good for me," he said. "I learned this offense. I didn't really know it that well early last year and wasn't the best person in the playbook. I feel like Kendall and I can help this offense tremendously, from the blocking to the run-pass options to the passing to the special teams. Anything they need, we can do it."

Jones said he could add physicality, encouragement, grit and energy to the team. Fritz wants to see it every day, though, rather than in bursts of brilliance like Thursday's touchdown.

"He can help us out big time," Fritz said. "He really has great ability. Today we had Matt Forte and Michael Parenton talk to the team, and one of the things Matt talked about was consistency and doing it every single day and over and over and over again. That's something Charles has to do. When he has it together and the stars are all aligned, he's a very good player."

Still, Fritz said Jones' absence hurt the team last year. When Ardoin got banged up later, it was hard to use the tight ends at all, taking what he considered a significant part of the offense away. To avoid that possibility again in 2017, the coaches are looking at Andrew Hicks as a potential tight end when he returns in August from his second ACL injury.

"He's 225 pounds and has great strength," Fritz said. "He's close to a 500-pound squatter and about a 350 bencher. That might be a good spot for him."

It was a very feisty practice, getting out of hand a couple of times, particularly when guard Dominique Briggs lost his cool with Ade Aruna and started swinging wildly trying to hit him. That fight had to be broken up by teammates and coaches, and Fritz said he preferred having players maintain control of their emotions. Roderic Teamer and Stephon Huderson almost got into it when Teamer kept trying to slap the ball away from him after Huderson ran into the end zone, and there were about three or four more flare-ups.

"I kind of talked to them afterward," Fritz said. "I had a team one time that won 26 in a row, and we never had anybody get into a fight or anything. It really doesn't show you how tough a guy is, fighting in practice. Now going hard 12 plays in a row, that's tough."

Frits slapped the hands of the first-team defensive linemen at one point, congratulating them on their play in an 11-on-11 drill.

"There were some good things they did on both sides of the ball," he said. "We've got more competition going on within the O-line and the D-line. I'm hoping when we get these freshmen in here we're going to have even more competition as a coach, when you have tough decisions. Unfortunately last year there were not as many tough decisions as I wanted to have."

Tulane worked on special teams for a good portion of the practice, doing the nitty gritty stuff like practicing the initial blocks on returns that I never saw the Wave practice under CJ's staff. They did the drills in segments without live returning, working on the fundamentals. The guys shagging kickoffs were Dontrell Hilliard, Tre Jackson and Stephon Huderson. Sherman Badie also will be in the picture, but he was held out with a minor injury and should return either Friday or early next week.

On punts, Fritz said Donnie Lewis, Tre Jackson, Hilliard and Badie were the four leading candidates.

Johnathan Brantley has not had many passing highlights in the spring, but he had a nice connection with Devin Glenn for a touchdown on a bomb, hitting him in stride. Fritz praised Glenn the other day, but this was the first time I saw him make a big play this spring. Brantley gave away a touchdown when safety Sam Harper stripped him and ran in for a score.

Banks did not have as good a day as he did Tueday, throwing low a few times and misfiring badly on one deep ball, but he zipped a pass to Darnell Mooney on a corner route before connecting with Jones on the big touchdown.

The tackling drill Thursday involved one player holding a cushion and another one drive-tackling him backwards in a pad. As always, Fritz was hands on, pointing out when guys used the wrong technique, reminding them repeatedly "right shoulder, left hook."

Fritz clearly loves having ex-players around, bringing them in to speak to the team often. Forte is the latest example.

"Any school I've been at, I've tried to really embrace the alums," Fritz said. "We've got NFL lockers in there for those guys (at Yulman Stadium). Matt doesn't have an opportunity to make it back very much. I went out and worked his camp last summer in Slidell and got to meet him a little bit out there. He's a great example. The thing I thought was most impressive is he started off by saying he's got a degree in finance from Tulane. And he's on the cusp of being one of the few backs in NFL history who's rushed for over 10,000 and caught for over 5,000. That would be interesting to look that up. There's not many. If he has a really good next couple of years, he's got a chance to be in the Hall of Fame, and not just the Bears' Hall of Fame--the Hall of Fame."

I was there today and talked to Charles Jones, who made an incredible catch for a TD, along with Fritz. Not sure when I will get the report up because it is tax day in the Smith household and then I have to go to the baseball game, but it will be up at some point. The Wave practices again tomorrow morning.

Although Tulane is one bad series away from kissing any regional at-large hopes goodbye, I don't subscribe to the theory that its only chance at the postseason is winning the AAC tourney.

If the Wave wins two of three from UConn today through Saturday, it will be one game out of the conference lead and will add two more top-50 victories to the six it already has. Given the demanding schedule the rest of the way, I can envision a scenario where Tulane has a whopping 15 top-50 victories heading into the AAC tourney, and it's not delusional, although it definitely will require betting pitching that what we've seen to this point.

Say Tulane beats UConn 2 out of 3, beats USM next Tuesday and loses to ULL next Wednesday (no pitching left), loses 2 out of 3 at Houston, beats LSU, wins 2 out of 3 from ECU, beats Southeastern, wins 2 out of 3 from UCF, wins 2 out of 3 from Houston at home, beats UNO at home and wins 2 out of 3 at Memphis. Based on current RPI numbers, Tulane would be 30-26 overall, 15-9 in the AAC and would be a sterling 15-13 against top-50 competition, which would be more wins at that level than just about any other bubble team.

As has been proven, I'm no RPI expert, but I think results like that would lift Tulane into the top 60, which would put the Wave on the fringe of discussion and allow the selection committee to see the unusual strength of the resume despite the overall record.

Obviously, Tulane might never reach .500, but my scenario does not even include any sweeps. If the Wave continues to hit like it's been hitting in recent weeks, continues to get the sterling infield defense it has received and if Corey Merrill and J.P. France pitch well the rest of the way, it's not impossible. It will require some pitchers to step up like they have not all year and it will require the Wave to win a majority of its close games, but it's doable.

Actually, the key might be tonight because on paper, the starting pitching dual is an epic mismatch between Tim Cate, who has awesome stuff, and Sam Bjorngjeld, who, um, does not. It could get out of hand early, but if the Wave somehow finds a way to win, it will be in excellent position to win its third straight series.

I like Jewett's decision to stick with Merrill and France in their normal spots because Tulane's pitching has been fragile all year and any adjustment could have a negative effect. It could backfire, though, if the Wave loses something like 12-2 tonight.

It should be a very interesting series.

Anyone have any Pro Day results?

Various people on other sites are claiming a number of recruits are visiting practices. Does anyone have a good handle on who they are, such as a list? Thanks

Roll Wave!!!

I admit a blind spot when it comes to Braynon Edwards, but that blind spot is based on a lot of history of being right in this department. Hopefully for his sake and Tulane's, I will be wrong this time, but either way, his significant weight loss is a topic I should have written about before the end of the ninth practice.

Today, Willie Fritz and defensive coordinator Jack Curtis praised Edwards for losing 50 pounds since December, which is a huge deal. My concern is when a player has been as overweight as Edwards for as long as he has been, there is an underlying problem that can't be quickly resolved and has to do with more than just weight. But if he keeps the weight off, he has a chance to be a significant factor at a position of need in the fall. No one has ever doubted his quick feet, which is one reason two different staffs never gave up on him in his first three years at Tulane.

Edwards practiced with the first unit in a three-man front at the beginning of 11-on-11 work today, flanked by Ade Aruna and DeAndre Williams in a 3-3-5 look. The linebackers were Rae Juan Marbley Zach Harris and Larry Bryant as the coaches continue to experiment with different looks in the spring.

Last year, playing in excess of 360 pounds, Edwards had a total of two tackles in nine games, including a start against Navy. He wasn't easy to move, but he had an even harder time moving, particularly after a couple of downs on the field.

"He's lost a legitimate 50 pounds, and it's made him a much better player," Fritz said. "He can play hard play after play rather than choosing his spots. He's shown flashes in the past, but he just hasn't done it play after play because he just coudn't go hard more than two or three plays at a time."

Tulane has Eldrick Washington and Sean Wilson inside and not much else in the way of proven performers, although Williams is a possibility, so a good year from Edwards would be a huge boost. There will be a drop-off from the indefatigable, highly productive Tanzel Smart, but the key is minimizing that drop-off as much as possible.

Fritz mentioned Aruna and Luke Jackson as being able to help out inside, and it is clear the great depth at end will be used to shore up the depth at tackle even if the guys aren't perfect fits inside.

But Edwards can be a perfect fit if he remains committed to his current diet.

"He was up to 372 and he's in the 320s right now," Curtis said. "Losing weight's a hard thing to do for anybody. I think one thing that motivated him was he started last season at 340 and then kept rising and rising, and as he did, his reps went down and down. He just got so out of shape and couldn't play. It was a motivation that he needed to do something with himself. He's been one of the biggest surprises of the spring so far. I think he can play 35 to 40 reps in a game now and play physical. I'm very happy with where he is."

Opportunity played a role, too. With Smart rarely leaving the field, there were not a ton of chances for other guys last year.

"That's a big part of it," Curtis said. "When Tanzel was in the game, it was hard to take him out at any time. Losing that kind of weight was confidence, and everything has just really gone up. He's playing real well. We're going to be able to count on him to contribute toward winning. You've got to be able to dominate up front, and still at 322 (pounds), he's very difficult to move and he's able to do the things that we're asking him to. He's not going to be the best pass rusher, but he can collapse a pocket and he can hold point on the run game and be dominating. I think he's only going to get better. We've got to do a great job this summer of keeping him motivated in his workouts, and I don't think it will be a problem. He's seen the light to where he can be."

Edwards, who said he went from 368 at the end of the season to 320, said changing his diet was the main factor, which verified what strength and conditioning coach Kyle Speer told me about the severely overweight guys he had worked with soon after arriving at Tulane. It's all about changing a lifestyle of getting fast food late at night when no one is watching you.

"Mainly durability and quickness are the main two differences (on the field)," Edwards said. "And explosion. I used to be a lot more tired a lot quicker. Now I can go a lot longer and a lot faster than I used to."

Edwards said Smart talked to him at the end of last season and told him he had a lot of potential and needed to get in shape. The words finally got through.

"I really took that to heart because Tanzel's like a brother to me," Edwards said. "I listened to him. He's a role model to me because he was a phenomenal player. He told me to get that weight down, I listened to him and got it down. I want to fill those shoes."

Still, he knows he has to continue to be diligent.

"The main thing is mindset," he said. "It's tough. You are used to eating a certain way, and I just pray night in and night out that God can help me just keep on the right track. I did that over the Christmas break and it flowed all the way through the spring, and the results showed."

He likes the three-man true defensive tackle group of himself, Washington and Wilson.

"We've got guys that can move great, and it should jell this year. I feel like I bring explosion, power and now great quickness to the game, too. Hopefully that will help me help this team win this year. The main thing is shedding blocks. I remember in October I would be able to explode at someone, but it was a lot harder for me to be able to release and get off of them. Now I'm a lot quicker and everything is happening a lot faster for me."

Edwards said he was a lot smaller in his first two years of high school in South Florida before getting big his junior year. He cut back again his senior year and played well, earning the scholarship offer from CJ's staff, but when he arrived in New Orleans, he ballooned up again. Two years ago, after Edwards made a play in a goal-line drill during an August practice, CJ said he was afraid to put him in a game because of health concerns. Edwards never played after redshirting in 2014, leaving him with nothing to show for his first two seasons.

Last year, he finally saw what he could do if he got in better shape. As a redshirt junior, he plans to capitalize on it.

"It was urgency," he said. "That helped me out, too. I feel like I have a lot of talent and can do a lot of good things on the field. Definitely time is ticking, and I felt I had to get in shape so I could bring something to the table for this team."

Tulane did not conduct a scrimmage on Saturday because Willie Fritz does not like risking injury in the spring, but the coaches allowed a little more contact than usual in the 11-on-11 work that ended practice and the players were fired up about it.

Ade Aruna, who has been lining up inside a fair amount during the spring while flanked by a hybrid defensive end/linebacker (usually Luke Jackson, who is split wider than a traditional 4-3 end), looked very good today, stuffing a run for a loss and getting at least two sacks. Well, they would have been sacks in a real scrimmage, but the plays continued in the simulated version. Once, Johnathan Brantley had to do a spin move to get away from Aruna, but Aruna was already celebrating and wagging his finger at the offense's sideline indicating it would have been a sack in a game.

If I had a pecking order at quarterback right now, it would be Jonathan Banks No. 1, Glen Cuiellette No. 2 and Brantley No. 3. Banks has gotten a lot of work with the first unit this week in a rotating spring plan, and he looks good on most of his throws, good when he decides to run and competent on the option. He will have to avoid the killer mistakes he's occasionally making in the fall, though. Today, he telegraphed a pass into the flat near the goal line on second-and-4. Redshirt freshman cornerback Tre Jackson jumped the route easily and would have had a sure 95-yard interception return for a touchdown if he had not dropped it.

Banks has had about one mistake like that every day, a deal Fritz attributed to information overload.

"It's a lot to ask of a new guy to get us lined up, make the play call, tempo call, snap count. then check the play clock and then also the down and distance," Fritz said. "I asked him after the play what was the down and distance, and he had no idea. It was second-and-4, and he needed to throw it over the top of the guy's head and live to fight another day."

Fritz had loud music playing throughout the scrimmage. He was not trying to appeal to the taste of his players (although nickelback Jarrod Franklin started swaying to the beat a couple of times before the snap), but to cause a distraction that simulated the noise at a game.

"That's why I put the music on, trying to get a distraction," Fritz said. "I don't like doing that, but when we play games on Saturday, there will be music playing. You put all those things together and you're a new guy, that's kind of difficult."

Cuiellette had a nice segment with three completions in a row, hitting Darnell Mooney on an inside route when he had to adjust to catch a ball thrown slightly behind him, connecting with D.J. Owens on a deeper route down the hash and throwing to running back Dontrell Hilliard in the flat.

Keyshawn McLeod is getting some run with the first unit at left offensive tackle. Tyler Johnson still is getting the majority of the reps. but McLeod's progress from seldom-used reserve center to contender for playing time at tackle bears watching. In the 11-on-11 work, Junior Diaz got almost all of the reps at center, with with Leeward Brown and Dominique Briggs the first-team guards and John Leglue the first-team right tackle. Hunter Knighton spelled Briggs for a stretch.

DeAndre Williams got a few reps with the first unit on the defensive line, lining up at the hybrid spot with Aruna and Eldrick Washington playing inside and Luke Jackson on the outside. It actually did look like the defense was playing a 3-4 at times, with two ends filling the role of the outside linebackers in the traditional 3-4. That bears watching, too.

Braynon Edwards definitely is moving better, although he still has plenty of room for improvement. He helped stuff a run on what must have been designated as fourth-and-goal (they were at the other end of the field and I could not see the down markers) because he ran off the field celebrating while a new unit came in on offense. The next time he was on the field, though, he jumped a snap and knocked Diaz on his back, drawing a penalty flag.

One area the team still has to get a lot better in is running the option. I noticed a play where Brantley and his pitch man got far too close, allowing one defender to play them both. Brantley decided to make a late pitch, and the ball ended up on the ground. Fritz noticed other errors.

"We just need to keep getting reps with running the ball with the triple option," he said. "Three or four times we ran that triple and we have to attack that pitch key. That guy's hanging on the pitch player, and if we put our foot in the ground and get vertical, we could have done that about five times today and had really big runs. But it's different for a couple of the guys."

It's time to clear up the mystery about what happened to Tre Jackson last year. He was one of Tulane's most highly rated recruits but never made an impact, playing two midseason games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Massachusetts without making a tackle. It turns out he was nowhere close to healthy, still recovering from a torn ACL he sustained as a senior at University Lab in Baton Rouge.

"He wasn't close," Fritz said. "That's why we redshirted him. He tried to play and then his knee would just swell up on him big time, so we shut him down and hard shipped him (got a medical redshirt). He had a difficult time. I was worried about it in December or January because he was still having a problem or two, but he's really come around now. I still don't think he's 100 percent, but in another three months he will be. Some of those surgeries take a full year if not longer."

Jackson said it felt really good to have his legs under him again.

"I tore the knee in the third game of the year (in 2015) and I tore pretty much everything," he said. "It's just good to be back out here and know that I can contribute to the team. It's been a battle this spring just to get back healthy, trying to stay healthy and keep the swelling down on my knee. But now that I have my feet back under me, I can pretty much run with anybody out here. I'm making some plays. It's mostly just coaching. (Secondary) Coach (Chris) Hampton is teaching us how to read quarterbacks' intentions, playing zone and playing man, and they are putting us in position to make plays."

Tulane is down some injured cornerbacks in Thakarius Keyes and P.J. Hall, who have missed all of the spring, and Donnie Lewis, who has missed the last three practices, so Jackson has gotten extra reps.

"We're definitely a little shallow at the position," he said. "I'm just trying to fill in and make a name for myself. They have me at corner and a little nickel and special teams. I've done a little offense after practice at times, but right now I'm working toward getting ready for the fall."

After some unseasonably warm spring practices, Tulane worked out in cooler weather on Thursday morning, spending a fair amount of time on special teams work, concentrating on kickoff coverage and blocking. It was boring stuff with no live action and plenty of teaching and explaining going on. The only relevant part: one of the guys catching kicks was Darius Bradwell. They weren't returning kicks, just catching them, but Willie Fritz had said Tuesday they would have a role for Bradwell on special teams.

Unlike Tuesday, Tulane practiced with Ade Aruna at defensive end. Eldrick Washington and Sean Wilson were the first-team DTs, and Luke Jackson was the first-team end on the left side. Jarrod Franklin continued to practice at nicknack, a role he occupied for two years in a different system under Lionel Washington, with Taris Shenall at safety. Shenall spent most of his time at nickelback last year but was double trained at safety from the start in Jack Curtis' system. When I arrived at practice, Aruna was on the training table and walked with a slight limp when he got off, but he returned for team drills a few minutes later and looked fine.

Cornerback Donnie Lewis sat out his second straight practice with an unspecified injury, but he took mental reps. Cornerback Thakarius Keyes was out, too, and has not practiced yet this spring, so Stephon Lofton got plenty of reps with the first unit.

Offensive lineman Brian Webb, who was at the bottom of the depth, is out with what appears to be a serious leg injury. He has been on crutches at practice all week while wearing a brace.

Hunter Knighton, the backup center to Junior Diaz, definitely needs to work on his snapping. While he was in there for 11-on-11 drills, he sent three snaps low that had be grabbed right off the ground by the quarterbacks. Every Diaz snap is perfect.

The first touchdown in team drills came when Glen Cuiellette threw a short pass to Terren Encalade, who made a move and took off for the end zone with a lot of whooping and hollering from his offensive teammates. Cuiellette definitely is conscious of avoiding turnovers because he is the king of throwing the ball away when no one is open. He had one pass into the stands when he threw it away, probably because he remembers tossing an interception against Southern last year when he tried to throw it away and did not get the ball out of bounds.

Jacob Robertson made a really nice touchdown grab after diving for a Jonathan Banks pass on an inside route. He hurt himself a little bit on the landing, appearing to lose his breath, and an assistant coach got on his case when he took his helmet off as he came to the sideline. "Keep that helmet on, it's college football, baby," the coach said.

Banks tried to hook up with Jabril Clewis on a fade route in the back of the end zone--one of my least favorite plays in college football--but Clewis was not open and the ball fell to the turf.

The play of the day was turned in by sophomore cornerback Tre Jackson, who had a very quiet freshman season after coming in as one of the top-rated recruits in the 2016 class. He's come on this spring, and he grabbed a deflection from D.J. Owens on an out route from Cuillette and sprinted into the end zone for a touchdown. He had to react quickly, showing good fluidity catching the ball and taking off for the score.

Most of the other plays in the 11-on-11 work were runs, and Corey Dauphine is a beast. He looked like the best running back on the field Thursday, but he will have to sit out 2017 as a Texas Tech transfer. Expect big things from him in 2018 because he has good size and he accelerates quickly.

Johnathan Brantley runs a lot more than Banks or Cuiellette in his reps, tucking the ball when the first option is not available. It's hard to judge how effective those plays are since no tackling or hitting is allowed, but he definitely has good wheels.

Nico Marley and Josh Rounds attended the practice as they prepared for Pro Day on Friday morning. Marley talked to Troy Dannen for a while, and both he and Rounds shook Willie Fritz' hand when the practice was over. Marshall Wadleigh also showed up, and Fritz gave him a big congratulation.

As I mentioned in a separate post yesterday, Charles Jones has been granted a redshirt after being hurt for most of last year, so he will be junior in the fall. He had a bad moment Thursday when he took off early and ran about 20 yards before realizing he had jumped the snap while no one else on the offense moved.

Here is what Fritz had to say after practice.

How much special teams work have you done in the spring?

"We've done quite a bit. We've been doing punt, some punt block and kickoff. This is the first day we inserted kickoff returns. It takes a little while that first day. Then on Saturday we'll do some competition against each other, and then we'll start doing punt block teams, script it out, get some personnel on each side and then get some good matchups and then we'll do the same thing with kickoff versus kickoff return and get some live reps."

Jarrod Franklin has been playing nickel this week with Taris Shenall at safety. Is that an experiment or an official move?

"We've really kind of been doing that most of the spring, but it's different from what it was in the fall. We feel like Jarrod is a big enough body out there at the nickel position where he can get off blocks. He's got a size advantage over slots trying to block him, plus he's a good enough cover guy, so we're expecting a big year out of him and we expect this will get him a little more in the action."

I guess with Shenall having been double-trained at safety last year, it's not a big adjustment for him.

"Yeah, he's played everywhere back there, he really has. He's getting better. He's getting a lot better. I've been impressed with his progress."

There have been times in the spring when Aruna has lined up inside. Is that something you're considering?

"Today we were kind of servicing the offense. We'll see a lot of three-man fronts, and we're running a lot more of it this spring. Six of the teams we play next year and maybe seven are going to run odd fronts, and it hurt us last year a few times because we're an even-front team but we run a little bit odd. We're trying to help out the offense a little bit. It's kind of a bear front is what we're seeing. We're just tinkering with it. I've always been a four-man front. That's what I like to do and it's what we will do."

How has Junior Diaz looked in his first week back?

"He's looked good. Number one, he's an accurate snapper, and a play has no chance of being successful without that. Then he also is assignment sound. He always steps the right way and blocks the right person. He's just a smart player. He's good. He's got quick feet and he's got enough mass to do things. He's a good player. We're going to have to work on Knighton's snapping, but we don't find that much with Junior."

After taking a 10-day hiatus for spring break, Tulane had a spirited practice Tuesday morning at Turchin Stadium. Coach Willie Fritz made a slight adjustment to the schedule from a year ago and felt it made a world of difference.

"It went well," he said. "Last year I went ahead and practiced the Monday after spring break, and I don't think the guys were into it as much as we wanted them to be, so I vowed never to make that mistake again. This is only the second time--since I've been here at Tulane--that I've split it up this way. I've usually either gotten it done before or after, but it's not bad. We've gotten a couple of guys healthy. I was excited to see Junior Diaz out there. He went through a whole practice. He's a really good player. It hurt us when we lost him last year, so it was good to get him back."

On to some answers to questions I received at the end of last week.

Fritz confirmed three guys listed as true sophomore are actually redshirt freshmen--Coby Neenan, Deion Rainey and DeAndre Williams. The practice I have already lists Miles Strickland and Jacob Robertson as redshirt freshmen. All of the other freshmen played last year and will be true sophomores in the fall.

My search for Deion Rainey continues. He did not practice today because he is hurt, but Fritz said he hoped to have him back Thursday. Braynon Edwards definitely look he has lost some weight but he still needs to lose more. He tweaked his leg during an 11-on-11 drill late in practice on a hot day but appeared to be OK.

During the 11-on-11 work, the first-team defense had one switch, with Jarrod Franklin playing the nickel spot and Taris Shenall playing free safety instead of the reverse. They may be double training both guys are considering a change there, something we'll find out during the rest of spring practice. Parry Nickerson manned one corner, while Stephon Lofton subbed for a hobbled Donnie Lewis at the other corner spot. Lewis dressed but did not have a helmet. I short-shrifted Lofton in my pre-spring preview because he appears to be one of the top four corners. The normal third corner, P.J. Hall, practiced in a red no-contact jersey.

The linebackers were Zach Harris, back from a minor injury, and Rae Juan Marbley.

Ade Aruna continued to get work inside rather than at end, playing next to Sean Wilson, with Luke Jackson at end. I didn't catch the other end.

The second team defense had Will Harper and Sean Harper at safety and Eric Lewis and John Helow at cornerback. Remember, with Thakarius Keyes and Lewis out along with Hall not being cleared for 11-on-11 work, the Wave is thin at the position during the spring. The second-team linebackers were Larry Bryant and Lawrence Graham, with walk-on Sam Davis working at nickelback.

The first-team offensive line was Tyler Johnson, Leeward Brown, Diaz, Dominique Briggs and Devon Johnson, who was subbing for John Leglue. Don't read anything into that. The second-team group was Keyshawn McLeod, Leeward Brown again, Hunter Knighton, Briggs and Leglue. John Washington dressed but did not practice with a minor injury.

Aruna looked quick, overpowering his man while pushing right back to the quarterback a couple of times. It was hard to get a read on the others since it was a live drill and tackling was not allowed.

Running back Darius Bradwell turned in the highlight catch of the day, adjusting for a pass thrown behind him down the sideline from Jonathan Banks and making a diving grab to haul it in. Bradwell, who missed the last two practices with a hip flexor injury, admitted he was not 100 percent, but he gave 100 percent effort.

Banks looked good in the 7-on-7 work, hooking up with Jabril Clewis on an intermediate sideline route despite not having much space to get the ball to him and completing a deep ball to walk-on Rocky Ferony over the head of Eric Harris. Glen Cuiellette was sharp, too, hitting Darnell Mooney on a down and out just inbounds and connecting with Clewis over the middle before overthrowing Clewis on a deeper route.

Johnathan Brantley, working with assorted walk-ons, opted for shorter gains on dump-offs, but he did not have many options. On his first play, he held the ball for an eternity waiting for anyone to get free before hitting walk-on Andrew Zuckerman.

In 11-on-11, Banks got the first crack. He hit Mooney on a deep sideline route, with Mooney adjusting to catch it over the wrong shoulder. Later, he tossed a touchdown to Clewis on a deep ball, beating Nickerson--sort of. The ball actually was underthrown and Nickerson ran too deep, allowing Clewis free reign to haul it in and score.

Harris had nice penetration on a blitz. He needs to stay healthy for the rest of spring because he needs the reps and can be a very good player in the fall.

Brian Webb was on crutches with a right knee injury. He was not expected to be a significant factor in the spring and certainly won't be now. Wide receiver Andrew Hicks dressed but was just an observer and will not practice this spring as he recovers from his second torn ACL in less than a year.

Every single practice, Fritz administers a tackling drill to get guys comfortable with it. On Tuesday, he had one defender run forward and be the tackling dummy for someone else, telling them to "track that near hip" and "tackle through him, not to him." At one point, he yelled to no one in particular, "We gotta have that sensation of body to body tackling, two arms around two legs."

Afterward, he elaborated.

"It's very beneficial," he said. "We want to get that body-to-body precision of tackling because we don't do it in (a live drill). It can really hurt you if you don't do it, big time. We went this last year, we had one of my guys do the statistical data, and I think we went from 32.6 percent missed tackles in 2015 to 15.4. We cut it in half. To me, we're verifying that this is the way to do it, and we're getting better at it."

Here's the rest of Fritz:

On Darius Bradwell:

"He can do a lot of stuff for us. He can be a really versatile player because he's one of the few running backs we have who also is big enough where he can block and we don't have to substitute. He can run the ball, catch the ball and block somebody. He's a physical guy. There's a lot of things he can do. If he keeps improving, he'll be 240, 245 and run fast. They rare always looking for guys like that in the NFL. They are hard to find. And he has very good hands. He also can help us in the kicking game. There's a bunch of stuff he can do there."

On the depth at running back:

"It's good. Lazedrick Thompson and Josh Rounds were very good players, but it's still a deeper position for us. Stephon Huderson has picked things up extremely well. It was a good move for him to get in hear early. We moved Darius over there. We were able to do some things with Corey Dauphine, even though he's not going to be eligible, and that saves some legs on the other guys. Dontrell (Hilliard) and Sherman (Badie) both had good practices today. Hopefully we'll get Miles Strickland back pretty quickly. He's got really rare speed. We won't to see what he can do, and we have another back coming in in the fall, too."

On whether four is too many running backs:

"No.There were a few games where a guy or two was banged up and injured. Sherman was out for maybe five weeks, and then we were down to three. Those guys can do a lot of things in the kicking game. They should be some of our better athletes, so they ought to be able to play a lot of spots for us. It's just like linebackers. If you've got five linebackers, you can roll those guys if they're somewhat equal and put them in the kicking game as well."

J.P. France rebounded from a recent slump, setting career longs for innings (8.1) and pitches (127), Jake Willsey had a two-run homer and Grant Witherspoon had a two-RBI single as Tulane never trailed, clinching the series and setting itself up for a possible conference-opening sweep for the first time since 2007. Keagan Gillies earned the save after allowing a two-run blast to the first batter he faced.

TRAVIS JEWETT

What did you like best about today?

"J.P. France. We needed one from him like that and he deserved one like that, too. He works hard, is a great kid and a great teammate. Obviously the stuff's there. I'm not the pitching guy, but yesterday after the game I challenged him a little bit. I said we need the J.P. France we're all accustomed to, and this morning when we were eating lunch, I just said pitch. It's just about pitching. It's not about trying to throw the ball as hard as you can every pitch and being elevated at times. That's what he did. He was able to keep a really good offense at bay, and we were able to create enough distance there."

Why did you send him back out there in the ninth?

"Well, I thought if we could get some early strikes and some early outs that maybe we'd let him finish it. But when one guy got on, it got to a pitch count I was not comfortable with anymore because I love these kids. I wanted to be cognitive of his arm and his season and his future, but he's a bulldog in there. It looked like every time I think about taking him out, he's got a bat in his hand and is thinking about taking my knees out. I just trusted him and the competitive nature of him. I'm around him every day. He loves being at the ballpark, the kids trust him and I trust him. It got to the point where I felt it was enough, and I feel good, too, with Keagan. Keagan's starting to get a little bit of a role coming out of the bullpen and stop-gapping some stuff for us. Today we stayed with him to finish it."

What did it say about him that he gave up that home run in the ninth but still got the next two outs for the save?

"It showed a lot about his mentality and really how far he's come. I don't know if he would have been able to do that in the fall, but these are all just experiences. That's what I'm trying to do with all these guys out of the bullpen--just try to get their feet dirty, so to speak. He keeps coming. About two or three weeks ago at a bullpen on a day where there was nobody around, he just kind of had a different look and was a little bit more intent, and that's the way he's pitching, so the believability is a little bit up and that's just because he's getting more touches. That's anyone. When you get more experience, you get more comfortable.

"To be honest with you, you don't ever say giving up a home run's a good thing, but that ends a rally and starts it all over again.You can just take a deep breath with a lead and nobody on. We lined the defense well out there late with one out. We pitched to the defense. We had Country (first baseman Hunter Williams) on the line and got the ball right there, and then he made the big pitch to finish it (an infield pop)."

You got the lead with the two-run home run in the third on your first scoring chance. Is that the difference between this team and earlier in the year?

"Yeah, but it all starts with France. Just the fact that we could play a game on a Saturday where we're not chasing a bunch of runs and everybody can stay in it. Those two guys going against other today, that's two good arms. That (USF pitcher) was up to 95 (miles per hour) and once he develops the secondary stuff a little bit better--I felt the change up was really good--but you're not going to go out and hang 10 on those arms. It just takes at-bats and seeing pitches and understanding his velocity and all that kind of stuff."

Three more double plays today. How much is your infield defense helping you right now?

"Yeah, it's unbelievable. The ability to turn a double play changes the complexion of an inning and changes the complexion of a game. We've got guys all around that dirt out there the pitchers trust, and if they can get the ball down in the zone and get the ball down on the ground, we can cover some turf and have the ability and give a good uphill feed that we like to talk about and Jake and Sal (Gozzo) can spin the heck out of it. We spend a lot of time turning double plays."

Chase Solesky has been nothing but good for you, but pitching on a Sunday is a new role. What do you expect from him?

"My anticipation is that when somebody does something once, you still don't know. When they do it twice, you think, and when they do it three and four and five times, you start to think this is probably a little bit about who he is. But I will try to stress to him tonight and tomorrow to not make the situation any more than on a Tuesday or coming in relief or all the successes that he's had. He doesn't have to throw harder or do anything different. He just has to continue to do what he's done to this point to be successful. Grabbing the strike zone is what he does well, and if he continues to do that, we'll have a pretty good chance."

The opening is the same as the rushed story I sent to The Advocate (although I corrected USF's record, which is wrong in the paper unless an editor caught it), but I expanded it with extra quotes from Jewett, Willsey and Kaplan.

The people ripping Jewett's decision-making will have to praise him tonight because just about every move he made paid off. Of course, when a team is playing well, it sort of works out that way, and when a team isn't, it's hard to make the right move. But it will be interesting to see if he gets any credit from what has been an angry mob.

For the last 10 games, the hitting has been better than it was last year (.290 battling average, more than 6 runs per game as compared to .265 and slightly less than 6 runs), and it does not appear to be just a brief uptick. Witherspoon, Kaplan, Williams, Hoese and DeHart are good hitters for the most part (Spoon and Williams are great hitters), the Gozzo twins are OK at the plate and Willsey can't possibly hit as poorly as he did in the first six weeks.

Assuming Tulane won't go into another slump, let's look at the pitching.

Tulane needs either Merrill or France to start dominating like the starting staff did last year. I'm a huge believer in Solesky, who is mature beyond his years, so having two reliable weekend starters would put the Wave in the same territory as last year, when the elder Massey was erratic. I'm not counting on anything from Ross Massey, so his recapturing his form would be a bonus.

The bullpen is never going to be above average this year, but if three guys can become reasonably reliable, the Wave will be in similar shape to a year ago, when it also had a shaky bullpen. What can't happen is the walk and wild pitch and hits batsman parades that have occurred all year. Out of the group of Issa, Colletti, Witherspoon, Gillies and Bjorngjeld, they have guys who potentially can get it done. Eighth and ninth-inning leads will be nervous time, but they don't have to be losing time.

Although Tulane made three errors against LSU, the defense is good enough as a whole. Willsey is excellent at turning double plays. Sal Gozzo made a tremendous play against LSU. The outfielders are adequate, and Paul Gozzo, though hardly a finished product, has improved tremendously as a defensive catcher.

I don't think the scenario I just laid out is a pipe dream. Merrill is not a 4.50-plus ERA guy. Solesky has all the makings of an outstanding Sunday starter. I worry a little more about France because he has been hit harder than Merrill, but he is capable of pitching better.

Tonight's game is the most important of the year, and this weekend series is the most important of the year. Tulane, which has an RPI of 205), must win 2 of the 3 against USF if it is going to dig itself out of the massive hole it created.

Here's a scouting report on the AAC:

South Florida
(preseason coaches pick: 6 out of 8)
RPI: 13

The Bulls have been dominant on the mound and terrific at the plate against a weak schedule that featured only two road games, so we don't really know what Mark Kingston has. They were not expected to be contenders.

Houston (19-5)
(preseason coaches pick: 2)
RPI: 7

The Cougars are hitting .305, but the real story is their lights-out pitching with a 2.11 ERA against a tough schedule. They have given up more than five runs once this year. Seth Romero, Mitch Ullom and John King are a formidable weekend rotation (and midweek starter Trey Cumbie has an 0.74 ERA). Tulane has to play this team six times. Yikes.

East Carolina (18-8)
(preseason coaches pick: 1)
RPI: 48

The Pirates were overrated entering the year because they won a regional last season, but they are still dangerous, leading the AAC in batting average while struggling a bit on the mound. They've been swept in weekend series twice this year, first at Ole Miss to start the year and more alarmingly by Mercer at home earlier this month. Saturday starter Trey Benton (3-0, 2.27 ERA) has been their most reliable pitcher.

UCF (20-6)
(preseason coaches pick: tie 7th)
RPI: 65

The Knights were supposed to be bad, and although the jury is still out considering 13 of their 26 games have been against teams outside the RPI top 100, they beat Florida 11-2 a day after losing to the Gators 4-3. That's impressive. Robby Howell, their ace last year, has been good again (4-0, 2.17), and Saturday starter Juan Pimentel has posted terrific numbers (5-1, 1.29). We'll know a lot more about UCF in the next few weeks.

Connecticut (13-9)
(preseason coaches pick: 4th)
RPI: 69

The Huskies have not played a home game yet after their home opener earlier this week was canceled due to unplayable field conditions. They have not been overly impressive on the road, taking 1 of 3 at Texas (with the lone win by 1 run and the two losses by the combined score of 13-4) and at BYU. Nothing stands out about this team, although the pitching came around against Seton Hall last weekend (three games, four runs).

Cincinnati (12-12)
(preseason coaches pick: 5th)
RPI: 152

The Bearcats, who were surprisingly good last year, have pitched OK but been miserable at the plate with a league-worst .233 average and 104 runs. They've done fairly well against the better teams on their schedule, splitting home-and-home with Indiana and Kentucky, beating Louisville and winning one of three at Tennessee. But they lost weekend series to Northwestern State, Charleston and Arkansas State.

Memphis (16-8)
(preseason coaches pick: tie 7th)
RPI : 115

The Tigers have been better than anticipated, sweeping a home and home against Ole Miss and winning two of three at Missouri State. Their team numbers are mediocre, thought, with decent pitching, poor hitting and worse fielding. They don't have a dominant pitcher, with Saturday starter Drew Crosby boasting the best ERA at 3.16.

A lot of people don’t like RPI for a number of good and not so good reasons. With relatively few games played, RPI gives far too much credit for “strength of schedule” so that a team that is 0-10 at the start of the season could still have a decent RPI if teams they were playing had very strong records. Another complaint that has early season resonance, to me at least, is the fact that a close win (or loss) counts as much as a 17-0 ”blow out.” In the previous example, that 0-10 team could have lost 10 in row on the road in extra innings or lost 10 in a row at home by a cumulative 150-1. They’d be rated the same. BTW, had they won any games, the location (home or away) would make a small difference.

But, baseball is a day-to day game, not a cumulative score game, so I’m not too concerned about individual score-differential in baseball. That a team wins 17-0 one day and loses three other “close” games to that same team does not suggest to me that the better team lost three out of four. One good pitcher or one bad pitcher does not make a “team.” And, one or two good or bad series do not make a season; not in baseball.

Another surprising misconception by some is that somehow certain teams start with a better RPI than others. Not true. Everyone starts out at .0000. The primary reason that the Big 12, SEC, PAC 12, ACC, and AAC are ranked #1-5 in RPI is not that they were given a “leg up” at the start; it’ sbecause they have the best win-lost records out of conference this year: Big 12 (.7135), SEC (.7185), PAC 12 (.6595), ACC (.6816), and AAC (.6650). They will probably play roughly 75% of their remaining games against teams in their own conference in which those strong win-loss records will be factored into future RPI calculations as “opponent’s record.” Thus, most schools in those conferences will see their “strength of schedule” continue to improve while those in many other conferences will be facing much weaker schedules and see their strength of schedule decline.

The other complaint I hear is that opponents’ records and the record of their opponents count too much. And it is true, of course, that a team’s own record counts 25% of RPI and the opponents’ record counts 50%. But, on closer look, what does that mean? We play 55 games this year. And those games individually count for about .0045454 of the overall RPI calculations (.25 ÷ 55). Similarly, since our 55 opponent play about 52 games each (not counting Tulane), a total of 2704 games, they individually only count for .0001849 of the overall RPI (.5 ÷ 2704). That means each game we play counts almost 25 times as much as each game the opponent plays over the course of the year. And opponents’ opponents’ individual games only account for a miniscule .0000015 of the final calculation(3,000 times less than our own games). Of course, that’s after a 55 game season, not a much shortened schedule.

So, I think RPI is a valuable tool. It undoubtedly ranks teams better, at least for baseball, than any other computer-generated ranking system, since it involves so many more games. No one can watch every game played by 300 teams or even a small fraction of them. And even its detractors tend to use strength of schedule and opponent’s RPI’s (two different calculations) to judge the quality of a team’s opposition. In the end, when the NCAA chooses “at large” teams, using whatever “eyeball” test they choose, the correlation between those chosen and RPI will be very high. Is it because they use RPI to make their determination? Or is it because RPI reflected their judgement? It really doesn’t matter that much. Teams with “top 45” RPIs and losing records will still miss the cut and two or three teams with 45+ RPIs but excellent records or strong finishes will make it. In the end, of the 33 “at large” teams chosen, the best RPIs will make up all but a very few.

Roll Wave!!!

Willie Fritz was pleased with the intensity of Tulane's Friday practice in a rare spring back-to-back after a Thursday workout, but he was not as happy with the execution of his quarterbacks and receivers. The Green Wave, which finished dead last in Division I in passing efficiency last year, still has a long way to go in the passing game.

"We have to get better in that area," Fritz said. "We have to be able to protect better and we have to be able to throw more accurately and we've got to get open. The beauty of the option is you get a lot of man-to-man coverage and people's eyes wander and they start looking back in the backfield, and if you get a little play-action that's halfway decent, you are going to have some receivers wide open. We're starting to get that a little bit."

Jonathan Banks was less accurate than on Thursday, throwing a deep ball well over Devin Glenn's head, overshooting a receiver in the middle and throwing behind Jacob Robertson on consecutive plays during an 11-on-11 drill at the end of the practice. Other than Terren Encalade, the receivers did not get much separation. Encalade was part of the two prettiest plays of the day, leaping to haul in one touchdown pass and running a nice post pattern to score on a throw from Glen Cuiellette on the last snap.

Walk-on receiver Rocky Ferony, a sophomore from Cedar Park, Texas, keeps making these reports, but Friday it was not for anything he did. It was for what happened to him. He got tackled twice in what is supposed to be a non-tackling drill in shorts and pads. First, Roderic Teamer knocked him down for no reason on a play, and then he got taken down on a reverse. There have been several instances of players hitting guys in the spring when they were not supposed to, but I don't Fritz minds. He wants an aggressive mentality out there, and as long as no one gets hurt, he appears to be OK with it. Teamer drew the ire of the former defensive coaches as a true freshman for hitting guys in practice, and he can be an intimidator.

In general, the defense dominated the 11-on-11, although it is hard to get a gauge on running plays when they aren't tackling. But whatever was bothering running back Dontrell Hilliard near the end of 2016 has disappeared. He looks quick and fast on the practice field, showing the form that made him Tulane's best running back for much of the last three years. All of the healthy running backs look good, including Corey Dauphine, who is listed as five pounds lighter than Sherman Badie and the same height but looks bigger. Darius Bradwell and Miles Strickland sat out the practice again with injuries but could be back when the teams returns from spring break.

A defensive player taking advantage of an injury is Larry Bryant, working with the first team while Zach Harris sits out. Bryant, an under-the-radar recruit in 2016 who had zero stars from Rivals, played primarily on special teams as a raw true freshman and did not look good at all when he got time at linebacker a year ago, but he is a different player now. Fritz said he really liked him Thursday, and it's easy to see why. The linebackers have a huge task replacing Nico Marley, but Bryant, Harris and Rae Juan Marbley have the potential to be good. Check out my interview with Bryant below.

Most of the jobs on the offensive line are wide open, which they should be considering the mediocrity up front last year (which still qualified as a significant improvement from the past four seasons). The addition of Dominique Briggs and Hunter Knighton definitely has helped create competition.

"They are both smart guys," Fritz said. "Both of them are really good students and they've picked things up quickly, but there's a difference between picking it up and actually going out there and applying that while you're on the field. They're getting it. They're going in the right direction. We've got a couple of guys (on the offensive line) that are starters--Leglue and Junior probably when he gets back--otherwise we have a lot of competition. We have Tyler Johnson and John Washington and Leeward Brown and Hunter Knighton and Dominique Briggs and then I've been impressed with Keyshawn McLeod, some of the things he's done, so we've got some competition for those five spots, which we didn't have last year. I think we brought six offensive linemen for the last game (at UConn)."

As he said earlier in the week, Fritz lauded the versatility of Briggs and Knighton.

"Both of them could play all three spots," he said. "They have good enough feet. They could play tackle. We're playing them at guard, and they both have experience snapping the football. The more guys you have that can do more things, the better off you are. It really helps with your depth. What you hope you get into when you're playing your season is you have two centers that are just focusing on being a center, three guards and three tackles. If you have eight guys that you feel good about, that's pretty good depth."

Fritz likes all of the newcomers, a list that includes Banks, Dauphine, Stephon Huderson and Jabril Clewis as Tulane seeks dramatic improvement on offense.

"They've done a good job," he said. "It's a two-way street when a new guy comes in. We want to embrace that guy, but they also have to embrace us. Some guys think it's a one-way street, and they've all done a good job of embracing the program and getting to know their teammates. All of them feel really comfortable. I've been impressed with Huderson, especially the last couple days. He's starting to figure it out, and that's even a more drastic move going from high school to college rather than junior college to a four-year university. These other guys have left the house and know about that part."

Huderson looked a little lost in the first few practices but ran with more authority Friday. Earlier in the week, Fritz had to yell at him to finish a play when he stopped too early. He's a physical specimen already, belying his 5-foot-9, 190-pound size. We've already reported his incredible totals in the weight room without the benefit of having a college weight training program until January.

"He comes from a great (high school program at Petal High in Mississippi), so he's got a great background," Fritz said. "And then he's got genetics. That's the other part of it. He's naturally strong."

Knighton, who had that near-tragic collapse during a spring workout at Miami in 2014 when his temperature spiked to 109 degrees and he went into a coma, really wants to contribute in his final year of college. I'll have to see a couple of scrimmages before evaluating him, but he's definitely in the mix. Before Tulane accepted him, they made sure he was physically OK.

"We had our doctors call their doctors, we had our trainers call their trainers and we talked to their coaches," Fritz said. "You only have 85 scholarships, and we wanted to make sure he was going to be a guy who could come in here and compete and play. He'd gone through really a season and a half, so it wasn't like the first time he had practiced. He came in, we had a good visit and you could tell he was really hungry to continue his playing career. He also wanted to get his masters."

Given Fritz' statement about wanting two solid centers, three guard and three tackles, look for either Briggs or Knighton to end up at guard along with Leeward Brown and John Washington at a position that needs to be much better in 2017. His positive words about McLeod indicate he can be Tulane's third tackle along with Leglue and projected starter Tyler Johnson. If McLeod is not the answer, Knighton could end up as the third tackle. The only other candidate, Devon Johnson, never has been mentioned by Fritz since he arrived.

Fritz has liked what he seen from Tulane's first five practices. The next step is not losing focus when the team returns in a week to resume drills.

"I thought they did a good job," he said. "They all have to do a good job this week resting and recovering and then coming back ready to go and finishing with 10 really good practices. The first third of spring ball has been good. We've gotten better."

Look for several injured players to possibly return to practice when Tulane has its next workout April 4. Fritz has listed cornerback P.J. Hall, Diaz and Bradwell among the guys who might be back after a week's rest.

I know you enjoy doing those and you did a good job as usual. Thanks.

These are from Friday. Knighton is competing for a role at either center or guard, and he may end up at tackle, too, depending on the progress of other players. Willie Fritz loves his versatility.

What has it been like adjusting to a new team?

"It's been really good so far. It's a different system than we ran at Miami, but I think personally we have a great coach this year and everyone on the team has been showing me around and getting me into stuff, so it's been a really good experience so far."

What is the main thing they have been working with you on?

"I've been working at center and guard, but I played all three (offensive line positions) at Miami, so whatever they need down the road, I'm willing to do."

How does this run-heavy system fit your skill set?

"It's great. In college football you can run at a fast tempo, and the option element we have can put a lot of wrinkles that puts a defense on their heels. I like that. As a whole unit we're picking it up really well."

How much center did you play at Miami?

"I played my first two years before I got hurt at center, and then my first year back (from a near-death experience after collapsing at a spring practice in 2014) I played center and my last year I played tackle."

Walk us through the incident that happened at Miami, and what made you decide to keep playing after that?

"First of all, there's kind of a misconception it was some freak thing. I was sick that day. It wasn't hot or anything like that. Going forward, I knew if I wasn't sick, I'd be fine. So after I rehabbed and all that stuff, I really was able to put that stuff behind me. I really enjoy this game. I like hanging out with my teammates and the grind we put in every day. I've really happy to be back with that."

How scary was that day for you?

"I don't remember a whole lot because I blacked out. The memory kind of freaked me out for a while. You don't realize how close to death you were, especially when other people were telling you and you're like, wow, that really happened. I'm very fortunate. Every year there are kids that die from heat strokes playing football, so I'm very fortunate and even more fortunate to still be able to play."

Why did you transfer to Tulane instead of walking away from football after graduating?

"It was a great opportunity at Tulane. Education-wise, it's a great grad school. The football team's up and coming. Coach Fritz has had success other places, so I know we're going to get things right here. Really it's just the opportunity to show off my skills. I didn't really have that chance to play at Miami that much. I played a little bit, but I really just wanted to be somewhere I could play. That's the ultimate goal, to be a contributor to the team on Saturdays."

What's your grad program?

MBA.

I sure hope all these rumors about Jewett are not true, but clearly something is wrong. Dannen passing on AC looks even worse now.