I don't have the list yet, but I hear there are going to be about five players for the final weekend. I hope to post that information no later than tomorrow morning.

Here's some short background on Torri Singletary, the Baldwin High (Florida) DE who committed earlier today, from Jacksonville.com

Defensive end Torri Singletary has committed to Tulane. The Indians announced his commitment on the team’s Twitter account. Singletary (6-4, 215) is a three-star prospect by 247 Sports and a two-star by Rivals. He had a team-best 17 sacks, one of the highest totals on the First Coast, and finished third on the team in tackles (62).

Five players who visited last weekend have committed. Only one from the huge weekend of Jan. 13 has committed--Khalil McClain.

Good morning guys I don't know how many of you all frequent the other Tulane forums, but I figure if you are willing to pay for privilege here you probably take advantage of the free ones as well. I am noticing there is a contingent of negative fans, who are always pooping on our recruiting efforts.

I basically posted a rant after reading a couple of posts regarding our recruiting class, it's listed below...


Good morning folks, I’ve been reading some of the comments on this board regarding our recruiting rankings, how we are ”settling” for players, the incredulous “How can player X choose University Y over us?!” and other such things. And perhaps I have a different perspective but I just do not understand all the angst. Now do not get me wrong, I would love a class with nothing but 3* and 4* players, and I do think that our university is a special place. Where you can get a great education, have a good time in the city and play some “big time” football.





But is it just me, or do some of the folk on this board not understand that recruiting doesn’t happen in a vacuum? There are dozens of factors that go into a kid, and let us all remember these are 17-18 year old kids, making one of the biggest decisions of his life. Please help me understand why I should get upset because a player chooses to go to a school other than Tulane. Let’s be honest, we know most of these kids aren’t choosing schools based on academic reputation, if they were we’d be killing it. But they aren’t, actually most recruits choose the university more so because of facilities, conference affiliation, distance from home, location, tradition, program success, etc. On most occasions we are not privy to the real reason a recruit chooses a school, but I would like to think it’s not due to lack of effort from our coaching staff. When I read about fans being frustrated with our recruiting efforts and worried about who we are signing I am thinking what else are they expecting? You can’t put a gun to someone’s head and force them to go to your university…I sort of expect that kind of thinking from the fans of that cow college in baton rouge, who expect EVERY kid that grows up in Louisiana to go to their so called “institution of higher learning”, and have a fit when a kid wants to leave the state. A kid may want to go to school in Colorado, or Vegas or Tulsa (lord knows why), and although I would love for all the kids we recruit to choose Tulane I know that every kid has their reasons and while slightly disappointed that they would choose somewhere else I understand that kid is making what he feels is the best choice for himself and his family. And if that is the case, really what else is our coaching staff supposed to do? Offer cash? Blackmail? I am just unable to fathom the expectations that I have observed.



Should I be more upset when we don't get a recruit? I have been a Tulane fan for 38 years, but I just do not see a need to get upset or frustrated with a process that depends on the choices of 18 year-olds. I'd like to know your thoughts...

From Nola.com:

http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ss...nzel_smart_to_nfl.html#incart_most-readtulane

He announced that he has committed to Tulane.

He's rumored to be leaning to Miss St because he visited there on the 13-15th, but I think it's telling that he didn't immediately commit to MSU. If he loved his visit and wanted to be there (and they did offer him) then there's no point in waiting to commit.

Could we be in the running for him? He's also a standout baseball player, maybe our lure is to let him play both sports. If anyone has any input, please share.

These dates are pretty firm but should not be revealed anywhere else because Tulane is not ready to announce them, but spring football will begin Friday, March 17 and end Saturday, April 22.

They don't want to release anything until they have every practice date firmed up.

Per twitter LB Monty Montgomery from Georgia committed tonight.

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This won't be news to anyone who follows recruiting closely, but so far, five players who visited Tulane in the last two weeks committed to Tulane (Michael Scott and Khalil McClain from the first week and Corey Dublin, Monty Montgomery and Patrick Johnson from the second week) while four players who visited Tulane then committed elsewhere.

That list is juco transfer and former Boise State player Darreon Jackson (Kansas), LB Michael Robinson (Ball State), Sam Crawford (Tulsa, leaving me red-faced) and Justice Oluwaseun (UNLV).

Most of the rest remain in play.

I am beginning to question how strong is the commitment. We are having at least 3 defensive backs this weekend. (Swenson, Roberts, Duncan)

It's a much smaller list this weekend with 11 players, including one commitment in Jaylon Monroe. Here's the rundown. I put the two biggest-name recruits at the top. The others are in no particular order.

Clearly, last weekend was Tulane's marquee weekend, and don't read too much into the lack of confirmed commitments. I keep hearing the Wave had an excellent weekend, but they appear to be telling most of the players to be quiet after getting burned by losing other high-profile commitments. This weekend is for a couple of big names but mostly under-the-radar guys.

1) Kieston Roach, a 5-10, 162 pound, 3-star cornerback from Houston Northshore

Outlook: As you know, Roach already is listed as a hard commitment by 247 Sports, but an impeccable source told me it is not a done deal and will be determined by his visit this weekend. Rated the No. 48 recruit in Texas and the No. 85 CB nationally, he has offers from Purdue, Illinois and Houston. Still, I expect a Roll Wave from Houston tweet after the weekend unless Fritz is done with that after losing so many commitments.

2) Justice Oluwaseun, a 6-3, 285-pound OT from Foster High in Richmond, Texas

Background: He's a 3-star recruit according to Rivals but without many big-time offers to back up that rating. Kansas State and Kansas are the lone P5 schools to offer him. North Texas, UNLV and New Mexico State also are interested in him.

Outlook: Tulane is in the running for sure.

https://n.rivals.com/admin/prospects/181003/edit

3) Naz Bohannon, a 6-4, 215-pound DE from Lorain (Ohio)

Background: He is not in the Rivals database but is in 247 Sports and ESPN. He does not have any stars and supposedly has offers from Pittsburgh and Michigan State among others, but that can't possibly be true.

Outlook: I would guess he is a fall-back candidate in case Tulane does not get the players it wants. Ohio is not exactly fertile recruiting territory for the Wave, so it's interesting he is coming for a visit.

4) Patrick Johnson, a 6-3, 240-pound ATHLETE from Notre Dame High in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Background: He is the Rivals database but does not have any stars. I found a story that reported he received his first FBS offer from Central Michigan in October. He played tight end and defensive end for Notre Dame High.

Outlook: Another fallback candiate.

5) Tirise Barge, a 5-11, 170-pound safety from Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County High

Background: This Georgia State commitment is not in the rivals database and has zero stars from 247 Sports. He also has offers from Tulane, South Alabama and Troy.

Outlook: If the staff likes him enough, he likely will flip. He committed to Georgia State earlier this week.

6) Jamal Gates, a 6-2, 215-pound 2-star OLB from West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer

Background: He is a Colorado State commitment (Dec. 13) and supposedly has an offer from P5 Syracuse and a bunch of Group of 5 schools, including Tulane and South Florida The USF offer may not still stand. It came last March long before Charlie Strong became the coach.

Outlook: No idea. Rivals does not even list him as a Colorado State commitment, so it is unclear how strong it is.

7) Torri Singletary, a 6-4, 215-pound DE from Baldwin High in Florida

Background: He has two stars and will visit Illinois next weekend. His other offers are from Tulane, Troy and UMass, which he apparently will visit in the middle of next week.

Outlook: Depends on how much he wants to play for a P5 school that is lagging behind the rest and is in cold weather, a far cry from his hometown near Jacksonville.

8) Melton Brown, a 6-3, 250-pound DE from Louisville (Ga.) Jefferson County High

Background: He has two stars with offers from Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Southern Miss and Tulane. He played for a small school (Class 2A), lessening the intention around him, and is considered a run-stopper first. He was a second-team All-State selection as a junior. The Atlanta Journal Constitution named him Honorable Mention All-State as a senior.

Outlook: The competition is anything but steep. Depends on how much Tulane wants him.

9) Monty Montgomery, a 6-0, 200-pound ILB from Norcross High in Georgia

Background: He has two stars and only two offers from FBS programs according to Rivals, with Georgia State and Tulane in the mix. He had 118 tackles through eight games this year and had 137 tackles in 11 games last year as an OLB. Norcross won its first 11 games in Georgia's highest classification before getting crushed by Lowndes 57-21 in the second round of the playoffs.

Outlook: The knock on Montgomery is his 5-10 height. Nico Marley types are rare, but his coach at Norcross swears by him. I'm no tape watcher, but I'll let the people here who are good at judging guys off tape judge for themselves. I also included the feature story on him from a local paper.

http://www.hudl.com/profile/3937214/monty-montgomery

http://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/s...cle_f7542e68-2643-5d8a-a3b9-d9ff5c93fa4b.html

10) Corey Dublin, a 6-3, 282-pound OT from Jesuit

Background: He is in the Rivals database but with no stars. He probably already would have been offered by CJ's staff, which had a lot of interest in him when he was a junior, but as we know, Fritz is a lot more discriminating when it comes to local players. He simply does not want to take guys just because they are local, and he won't do it to placate the hurt feelings by local coaches who feel his staff is ignoring the area. They have to be big-tie prospects. Dublin was a first-team All-Metro selection by Nola.com, which named him the best OL in the Catholic League

Outlook: Don't know if he will get an offer. What do you guys think of him?

Here's his Rivals highlight video:

http://www.hudl.com/profile/2527745/corey-dublin

So it says on twitter, so let it be written.

https://twitter.com/Live2Succeeed

Here's the full list, which comes from an impeccable source:

A) Already committed

Joey Claybrook
Willie Langham
Kevin Ledee
Dane Ledford
Jaetavian Toles
Travis Tucker
K.J. Vault
Will Wallace

Notes: Tulane will give Ledford a shot at QB first. Rivals lists him as an ATHLETE. Tulane considers Langham an ATHLETE. Rivals lists him as a WR. He still ha a visit planned to Vanderbilt next weekend, and the Commodores believe they can swing him.

B) Commitments to other schools or Decommitments from other schools (alphabetical)

1) Paul Gainer, OT, 6-3, 270, Gautier, Miss

Skinny: a 3-star recruit who committed to Miss St. last spring but de-committed last week. Had no other offers from P5 schools.

2) Shaquan Griffin, DE, 6-3, 260, Glen St. Mary Baker County (Fla.)

Skinny: no stars from Rivals. Committed to Georgia Southern in November but changed his mind. Has offers from Sun Belt, MAC and CUSA schools.

3) Jakyle Holmes, RB, 5-10, 195, Ponchatoula

Skinny: 3-star recruit committed to Minnesota in December, took an official there but de-committed after the change in coaches from Claeys to Fleck. Tulane should have an excellent chance here.

4) Keirston Johnson, LB, 6-1, 207, Jacksonville Lee

Skinny: My father went to that high school in a different era a long time ago. Johnson is a two-star recruit who committed to Syracuse last summer but de-committed in August. He was a 3-star recruit at the time but has been downgraded to 2. He has visited Indiana, has an offer from Maryland and is considering a lot of schools.

5) Marvin Moody, LB, 6-3, 210, Bryant (Ark.)

Skinny: He is a current Central Arkansas commit but would decommit in a heartbeat if Tulane offers him. Obviously this one is a wait and see. No stars according to Rivals.

6) George Nyakwol, S, 6-2, 177, Eisenhower High in Houston

Skinny: This 2-star Rice commitment is an intriguing prospect. He is one of the top triple jumpers in the country, an indication of his athletic ability. He pledged to Rice last March. Some big-time programs looked at him but did not offer.

7) Cameron Sample, DE, 6-3, 235, Shiloh High in Snellville, Ga.

Skinny: A 3-star Georgia Southern former commitment who pledged in August but decommitted last week. No big-time offers.

C) Never committed anywhere (alphabetical)

1) Isaac Buell, DE, 6-4, 261, Knoxville Central (Tenn.)

Skinny: A 2-star guy with an offer from Virginia among others. Tulane has a good shot at him.

2) Sam Crawford, WR, 6-1, 193, Rockwall (Texas)

Skinny: a 3-star guy whose biggest offer is from South Florida, where assistant coach Shaun King is his primary recruiter. East Carolina also is interested. Rivals had him visiting Air Force last week, but that's impossible unless service academies are excluded from the calendar that guides everyone else. Last June, he listed Colorado State, Navy, Nevada, South Florida, Texas State, and Tulane as the frontrunners.

3) Terrence Dunlap, ATH, 5-11, 171, Maplesville (Ala.)

Skinny: a 2-star guy with offers from Rutgers, Illinois and Troy. Visit set up to Rutgers next weekend. Listed as safety by Rivals but Tulane is recruiting him as ATHLETE. Said three weeks ago he was down to Rutgers, Troy and Tulane.

4) Shannon Forman, DT, 6-2, 290, Southern Lab

Skinny: One of two Louisiana recruits among the 25 visitors this weekend, Forman is rated 2 stars and has an offer from Missouri and Colorado. Recent history says that's a problem, but at least he is from close by, so Tulane has a fighting chance. By the way, Dan Dodd is his primary recruiter at Arkansas State.

5) Tyree Gillespie, S, 6-1, 200, Ocala Vanguard (Fla.)

Skinny: a 2-star guy who will visit Tulane this weekend, Missouri next weekend and Troy the final weekend. I'm skeptical about Tulane's chances with guys who are visiting a P5 school after visiting Tulane, but we'll see. He also has an offer from Iowa State but apparently never visited after trying to set one up in the fall.

6) Ellison Hubbard, DT, 6-2, 252, Grayson High in Loganville, Ga.

Skinny: A 3-star recruit. Minnesota was the frontrunner until the coaching change. Has interest from Virginia and Rutgers. Visited Virginia in November but not clear if he was offered.

7) Khalil McClain, QB, 6-3, 210, Creekside High in Fairburn, Ga.

Skinny: He is listed as a WR by Rivals but Tulane is recruiting his strictly as a QB. Has 3 stars with offers from multiple P5 schools. Tulane's hook is the position, although McClain has said he sees himself as a wideout. Lists himself as QB/WR on his Hudl video but only two plays are at QB, and he runs both times.

8) Michael Robinson, LB, 6-1, 205, Acworth High in Allatoona, Ga.

Skinny: not in the Rivals database but in Scout and 247, which says his only D1 offer is Buffalo. I hear Indiana has some interest in him. He was a second-team Class 5A All-State as a junior when Allatoona won the state championship. They lost in the 2nd round this past year.

9) Jatarvious Whitlow, ATHLETE, 6-0, 205, Lafayette (Ala.)

Skinny: Two stars. I'm doubly skeptical when I see a guy with an Auburn offer who is visiting Tulane and UAB in the next two weeks. I'm guessing the Auburn offer no longer stands. He said in November Auburn, Tulane and UAB were his top three schools. He played QB in high school and put up some big numbers but is not considered a QB prospect for college. Auburn originally was recruiting him as a safety. Looks like it will be a Tulane-UAB battle.

D) JUCO prospect

Darreon Jackson, S, Coffeyville JC (Kansas), 6-1, 200

Skinny: Jackson has some baggage. He went to Boise State out of high school, was redshirted in 2015 and was handed a one-year suspension in May after a sexual misconduct investigation that resulted in the expulsion of the other two players allegedly involved. His father said the suspension was reduced to a semester on appeal (I have the links to the stories below), but he ended up going to Coffeyville, where he was a teammate of Tulane OL signee Dominique Briggs.

He had 94 tackles, five interceptions and six pass breakups for Coffeyville, earning honorable mention at safety in his conference (the same honor Briggs received at center).

I'm not trying to make any editorial comment by including the stories here. Draw your own conclusions.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/sport...ity/boise-state-football/article79987567.html

http://www.idahostatesman.com/sport...versity/bronco-beat-blog/article89254442.html

For anyone: have Cameron Jackel or Chase Kuerschen, two of our presumptive commitments, made official visits yet? I haven't notice it if they have. Thanks.

Roll Wave!!!!

T-P:

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ss...tors_list_for_the_j_1.html#incart_river_index

I received news on Twitter that Hunter Knighton, an 6'5" 300lb lineman from Miami is apparently transferring to Tulane...Guerry can you confirm this? Would definitely add depth and competition to the line.

Good morning all, in preparation for Spring I did a bit of analysis on the current roster (not including Feb. 1st signees)…numbers wise, barring any random casualties (academics, stupidity, etc.) we should have 70 players reporting for spring practice. 13 of those are walk-ons, with 57 scholarship athletes, including the Juco’s and Stephon Hunderson. We are ok on offense if we get everyone healthy in time for the spring, with 10 WR’s if Hicks can practice. On the o-line if Diaz and P. Woodard can get healthy we will have 10 scholarship linemen, but we only have 1 healthy scholarship TE. On D we are ok as well, although a bit thin on the line particularly at end if we don't get some of those guys back from injury. I can see why CWF wants to wait and have practice later in the spring.


Currently we are returning 9 starters on Offense (I count a starter as someone who started 2 or more games) QB – Culliette (come on Banks!), RB - Hilliard, WR -Encalade, Mooney or Johnson (ACL), TE -Adroin, OT -T. Johnson, J. Leglue, OG – L. Brown, OC – J. Diaz. That is a TON of experience returning, and hopefully the additions of Jonathan Banks and Dominique Briggs at QB and OG will if nothing else improve competition and hopefully they will become starters.


On Defense we are also returning at least 12 guys who started two or more games including the entire secondary (if Parry stays), two linebackers in Marbley and Harris who have started games for us and ¾’s of the D-line (depending on the health of Kennedy). Although the losses are big, in Marley and especially Tanzel Smart, I think we are in pretty good shape going into next season. DE – Aruna, Kennedy DT- Wilson, Washington LB – Marbley & Harris DB – Shenall, D. Lewis, P. Nickerson, J. Franklin and R. Teamer. (Of note, PJ Hall started two games at CB, and E. Washington started 1)



Even all the specialists return…although we gotta find someone who will catch a punt consistently.



QB - 4 (1)

Brantley, Culliette, Banks, Hurst

RB - 8 (2)

Badie, Bradwell, Hilliard, Strickland, Zuckerman, Bertrand, Hunderson, Dauphine*

WR - 10 (3)

Encalade, Glenn, Robertson, Fenroy, Hicks, Owens (1 start), Mooney, Thomas, Newman, Clewis, Johnson (ACL)

TE -3 (1)

Adroin, Camissa, Jones II (Ankle)

OT - 4

T. Johnson, D. Johnson, P. Woodard (inj), J. Leglue

OG - 4

Brown, Webb, Briggs, Washington

C - 2

Diaz (Ankle), McCleod

DE - 6

Jackson,Carroll, Woullard, Aruna, Kennedy,Williams

DT/DL - 5

Williams, Rainey,B. Edwards, E. Washington, S. WILSON

LB - 6 (1)

Townsend, Grahm, Fitzwater, Bryant, Harris, Marbley

Nickel - 1

Shenall

CB -7 (1)

Jackson, PJ Hall, Keyes, D. Lewis, Nickerson, Helow, Lofton

S/DB -7(1)

S. Harper, W. Harper, Napoleon, E. Lewis, Teamer, J. Franklin, Davis

And it's not from anyone who was listed as an official visitor this weekend.

Michael Scott, a 3-star LB from Tallahassee North Florida Christian whom Tulane recruited as a DE, committed today on his unofficial visit. He had offers from Georgia Tech, Illinois, Louisville, Utah and South Florida among others. He is the first 3-star commitment in this class.

MaxPreps has him with 64 tackles and 11 tackles for loss this past year. North Florida Christian went 7-4 and lost in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

His bio: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/10778

His 2016 Hudl Highlights;

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I do not have confirmation that Roach, listed as a 3-star recruit by Rivals, is a commitment.

I do have confirmation he will take his official visit on Jan. 20 and he wants to sign with Tulaneat this point, but I do not think it is certainty he will be part of the class. Have this on good authority.

There definitely will not be a Roll Wave tweet coming from you know who until then.

The most impressive stat was 21 assists on 26 baskets. Malik Morgan had eight assists but continued to struggle to score while Kain Harris had a career-high 27 points off the bench. They both helped Tulane win in incredibly different ways.

Tulane also forced 19 turnovers. USF is really, really bad, but this still was a step in the right direction. The Wave is developing an identity as a team that gets turnovers.

It's definitely shaping up as a huge recruiting weekend for Tulane with three weeks to go before Signing Day. The Wave has to recoup the losses it has been sustaining, with OT Charlie Clark the latest to depart as he flipped to Georgia Tech over the weekend.

Either Wednesday or Thursday I will post the list of confirmed visitors for the weekend as well as providing some notes and updates. Tulane has fallen to No. 98 in the Rivals recruiting rankings in what is shaping up as a rough year for the AAC on the recruiting trails, although there is still time to change that. No AAC team is in the top 40, with Memphis topping the list at 48 followed by UCF (52), ECU (59), Houston and USF (tied at 72), Navy and SMU (tied at 74), Cincinnati (82), Temple (84), Tulsa (85), Tulane and UConn (outside of top 99).

Kain Harris has shot pretty well for Tulane in November and January, providing a nice spark off the bench, but Malik Morgan continues to start despite struggling with his shot.

Don't look for that lineup to change Wednesday in a winnable game at South Florida. When I talked to Mike Dunleavy yesterday, he explained his rationale. I happen to agree with it, although I understand the opposing sentiment.

"There’s other areas of the game (besides shooting)," Dunleavy said. "One of the big differences for him (Harris) is he’s got a great body. He should be a great rebounder. He hasn’t shown that. Malik’s a terrific rebounder. That’s the differential. It’s my balancing act. It’s not a clear decision one versus the other. They both do things that we need, but they both have to improve in areas."

Harris, to this point, has been a scorer, averaging 11.1 points, and nothing else. He is averaging a paltry 1.4 rebounds despite playing more than 20 minutes per game.

Morgan, who is not as good an athlete as Harris but exhibits much better court sense, is averaging 6.4 rebounds. He also has a team-high 53 assists, 22 more than anyone else, while Harris has two. That's right, two.

Morgan definitely needs to shoot better. He is 34.6 percent overall and a miserable 11 of 51 on 3s. The problem is even though he came out of high school to LSU with the reputation as a good shooter, his form is bad. Here's Dunleavy on that topic:

"At times it’s shot selection. He doesn’t have the picture-perfect shot, so in that regard there are limitations to the consistency with which you can make shots. Clearly if you are a student of shooting, you know there’s a form. It could be golf. It could be baseball. He has his elbow out, leaning back, there’s all kinds of different things involved in his shot. But that doesn’t matter. Kevin Durant doesn’t have a perfect shot either. He shoots it from the side of his face but up top the finish and everything else is pretty perfect, and mainly the ball goes in.

Growing up, probably the form you would never teach but you haven’t seen before is a guy named Dick Barnett. He used to kick his legs out from under him. His heels would kick himself in the butt as he shot the ball, but the ball went in. He was a terrific shooter. If you can make it go in however you do it, that’s the name of the game. But when you’re trying to help somebody get better, you see the flaws in the balance and the consistency going up straight. You shoot the ball straight, finish at the top, get a good follow-through with good backspin on the ball."

Harris had a rough December but a legitimate excuse for his issues. He played through an injured wrist on his shooting hand that forced him to miss the Southern game. He was 4 for 18 from the floor in four games through Christmas. In November and since Christmas, he is 49 of 105 (46.7 percent) overall and 24 of 50 on 3s (48.0 percent). Coming off the bench, he can give Tulane the hot hand it desperately needs.

"I would not say never about anything," Dunleavy said about considering starting Harris. "As far as how we play, you’ll see more minutes when somebody performs better. If there’s a flip there, there’s a flip there."

From what I've seen, Tulane has six winnable games remaining--the two against USF, the two against East Carolina and the two against Tulsa. I'm certainly not saying the Wave is going to win them, just that it's conceivable. The other nine appear out of reach--two against SMU, Houston and Temple, home games with UConn and Cincinnati and at Memphis.

We’re fast approaching our first practice for the 2017 baseball season and I think the team has to answer a number of key questions to reach the NCAA regionals or beyond this year.

Pitching
Over the past five years, our top three pitchers each year (based on innings pitched) threw roughly half of our total innings. Our top six threw about 77% of the innings. And the next four, rounding out the top 10, threw another 18%. Thus, 10 pitchers threw about 95% of our innings. Others threw the final 5%, usually in “mop up” rolls. These statistics were remarkably consistent year to year and I doubt they’ll change significantly in the coming season.

Looking forward to 2017, barring injuries, most of us anticipate that Merrill, France, and Massey will be our top three pitchers and, based on history and barring injury, will contribute about half our innings pitched. Where we get the other half of innings is anyone’s guess at this point, since four of our top contributors last year are gone to professional baseball and two other departees were in last year’s “top 10.” We need at least one more starter, preferably two, and a couple reliable relievers, including a solid closer to have the kind of pitching staff necessary for a Regional birth and realistic chance to move on. Colletti and Bjorngjeld were inconsistent last year, but provide some experience and I heard good things in the fall about freshmen pitchers, Chase Solesky and Robert Price, but we need a lot of help on the mound . The potential appears to be there. We’ll have to see. To me, it’s the #1 question mark regarding this team’s success this year.

Defense
An old baseball axiom contends that good teams are “strong up the middle.” And the Tulane team of 2016 was that. We had “All-American” level defense at catcher and shortstop, and generally good fielding pitching. Center field was probably below average for a good college team as Witherspoon, Brown, and Carthon all split time in center. None was particularly good. Williams and Hope at the corner infield positions were very solid, as was Willsey at second base. Kaplan was a solid right fielder, though, due to injury, his arm was not what it had been the previous year. Left field was a problem defensively as Carthon and DeHart played most of the innings in left with decidedly mixed results.

That brings us to this year. We still have a problem in the outfield finding a really good centerfielder and a defensively adequate left fielder. If Kaplan’s arm has not returned to previous form, he might move to left field but right field, in my opinion, is the next most important outfield position after center. Kaplan in left, Witherspoon in center, and Brown in right would probably be a better defensive outfield than we fielded last year, but still not of top quality. Will a freshman be able to move in? Can DeHart improve enough or hit well enough to play every day in the outfield? Important questions to be answered.

On the infield, Williams, Willsey, and Hope would make us solid defensively at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, but leave a giant hole at shortstop. Who will play there? To me, that’s one of the other key questions that need answering for a successful season. If Willsey moves over, that will mean a major drop-off at shortstop and probably second base as well. Can a freshman handle the position? Edwards looked really good for a few games last year and then fell apart. Regardless, he’s gone. Big issue, and that’s even before replacing Alemais’ bat and base-running.

Catcher is the third big question in my view and, some could argue, the biggest. Rogers was the best defensive catcher we’ve seen at Tulane in my memory, and that goes back over 50 years. His throwing, in particular, was exceptional and, from what I hear of fall practice, none of our current three catchers could throw well at all. Turning singles and walks into “men on second” would be a major problem for our pitching staff and our entire season. Who will be our every day catcher is a big issue.

Hitting
We didn’t lose a lot from last year’s team in the batter’s box, but what we did lose will be hard to replace. We could write Alemais’ name in at leadoff spot every game and he led the team in hitting. Rogers only hit .261, but he led the team in on-base percentage. And Carthon, hard to believe, was second on the team among qualified batters, hitting .270. The three of them also stole 37 of our 55 bases last season (67.2%), with Rogers going an astounding 13 for 14. Though nowhere near the fastest, he simply was our best base runner from a “taking advantage of the situation” standpoint.

We still have a lot coming back. Williams, due to an early season injury, missed a lot of games but hit .294 with 9 HR’s. He had a really good summer and should be a fixture this season. Montalbano (.269/12 HR’s), Hope (.267/14 HR’s), and Willsey (.265/10 HR’s) added some “pop” to the lineup we haven’t seen in a while. But Hope and Willsey, in particular, need to make more contact. They both struck out far too often. Add in Witherspoon (.270/3 HR’s) and Kaplan (.253/4 HR’s) and we have a number of returning veterans, who, with some improvement in their numbers, could provide the core of a solid lineup. Rowland, who hit .324 last season in only 34 at bats apparently had a great fall after an awful summer campaign. Is there any place for him on the field? His defense is very suspect and, depending on Montalbano’s status, DH might not be available either. The other two returning veterans, DeHart (.182/1 HR) and Brown (.184/3 HR’s) were major disappointments last year. Can they come back? And what about the freshmen? Brandon Fraley probably had the most “hype” coming in but was unavailable in the fall. Kobi Owen, Kody Hoese, and Sal Gozzo had some good reviews during the fall also, but, as freshmen, it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll do.

Coaching
Coach Jewitt comes in with great recommendations and an outstanding resume as an assistant coach. Of course that is not the same as being a head coach and many Tulane fans have already seemingly turned on him primarily because they wanted Cannizaro to be chosen. Whatever the view, that ship has sailed. As noted, Jewitt has inherited an experienced roster, almost all dating from the Jones era as David Pierce brought in very little that contributed in either of his two years here. Frankly, Witherspoon and, to a lesser degree, Trevor Simms, are about the only ones I can think of. Duester was signed by Jones and I’m virtually positive that Ross Massey also committed to Jones. Regardless, I thought Pierce got more out of the team than the Jones staff did and it will be interesting to see how Jewitt does. With no history as a head coach, that is clearly another big question mark.

Anyway, baseball is a long season and I, for one, am looking forward to its start.

Roll Wave!!

With Tulane leading Memphis 7-6 on Oct. 14, Lazedrick Thompson ripped off a 36-yard run to the Tigers 46 in the second quarter.

I remember it well because Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan, who was sitting next to me in the Yulman Stadium press box, turned to me and said, “Tulane is going to win this game.”

I said I agreed wholeheartedly. Tulane appeared to be whipping Memphis on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Thompson proceeded to gain 6 yards on consecutive plays before Glen Cuiellette connected with Darnell Mooney for 23 yards on a slant, giving the Green Wave a first down at the Memphis 11.

Around that time, a student writer wondered aloud how anyone could have ranked Tulane as low as 11th in the American Athletic Conference weekly poll, which was the Wave’s spot entering the Memphis game despite a 3-2 start. I asked him what the heck he was talking about because I’d never heard of an AAC poll, only to find out eventually there not only was a blogger’s poll but also a media poll, with the Nola.com beat writer participating instead of the Advocate beat writer (me) even though he had just come on the beat. But enough about my paranoia.

The point of this rambling memory: nothing is certain in college football.

Two incomplete passes, a penalty and a completion for a 6-yard loss moved the ball back to the 22, where Andrew DiRocco was wide left on a 39-yard field goal. After an exchange of punts, Memphis moved 65 yards for a touchdown in six plays, scoring easily on a screen pass when Darrell Henderson cut across the field and outraced everyone to the end zone.

Tulane did not score again until 47 seconds were left in the game, going three-and-out on four consecutive possessions in the second half while the Tigers built an insurmountable 24-7 lead. The Wave then lost 50-27 at Tulsa in a game that was not even as close at that lopsided score indicated and never again looked like the team Jeff Duncan and I thought would beat 4-1 Memphis and go to a bowl midway through the second quarter of a mid-October night.

Willie Fritz has a lot of work to do to change the culture at Tulane and build a winner after years of losing, but there were signs even this season of a turnaround. The Wave appeared to be every bit Memphis’ equal before the offense went kaput, and Tulane still managed to run for more than 228.1 yards per game—the biggest yearly increase for any team in the country—despite having little threat of the pass and a below-average offensive line.

Remember, Temple went 2-10 in Matt Rhule’s first year –2013—and did not have any hellacious recruiting classes in its ascension to AAC runner-up in 2015 and overall champion this season.

Memphis went 3-9 in Justin Fuente’s second year, losing its final two games to that same 2013 Temple team 41-21 and to 3-9 Connecticut 45-10. Again, Fuente turned it around really fast without the benefit of top-notch recruiting classes on paper, tying for the league championship in 2014 and rising all the way to the fringe of the Associated Press top 10 midway through 2015.

Tulane’s 4-8 finish was exactly what I predicted in the Advocate’s college football special section, which ran only in Baton Rouge (and was not posted online) because they did not sell enough ads for a New Orleans edition (and likely spared me some grief from a particular message-board group who already were not happy with me at the time).

Fritz struggled in his first year largely because he had quarterbacks who had A) never played a significant down of college football and B) did not have the skill set to run his preferred offense. I’m not saying anything you haven’t heard a thousand times, but it bears repeating anyway.

As Tulane looks ahead to its second year under Fritz and tries to pull in a recruiting class that fits it needs, remember the first-season performance under him, though disappointing, was actually a little better than what Temple and Memphis accomplished in the early years of excellent coaches who won big and now are at Baylor and Virginia Tech.

Where the Wave goes from here no one knows for sure. But year No. 1 certainly provided no reason to get discouraged about Fritz’ future.

I talked to Reyes for the first time yesterday. He grabbed 11 rebounds against Cincinnati but has 11 rebounds in the other 13 games he has played combined. He also has hit only 2 of 17 shots and is a non-factor offensively. But he is earning more minutes by playing more aggressively recently and hopes to become a consistent factor on the defensive end and on the boards.

On his comfort factor:

"I’m just trying to play as hard as I can and trying to get my team some wins. It’s very important for us to get ourselves going and get ready for the games that are coming. I’m just trying to give it my all and play as hard as I can."

On his 11 rebounds against Cincy:

"Just getting my chance to be out there and really taking advantage of it. The role that I have right now is just being as aggressive as I can and playing the best defensive I can play and doing all the little things. I’ve really embraced that role."

On the importance of rebounding for this team:

"That’s one of my main focus right now. I want to go and grab every rebound I can and stay huge for however many minutes I’m in the game."

On fitting in at Tulane:

"It didn’t take me too long. We have a really great group of guys who really like each other, so that made it easy for sure."

On the team trying to retain any confidence:

"It’s just believing in the process. We have a whole bunch of new pieces and it’s our first year together and we really believe what coach Dunleavy is doing. We have to keep grinding it out, work hard and get better each game."

On his offense:

"It’s coming. It’s something I have to think about. I want to keep being aggressive and worrying about the next play. I don’t want to get too stuck on what has already happened. To be honest with you, offense right now is not my main focus. I want to focus on the other things I can help this team with which is defense and playing tough."

On his minutes:

"I was never too concerned with minutes. It was more what I do with what I get. If I get five minutes, have the best five minutes I can have."