I'm not going to do this every week, but it is interesting to compare Tulane to a team with a similar private profile that is in a Power Five conference. Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson is on his way to a very highly rated class in 2017 (eight 3-stars, one 4-star), but how have the Demon Deacons fared in the past?

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

John Wolford, junior, 3 stars, 5.5 (East Carolina was biggest offer other than Wake)
Kendall Hinton, sophomore, 3 stars, 5.6 (No. 26 dual-threat QB in nation)


RUNNING BACK

Cade Carney, true freshman, 3 stars, 5.5 (North Carolina offered)
Matt Colburn, sophomore, 3 stars, 5.6 (19th all purpose back in nation)

WIDE RECEIVER

Cortez Barnes, redshirt sophomore, 2 stars (athlete), 5.4 (Boise State offered)
Tabari Hines, sophomore, 3 stars, 5.5 (Duke offered)
Alex Bachman, sophomore, 2 stars, 5.4 (no other offers)

TIGHT END

Cam Serigne, redshirt junior, 2 stars, 5.4 (Temple offered)

OFFENSIVE LINE

LT Justin Herron, redshirt sophomore, 3 stars, 5.6 (No. 57 OT nationally) (BC offered)
LG Tyler Hayworth, redshirt senior, 3 stars, 5.5 (Cincy offered)
C Josh Harris, senior, 3 stars, 5.6 (No. 42 OG nationally) (Maryland and USF offered)
RG Nathan Gilliam, redshirt freshman, 3 stars, 5.6 (Kentucky, South Car, Cincy offered)
RT Ryan Anderson, redshirt sophomore, 2 stars, 5.2 (no other offers)

Analysis: Wake has seven 3-star guys and four 2-star guys in the starting lineup, although the fact the best player, TE Cam Serigne, is a 2-star tells you something about recruiting rankings. The three guys who were nationally ranked at their position aren't scary. Hinton was OK as true freshman backup QB (390 rushing yards, team-best 7 rushing TDs, 11 INT, 9 TDs passing). Colburn gained 239 yards, averaging 3.6 per carry behind a young, bad line. Harris was the starting center after playing guard earlier in his career.

As you would expect, the offers from other schools were not that impressive even for most of the t3-star guys. Wake is a lower-tier ACC school with little tradition, so it's not going to normally beat out big schools for players.

Tulane has five 3-star guys in its starting lineup if you count Badie (Cuiellette, Taylor, Brown, Badie, Jacquet). The rest are 2 stars.

DEFENSIVE LINE

DE Duke Ejiofer, redshirt junior, 3 stars, 5.5 (Rice offered)
DT Willy Yarbary, redshirt sophomore, 2 stars (as DE), 5.4 (ECU, Cincy offered)
DT Josh Banks, redshirt senior, 2 stars, 5.4 (as DE) (Minnesota offered)
DE Chris Calhoun, sophomore, 3 stars, 5.5 (Duke, Indiana offered)

LINEBACKERS

Buck Jaboree Williams, junior, 3 stars, 5.5 (a lot of offers from good programs, including Tulane)
MLB Marquel Lee, senior, 3 stars, 5.5 (as OLB) (Maryland offered)
Rover Demetrius Kemp, redshirt sophomore, 3 stars (as athlete) (Minn, Ga Tech offered)

SECONDARY

CB Brad Watson, senior, 2 stars, 5.4 (no other offers)
FS Ryan Janvion, redshirt senior, 3 stars, 5.5 (as athlete) (Boston College, Duke offered)
SS Jessie Bates, redshirt freshman, 2 stars, 5.4 (Indiana, Iowa offered)
CB Dionte Austin, sophomore, 3 stars, 5.6 (No. 52 CB nationally) (lots of good offers)

Analysis: That's seven 3-star guys and four 2-star guys, only two of which had offers from programs significantly better than Wake Forest. It's an experienced group with six upperclassmen and two redshirt sophomores.

Tulane has one 3-star starter in Smart and one off the bench in Marbley. That's it. The Wave defense is built around under-the-radar guys coming out of high school like Nickerson and Marley and Thomas and Franklin.

It's back. With Tulane opening on Thursday night, I'm getting this up today. The rules have not changed, with eight games a week based on the point spread from VegasInsider.com consensus. You are allowed to drop you worst weekly score at the end of the year, which means you can miss a week without being penalized much.

The contest will run for all 12 weeks Tulane plays but will not run during the bye week. The Tulane game counts double, with every other game counting as one point.

Home teams are listed first. Neutral site games will be noted as such. For any novices out there, if Tulane is an underdog by 17 points and you pick Tulane, the Wave has to lose by 16 points or fewer or win outright for you to get the pick right. -17 means favored by 17 for the team on the left. +17 means an underdog by 17 for the team on the left.

Wake Forest (-17) Tulane
LSU (-10) Wisconsin (at Lambeau Field in Green Bay)
Oklahoma (-11) Houston (in Houston but not on Cougars' home field)
Alabama (-11.5) USC
Texas (+3.5) Notre Dame
Florida State (-4.5) Ole Miss (Orlando)
Auburn (+7.5) Clemson
Texas A&M (-3) UCLA

Here's the story from ESPN.com. Boise State, East Carolina and apparently Memphis did not make the cut, although it's hard to believe--no, make that almost impossible--to believe Memphis is not on that list. It has eight AAC schools, BYU, two Mountain West schools (Air Force, Colorado State) and Rice.

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...ws-list-expansion-candidates-least-12-schools

Today's practice started around 8:30 and ended at 10:30 in what will be last workout in pads before the Wake Forest game. Tulane will practice without pads tomorrow before having a walkthrough on Wednesday and heading to the airport.

Wille Fritz is electing not to name a backup quarterback before the Wake Forest game. He's probably told the players, but it looks like he wants an element of surprise. If I had to go off of today's practice, I'd say Brantley is the guy, but it's hard to tell with the scout-team work being conducted by the starters. I got to practice at 9:30 and he was getting reps a lot more than Bradwell, but many of them were scout-team reps.

Most of the players were standing on the sideline while the scout-team work was going on, because as Fritz pointed out over the weekend, he does not have enough players to have two scout teams. He said he's never done this before, so let's hope his experience as a coach will carry him through. It seemed odd to me watching so many guys standing on the sideline doing nothing, but the biggest practice of the week was yesterday, and most teams begin tapering off three days before a game.

The first thing I saw when I walked into the stadium was linebacker Zachery Harris leaping to deflect a pass that Nico Marley intercepted. It was an athletic play by Harris. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the team even though he does not start.

"I think he's back to full speed and will be 100 percent by the game time," said defensive coordinator Jack Curtis, referring to the groin injury Harris sustained last week. "He looked like he is in practice right now. He's got some fresh legs, and he looked real good. He brings a little more speed at linebacker to us, so he's going to be important to have on the field at times. We're excited about seeing him get into the game. He's another guy that's going to receive plenty of reps on Thursday."

Curtis guessed Harris played safety in high school, but he did not, starring at outside linebacker for Holy Cross while making 253 career tackles. His skills as a pass defender, though, could come in handy after starters Nico Marley and Eric Thomas struggled defending the pass last year.

"He's fast," Curtis said. "He's our fastest linebacker. We can put him in some coverage situations where he can match up with some wideouts if he's got help, so we're planning on doing that kind of stuff."

Curtis coaches the safeties directly, and he does not want Jarrod Franklin and Roderic Teamer to play every down back there.

"We've got a little depth there," he said. "We'll play three or four (extra) safeties during the game. it's important to keep people fresh so that you still have a little juice in you and a little gas in the tank coming into the fourth quarter. If it's a close game, you want to be able to have your best players out there with some energy still about them and not have them worn out."

Two backup safeties who definitely will play are Taris Shenall and Will Harper, a true freshman who participated in spring drills.

"That's probably the key to where he's at right now being able to see some playing time," Curtis said. "If he weren't here in the spring, it would be a lot more difficult for him. Getting those guys in early sure pays off. He was here in the summer time learning and then coming through fall camp, he's done a real nice job. I'm real happy for the way he's progressed. He's definitely going to see playing time on Thursday night."

Shenall will play at nickelback and strong safety and maybe even cornerback is Parry Nickerson or Donnie Lewis gets dinged up or needs a breather.

"He's going to probably be the utility guy," Curtis said. "He's played some corner here before, he's played safety and he's going to end up playing some nickel for us. We try to not overwhelm him with too much, but he's playing some different positions to provide some depth back there. We're not a real deep team in the secondary. He's a guy that can play and has a little experience."

Fritz said he told his coaches not to put in too much before the first game and overwhelm his players. Curtis admitted it was a fine line.

"You want to have enough defense in to be successful but not to have too much in so that you're going to make mistakes and give opponents an easy score," he said. "That's what we're trying to figure out right now. As these guys are maturing going through the season, they'll be some more additions, but we have to make sure right now they're very confident in what we have called and they can play fast."

Curtis did not reveal what percentage of his total package had been installed, but he talked about what he expected to see from Wake Forest. The key may be slowing down tight end Cam Serigne, who caught 46 passes for 562 yards last season.

"They're basically an 11-personnel team (1 back, 1 TE, three receivers) and they do a lot with their tight end," Curtis said. "He's a very versatile player. They split him out as a wide receiver, he's a tight end and he's a motion back. We have a good big of 11 personnel stuff in, but at the same time, it's hard enough to win a game. Don't lose it and be smart with your calls and don't do things that you don't have 100 percent confidence that they know what they're doing. Teams will make enough mistakes in that first game, you can take advantage of it. We need to play really sound and play hard and get lined up quickly and try to allow them to make a mistake and take advantage of that, not us be the guy that's going to give them something."

Fritz said he was generally happy with the practices this week.

"We cut back a little bit and we're going to cut back a whole bunch tomorrow," he said. "We just want to get quality repetitions in. I think the guys, the coaches and trainers and managers and everybody is ready to play a game."

Here was Fritz' comments on the backup QB situation:

"We rotated both of them today. We have some packages that both guys might play in, but they are a little bit different."

At that point I asked him if he preferred not to reveal the plan until game time. His one-word answer: "yep."

I still believe the game will be won or lost with the play of the offensive line. If those guys open up holes, Tulane can win this game. If they don't, Tulane won't.

Here's Fritz on the five starters:

"I feel comfortable. We've got an opportunity to be pretty good up there I think. I don't know this league. I've been watching on film, but that's about it. We've got good size. Those guys, if they play hard every snap, we have a chance to be good up front. That's a big deal for us. We have three or four of those guys that are playing hard almost every single snap. We've got to have everybody do that every snap."

Wake Forest had a pretty good defense last year, giving up only 24 points to FSU, 20 points to Lousiville, 28 to Notre Dame and 33 to an awesome Clemson offense. Facing FSU, Notre Dame, Clemson and offensively prolific North Carolina skewed their numbers a little bit--there's nothing eye-catching about a defense that allowed 4.2 yards per carry. a 61.8 percent completion rate or 5.6 yards per play. Tulane's numbers on D were 4.1, 61.0 percent and 5.8 yards per play).

Fritz assessed the Demon Deacons' strengths on D.

"They just don't get out of position much. This guy (coach Dave Clawson) has been running the same scheme for a long time, since Bowling Green, so this is what they do, but they just don't get out of position a whole lot."

I am feeling better about Tulane's chances after researching Wake Forest, and just like the past two years, I think this is the most important game of the season and will be a real tone-setter.

Two years ago, the ridiculous come-from-ahead, bonehead-plays loss to Tulsa ruined the season right when it started. The offense actually looked good for two quarters that day and really never did again.

Last year, the Duke debacle reinforced the players' belief that the coaches were in over their heads and torpedoed the season from the get go.

If the Wave plays like a well-coached team on Thursday, it will gain a lot of confidence. I may have gotten too hung up on how difficult it is to make a transition from one staff to another when assessing the year, but sort of like three years ago with Julius Warmsley and Chris Davenport, Tulane needs to take full advantage of Tanzel Smart's final year. Guys like him don't grow on trees, and with his work ethic, he should be even better than last year, when he was pretty dominant.

I can't wait.

Guerry, will you bring this back for the Wake Forest game?

The talented DT from Weatherford (Texas) talks about his recruiting status.

https://n.rivals.com/news/mckinney-holding-onto-eight-offers

Preseason camp is over, and we know who Tulane's starting QB will be. Here's a look at the Green Wave at each position less than a week from the season opener against Wake Forest:

QUARTERBACK

1) Glen Cuiellette
2) Darius Bradwell

Analysis: Cuiellette earned the starting job because of his consistency and because of his personality. After spending two years on a college campus, he gets what it takes to be a scholarship athlete with a lot of responsibility. That's why it would have been very tough for Willie Fritz to name anyone else as the starter. Whether Cuiellette remains the starter hinges on his performance in the first few weeks, and I honestly have no idea what will happen. He is a much passer than he was under CJ or during the spring, but how he reacts in game situations remains to be seen. Bradwell is hard runner and a limited passer at this point, but if he gets good blocking, he can do plenty of damage with his feet. I'm pretty sure he will be the second QB because Johnathan Brantley makes too many mistakes running the correct play.

RUNNING BACK

1) Dontrell Hilliard
2) Sherman Badie
3) Lazedrick Thompson
4) Josh Rounds

Analysis: I've loved Hilliard's running style from the start and believe he is the most complete back on the roster. Let's see what he can do with 15 or more touches with coaches who know how to produce a running game. Badie I've never been as high on as others because of his upright running style and propensity for negative rushing plays, but there's no denying his breakaway ability or his speed. Thompson runs so hard in practice. It would be nice to see him fully healthy and fully confident in a big game. I guess there's a role for Rounds, too, but it's hard to use four running backs. It will be interesting to see what the staff does with him.

WIDE RECEIVER

Starters: Devon Breaux, Larry Dace, Terren Encalade
Backups: Darnell Mooney, Devin Glenn, Chris Johnson, Trey Scott

Analysis: I hope I am dead wrong about these guys because I'm not impressed and haven't been at any time. Breaux is the most accomplished of the bunch but never has been consistently productive. Encalade has some ability but nothing eye-popping. Dace runs the best routes but had a hard time getting separation when he played last year. Glenn is small and inconsistent, so the coaches will need to be creative to get him the ball in space, taking advantage of his sprinter's speed. Scott is inconsistent, too, following good practice days with mediocre ones. The best wideout on the team might by Mooney, who arrived on campus one day before the start of preseason camp. He makes plays and has outstanding hands. Whether he is ready for the spotlight of FBS football right off the bat is unclear, but he was a heck of a find for Fritz' staff. The best-case scenario is Breaux finally utilizing all of his athletic ability, Mooney not playing like a freshman and at least one other guy stepping up. Oh, and they all have to block well or Fritz will keep them on the sideline.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Starters: LT Todd Jacquet, LG Chris Taylor, C Junior Diaz, RG Leeward Brown, RT John Leglue.
Backups: LT Kenneth Santa Marina, LG Phabion Woodard, C Keyshawn McLeod, RG Jason Stewart, RT Devon Johnson

Analysis: The starters will play virtually every down, with only Santa Marina pushing for playing time among the backups. An ironman starting five is not unusual for an O-line, but Tulane cannot afford injuries. Line coach Alex Atkins knows what he is doing, and this staff has been more positive about the blockers than I anticipated. I still question whether Jacquet can get the job done at left tackle. The center of the line is in a better position with Taylor and Diaz capable of playing much better than they did in that train wreck of a system Tulane employed last year and Brown having real potential. I actually feel better about these guys than the receivers, but I'm not sure whether they will hold up against Wake Forest.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Starters: ends Robert Kennedy and Ade Aruna; tackles Tanzel Smart and Sean Wilson
Backups: ends Daren Williams and Quinlan Carroll; tackles Eldrick Washington and John Washington

Analysis: Smart is a beast. There's a reason Phil Steele listed him higher at defensive tackle (eighth) among draft-eligible college players than any other American Conference Player at any position (Houston's Greg Ward is the 23rd QB, if you're wondering). If he can become a little more dynamic as a pass rusher, he will complete the package. If Wilson stays healthy, he will be a good complement to Smart and Tulane will be sturdy up the middle. Eldrick Washington has potential, too, but the drop-off after him is significant to this point. At end, Robert Kennedy might be the surprise player of the AAC. He has to prove it on the field after doing little last year, but his combination of size, strength and motor are good. I have my doubts about Aruna's effectiveness for Fritz' staff, but his ceiling remains high. It's a matter of whether or not the lightbulb goes on as he tries to read plays and defend against the run. The other ends provide depth but aren't difference-makers.

LINEBACKERS

Starters: Nico Marley at WLB, Eric Thomas at MLB
Backups: Rae Juan Marbley and Zachery Harris
Next: Lawrence Graham and Larry Bryant
First-team SLB: Eric Bowie
Second-team SLB: William Townsend

Analysis: Marley will not freelance as much as he did the past three years, but the coaches understand he has to be unconventional, so there's no reason he won't be among Tulane's leading tacklers again. Thomas is underrated as a run-stopper, but both of them need to be much better in pass coverage than they were a year ago. Marbley and Harris would have given Tulane reliable backups, but Harris probably will miss the opener with a groin injury. Graham and Bryant look like good players in the future, but their immediate readiness is unclear. Bowie has made some plays, but I don't know how often the coaches will have three LBs on the field and how much time he will get. This is a good group.

CORNERBACKS/NICKELBACK

Starters: Parry Nickerson, Donnie Lewis, Richard Allen
Backups: Taris Shenall, Stephon Lofton, Tre Jackson

Analysis: I'm not really sure who the backup cornerbacks will be with Shenall playing primarily at nickelback, but it won't matter if Lewis and Nickerson play like they practice. Corners don't come off the field much when they are playing well. Lewis was tremendous in preseason camp, although his tackling ability will be put to the test in games. Nickerson is a natural who is fully capable of bouncing back from a mediocre sophomore season. Together, they are dynamic. The coaches are high on Allen, too. He followed a solid preseason camp with a disappointing performance last year but is getting a second chance. If he holds up, this is another position where Tulane will be grossly underestimated nationally.

SAFETY

Starters: Roderic Teamer at SS, Jarrod Franklin at FS
Backups: Will Harper, Shenall

Analysis: Shenall, a pretty good player, received double duty in a camp and will get on the field for significant downs one way or the other at nickelback or safety. Franklin has looked good in the back of the defense, and Teamer has the work ethic and the attitude to improve on a tough debut last year when he could not follow up on a fast start. I haven't' seen enough of Will Harper to have a solid opinion, although he looks the part. Here's a vote of qualified confidence in the back end of the defense. It would be nice if the Wave had more speed there, but Franklin and Teamer can handle themselves.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Zach Block at punter, Andrew DiRocco at placekicker, Hilliard at punt returner, Badie at kickoff returner, Geron Eatherly at long snapper.

Analysis: The tragedy that was Tulane special teams is over with Fritz in charge, but the kicking game might still be shaky. Blcok needs to be more consistent than he was a year ago, and DiRocco needs to display more range. The returners don't wow me, but Badie could be dangerous if he gets better blocking. Eatherly will eliminate the excitement from the long snap, a welcome relief.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Tulane's defense underachieved last year because of the team-wide dysfunction, playing brilliantly in the first quarter against Temple, shutting down Navy's rushing attack and even destroying SMU's line for two possessions before collapsing. The problem was concentration and toughness, something that was lacking because of the frustration at the inept offense. With 10 first-teamers having starting experience and Smart's dominance in the middle, I expect a dramatic improvement.

The offense, as I have made clear in most of my reports, is a different story. The running backs are the only proven unit, and it will take all of Fritz' running-game wizardry to sustain drives on the ground while opponents put extra men in the box and dare the Green Wave to throw. The key in the passing game will be to hit deep balls and make opponents pay for their obsession with the run.

If the line blocks well and the quarterbacks don't become deer in the headlights and the receivers make some plays when they need them, Tulane will be better offensively than outsiders think. But that's three big ifs.

I'd love to get analysis from everyone on the board with their views on how Tulane stacks up going into the opener. It's fun to watch a cohesive coaching staff that knows what it is doing. I can't wait for Thursday night.

Good news. It turns out linebacker Zachery Harris will play against Wake Forest. Willie Fritz said he looked fine today. With every practice but one being closed in the last several days (and I barely made it for interviews at that one due to a prior commitment), I've been flying blind a little bit. Harris' groin injury is proving to be less significant than they first thought, because it sure sounded like he had little to no chance to be ready when he first got hurt.

I really like Harris. He was playing well against Rutgers two years ago when he went out with a season-ending leg injury, and he had seven tackles against Maine last season after a rough first career start against Georgia Tech before being sidelined for the year.

Fritz said the only player who definitely would not be available for the Wake Forest game was reserve linebacker Williams Townsend, who did have a tackle last season. Townsend has a back issue.

If Tulane's defense plays poorly against Wake Forest, it won't be for a lack of experience. I count 152 career starts for the projected starters. Nico Marley leads the way with 36, followed by Tanzel Smart (24), Parry Nickerson (23), Jarrod Franklin (14), Eric Thomas (13), Sean Wilson (12), Ade Aruna (11), Donnie Lewis (9), Roderic Teamer (5) and Richard Allen (5). That's a lot, with end Robert Kennedy the only player making his first career start. If you're curious, the other players with starting experience are Taris Shenall (3), Harris (1), Rae Juan Marbley (1), Townsend (1), Daren Williams (1) and Tristan Cooper (1), who has been converted to wide receiver.

"It's helped us (to have that experience)," Fritz said. "Those guys have been there, done that, seen it. Technique and fundamentals might be a little different, but a lot of times it's the verbiage. One coach says it one way and another coach says it another way. I counted it up one day, and we have 260 or 70 starts on the team and maybe 23 or 24 guys have started at least one game (actually 30). On defense it's quite a few guys."

The scheme change negates some of that experience, but not all of it.

"There are some similarities with what we are doing to what they were doing in the past, so it wasn't totally foreign," Fritz said. "I remember the first day we came in we inserted a particular coverage, and that's one they ran almost every down last year, so they knew that one inside and out. Some of the other things take a little more time, but they've done a very good job of grasping what we're doing. I told my coaches to be careful about putting in too much. I'd rather get our base stuff in and then about halfway through the year hopefully have everything in."

Fritz said today all four running backs would play against Wake Forest, with two getting in at the same time frequently, something he has not done a ton in the past but always has been part of his package. The first two will be Dontrell Hilliard and Sherman Badie, with Lazedrick Thompson and Josh Rounds next.

"We're going to get them in and out of there a bunch," Fritz said. "We've got great confidence in all four of them, and all four of them are going to play. It's kind of group 1 and group 1A almost. We're going to more two-back personnel groupings to take advantage of those guys. They are good players."

The key to using two backs at one time is having one be able to block effectively. Otherwise, it's counterproductive.

"They have to be able to block for each other and carry out fakes," Fritz said. "They have to be able to be a pitch player. Those guys can do a lot of things, and that's what I like about all four of those guys. They are multi-dimensional backs who can do everything. Sometimes you have a guy who can just run it, and you worry if he's not carrying the ball. These guys are really good overall football players. We'll see how that goes. It's one of the good things about it--there's good, health competition there. Some places you don't have four guys."

He's a tight end/defensive end from Cathedral High in Natchez, Miss. Most rankings have him with three stars, but Rivals has him at 2 stars, maybe because he played more defensive end than tight end as a junior and Rivals correctly has him listed as a tight end. That's the position Tulane recruited him at, although he hopes to get a chance on both sides of the ball.

Cathedral is a catholic school that left the Mississippi High School Athletic Association before the start of last season because of a dispute about the eligibility of out-of-state students. It went 11-3 in an independent association that includes a few schools from Louisiana.

Here's a story about him on the eve of his commitment. I'm trying to reach him.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/...ls-wallace-make-commitment-thursday/89251828/

And here are his Hudl highlights from his junior year:

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2980595/will-wallace

The long-awaited QB announcement came this morning, but there was no suspense left in the starter and there remains some suspense about who will be the second QB to play against Wake Forest next Thursday.

Here is the transcript of Willie Fritz' talk with reporters when Tulane returned to the Wilson Center after practicing at the Saints' indoor facility:

You have a starting quarterback?

"It's going to be Steve Foley. He will start at quarterback. … No, Glen is going to be our starting quarterback. He's had a really good camp. All three of the guys have done a great job. Right now he's got a little bit more experience and command of the offense, so he's going to be the guy. We're still looking at some packages that we can run with one or both of either Darius Bradwell or Johnathan Brantley. Two guys definitely will play Thursday. We're still going to make a decision about who that will be and how long they'll play. But Glen will definitely be the starter?

The plan is for Glen to play a majority of the snaps, right?

"More than likely. We are going to have to see the flow of the game and all the other kind of stuff. He's had a really good camp, as well as those other guys. He's been more consistent. That's a big part of it."

He doesn't have the raw athletic running skills of the other two guys. Is it good enough for what you're doing?

"He's a good enough athlete to do it. The thing I have to remind him from time to time is run full speed. With the option attack, the quicker you get out there to the pitch key, the bigger the opportunity for a big play. We just have to remind him some times, hey now, the ball's not weighing 20 pounds. Let's get out there. But he's got good enough athletic ability to do it. The guy I had at quarterback for four years at Sam Houston (Brian Bell) was not a great runner, but he was a smart runner and could really throw the ball well. It allowed us to run our whole offense. So he (Cuiellette) is a good enough runner."

Did it take longer than you expected to determine a starter, and when did you have a good idea?

"Ah, we were kind of thinking it the last few days. We just wanted to get more practices under our belt. We had a good discussion about it last night. Obviously I really take coach Ruse's (offensive coordinator Doug) advice. He works those guys on a daily basis. I try to watch all the film once, and that's hard with offense, defense and kicking game. He really scrutinizes and analyzes it. I have a lot of faith in him. And we talked to some other guys, too. Some of my analysts that are here watching practice, and we're charting everything that you can possibly chart. I got their input as well."

Was the battle tighter than what you expected it to be?

"Yeah, it was really tighter. It was hard to make a decision. There were some days where one guy would do better than the other, and the other day another guy would do better. Both Jonathan and Darius are really, really explosive guys. Great speed, and what it came down to was really consistency and understanding the offense."

Do you have a thought process on the percentage of snaps that Glen will take, or is it a flow of the game type thing?

"We'll play two. At Georgia Southern we always would play our other quarterback (Favian Upshaw) the first series of the second quarter and the first series of the fourth quarter. Then it started to change a little bit when the other guy (Upshaw) started playing better throughout the year. By the end of the year it was kind of 50-50 with those guys (Upshaw and starter Kevin Ellison). Other years it hasn't been that way. It may be a definite series or it may be this particular package that we're going to put the other guy in."

It will be a whole drive rather than a particular play?

"Yes. I think (putting them in for one play) is hard to do. I've done it before, but I think it's difficult. Craig Morton and Roger Staubach."

What is the depth chart like at wide receiver?

"We've had some guys. Devon Breaux, we're really glad we got him to come back. He's a little beat up right now and he'll take the rest of the day off on into tomorrow (when Tulane is not practicing) to get healthy. Terren Encalade is definitely going to play a ton for us. Larry Dace will play a ton. There's a lot of the freshmen that are going to be playing, so we'll probably play six or seven receivers, but those four (he actually named three, maybe he forgot Devin Glenn, but I'm not sure that's true) will play quite a bit."

It's been hard to separate the freshmen. Are there one or two that have stepped in front?

"Darnell Mooney has shown some great things. I think he'll be able to play in the kicking game. I've been very impressed with his practice habits. Some guys you have to kind of tweak and change a little bit, and he came in here with a motor on him and has just kept going. Chris Johnson has shown some really good things. D.J. Owens. Jacob Robertson is going to be out for a while (with a finger injury). He was looking good early."

Mooney came in a day before preseason camp started. How impressive has he been?

"Very good. He didn't have the benefit of summer workouts. He's not real big (6-1, 170), but he's very combative, too. Our guys have got to be able to block as well. They can't just be pass receivers. He's certainly shown me that he can do that."

The Tulane basketball team received a commitment Thursday from Chilean national team member Sammis Reyes, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound sophomore power forward, a source close to the program confirmed. He will be eligible this season.

Reyes played the 2015-16 season with Palm Beach State Junior College in Florida, averaging 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 56.0 percent on free throws. He started 25 of 32 games as Palm Beach State began 14-0 and finished 24-8.

ESPN’s Jeff Goodman first reported the commitment.

Reyes, who attended high school at North Broward Prep in Coconut Beach, Florida, signed with Hawaii for 2014-15 but never played there in a star-crossed year. He injured a toe early, left the team after coach Gib Arnold was fired for alleged NCAA violations in October of 2014, deciding to return under new coach Benjy Taylor and then broke a hand in practice.

He also tweeted that he had ACL surgery in the year before playing at Palm Beach State, but the injury did not appear to rob him of any athleticism. A YouTube video from his time there shows him throwing down numerous dunks in games.

Strong for his size, he does most of his work inside.

Reyes joins Renathan Ona Embo, a 6-4 shooting guard who played his junior year in San Diego before moving to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in a two-player class for Tulane under new coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. Embo, rated a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, reportedly received interest from Pac-12 programs.

Former Brother Martin star Jordan Cornish, a UNLV transfer, and Vanderbilt transfer Samir Sehic will become eligible in 2017-18.

Tulane will have 12 scholarship players this year, one under the NCAA limit.

The Wave finished 13-21 last season, leading to former coach Ed Conroy’s firing. Tulane has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1994-95 and the NIT since 1999-2000.

Guerry,
We know that Fritz said that we are going to play two qbs and we have a pretty good idea that it Glen C and Bradwell. Do you think the series will be split up , will it be the hot hand or situational offense in how they play them both? I know you don't have a clue but just from your observation of the team, coach fritz and the team M.O... what do you think?

Willie Fritz is sticking to his decision to wait on announcing his top two quarterbacks until Friday, but he did reveal all the special teams starters after Thursday morning's practice at Yulman Stadium, including one surprise (at least to me). Because of a meeting I could not get out of, I missed all of the last open workout of preseason camp but arrived just in time for interviews and the rain, which soaked me as I walked from the parking lot to the stadium.

It's a good thing I made it. I missed interviews after yesterday's closed practice because I had a haircut appointment at 4 and for the first time all preseason, they ended early at the Saints indoor facility. They had never gotten back to the Wilson Center before 5 and usually around 5:15 when they worked out on Airline Drive, but I got a text at 4:27 that they were back while I was still in the chair.

But enough about me. Fritz has decided to go with Andrew DiRocco as his No. 1 placekicker. When DiRocco missed that chip shot that likely would have beaten Tulsa in the 2014 opener, was there anyone who thought he would still be Tulane's kicker by 2016? Although walk-on Randy Harvey was more accurate and exhibited a stronger leg in the kicking drill before the first scrimmage at Yulman Stadium, the rest of the kicking competition was conducted in closed practices, so I have no idea how Harvey kicked the rest of the time. Steven Logan also was in the competition.

"It was real close," Fritz said. "We had three guys who did a good job. DiRocco and Logan and Harvey all did a nice job. It came down to consistency. The numbers were fairly close."

DiRocco never has shown range past 40 yards, but a check of Fritz' history indicates that's not a major concern for him. In six years at Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern, the longest field goal by one of his kickers was 48 yards, but most years they were accurate. The numbers were 15 for 19 at GSU in 2015, 10 for 14 at GSU in 2014, 8 for 11 at Sam Houston State in 2013, 20 for 25 at Sam Houston State in 2012, 17 for 25 at Sam Houston State in 2011 and 14 for 22 at Sam Houston State in 2010. In 2011, he had a kicker, Miguel Antonio, who went 0 for 4 from 20 to 29 yards and got benched. Aguayo bounced back the next year to go 20 for 25.

Fritz said DiRocco's range had improved recently.

"His (range) is about 42 and in," he said. "The last week or so he started hitting the ball much better. I told my coaches to stay away from him. We've got him where we want him to be and don't screw him up now. He's hit the ball well the last week or the last week-and-a-half."

After going 8 for 15 as a freshman, DiRocco had a good year in 2015, nailing a 35-yard game-winner against Army on the final play of a 34-31 victory and finishing nine of 10 for an offense that rarely ended up in field goal range. But his long was only 37 yards, and when Tulane needed one from distance, it either went for the first down (with very little success) or went to the rocket leg of kickoff specialist Trevor Simms, who was abysmal on attempts from 47 and 49 yards before the coaches gave up on him in that role.

Harvey, a walk-on sophomore from Destrehan, and Logan, a walk-on sophomore from Potomac High in Virginia, have never attempted a kick in college.

Fritz announced the other starters on special teams, too, going with Zach Block at punter, Geron Eatherly as the long snapper for both punts and field goals, Dontrell Hilliard as the punt returner and Sherman Badie as the kickoff returner. The only on-going competition is for kickoff specialist, with Block and Harvey in a battle that is too close to call.

Unless he gets tight, Eatherly, a true freshman who signed late in the spring, will be a massive improvement on Mike Lizanich and John Leglue, who served as the long snappers a year ago. Lizanich lost his job after two games due to a series of errant snaps over his career, and Leglue, who is the No. 2 to Eatherly, was not a whole lot better.

Hilliard returned 17 kickoffs in 2014 but has not returned a punt at Tulane. He earned the job as much for his ball security as he did for his elusiveness. There aren't many punt returns period in college football anymore because of a rule change about 10 years ago that allowed multiple players to run downfield at the snap instead of just the gunners.

"Number one, he does a good job fielding the balls, which is a prerequisite for a punt returner," Fritz said. "He's got juice. He can make something happen when he catches it, but our number one goal is either our offense or the extra point team is coming out for the next play. We don't want the defense coming back out there, so we have to do a good job fielding kicks."

Badie returned 15 kickoffs last year and averaged 20.7 yards, the highest of anyone in the CJ era who returned more than four kicks in a season. His long was only 30 yards, so he was consistently decent despite behind hamstrung by a unit that was called for an illegal block every time someone appeared close to breaking one.

Fritz explained how the special teams work has been conducted.

"We put in a whole new system," he said. "I've got a whole new way of saying things. We just didn't do a whole lot of kicking game in the spring because I knew that half the players weren't going to be there. They were still in high school, and then also I wanted to see what these guys were capable of doing so I could start putting them in spots and positions. We introduced the extra point and field goal block and the punt team, the punt block team and the kickoff and kickoff return team, but we didn't do a whole lot with it. We've done a lot with it here in camp."

Fritz also talket about how many starters on his kick coverage teams, something he promised at Media Day. I counted six likely starters out of eight on kickoff coverage at practice earlier this week.

"It really can hurt you if you don't have the best players out there," he said. "A lot of those guys have got experience covering kicks. Maybe it's not the same way we're doing it this year, but they've done it before. You just have to be careful. Nico (Marley) and Jarrod Franklin and Roderic Teamer would be great to have on every phase, but we're also going to play a lot of snaps on defense, so we're trying to limit those guys to a couple of phases in the kicking game."

I'll have more from Fritz a little later. Garland Gillen of Fox 8 interviewed him after practice, but a lot of it was a rehash of what you've already heard. Fritz did confirm he will play two quarterbacks against Wake Forest. I'm almost positive Glen Cuiellette will be the starter, and I think Darius Bradwell will be the second guy based on everything Fritz and the QBs have said this week, but we'll find out for certain tomorrow when they get back from another practice at the Saints facility. I will not miss that interview session.

Not than any of you would take this anywhere else, but please keep the info on this thread to yourself.

From day 1 of the preseason, I've doubted the truthfulness of Willie Fritz talking about wanting to throw 30 to 35 times a game. He's completely honest when he says he does not want Tulane's offense to resemble the one he inherited at Georgia Southern, which was a straight option team with no one recruited to throw much. His teams threw a lot more, and sometimes very successfully, at Sam Houston.

But the personnel at Tulane at QB and WR and RB does not justify throwing 30 times a game except in desperation if the Wave gets a big deficit. I believe Fritz is purposely talking a lot about throwing a bunch to get Wake Forest confused about what Tulane will hit it with in the opener. In my opinion, Tulane's best chance to win is to run repeatedly early, and if successful, then mix in the passes after Wake puts too many guys in the box to slow down the running game.

I checked Fritz' four years at Sam Houston, and his teams NEVER won a game in which they passed 30 or more times (they never threw more than 22 times at Georgia Southern). They went 0-8, going 25 for 40 with no interceptions in a 31-28 loss to Stephen F. Austin and 21 for 36 with two interceptions in a 33-28 loss to McNeese State in 2010, 12 for 32 with two interceptions in the 17-6 loss to North Dakota State in the 2011 FCS Championship Game, 20 for 39 with three interceptions in a 48-23 loss to Baylor, 16 of 32 with one interception in a 47-28 loss to Texas A&M and 20 of 35 with four interceptions in the 39-13 FCS championship game loss to North Dakota State in 2012 and 23 of 38 with one interception in a 31-23 loss to McNeese State and 32 of 66 with four interceptions in a 49-31 loss to Central Arkansas in 2013.

Clearly, Sam Houston threw 30 or more times only when it fell behind early and was forced to abandon its game plan. The plan to win involved passing less than that. It did win a game at Stephen F. Austin in 2013, 56-49, while throwing 29 times in a contest that was tight throughout. Its most passes in any other victory over those four years was 25.

My guess is the optimal passing total for Fritz at Tulane will be 20 this year. He has to play to his team's strengths, and his coaching strengths are along the same lines anyway. Obviously, if the Wave falls behind early, the passing total will rise, but that probably will lead to a rough day.

Just to be clear, I don't have a problem with Fritz talking up the passing game and instructing his players to do the same thing. That's his job as a coach. In fact, he'd be derelict in his duty if he did not do it. He knows what it takes in all aspects of the job to be successful.

Practice yesterday was closed, but after returning from the Saints' indoor facility, Willie Fritz said he would reveal the starting quarterback and other depth chart information on Friday. He said he had little time to talk because he was headed to a function but he ended up answering questions for three minutes. To this point, he's been the most accommodating coach for interviews as any I've ever covered. We'll see if that changes once the season starts. I don't think it will change.

The coaches made the right choice changing venues to the Saints facility a day ahead of time because there was a torrential downpour at Yulman Stadium, with some lightning, while the workout was going on indoors in Metairie.

Here's what Fritz said about the practice:

"We had a great workout. It was about two hours and 20 minutes, which is normally a long practice, but it was like we'd gone an hour and a half, so it was a great practice."

Is there any announcement about the quarterbacks?

"No, we're probably going to do something Friday."

Any update on the injury front?

"Kendall Ardoin (shoulder) came out and did a little bit today. Tre Jackson's back out. We have about three or four guys that are a day or two away from coming back full time."

So Friday is going to be the day for all of your depth chart updates?

"Yeah, we'll try to get it there. As I said earlier in preseason camp, I'm going to know a lot more about our team after week 3 than I do right now. We're going to give the best guess-timate we can because there is something about having continuity and the same guys working with each other, so we're going to at least do that for four or five days."

As the only FBS school without a QB who has thrown a collegiate pass, how hard is it to determine a pecking order?

"It's very hard. After three games we'll know a lot more about those guys. Right now it's our best guess-timate. They are all doing good things. It's not like it's hard because they're not doing good things. They are doing good things. You just want to be right, and unfortunately. besides the kickers and the punters and the snappers, all other position evaluation is subjective. It's not objective, so wer are trying to make the best guess possible."

Now that you've started preparing for Wake Forest, what't the process like?

"We started last night and did a lot today. It's new for me because we're working against each other good on good. In the past I've had 120 130 guys on the team, so we had a scout team that would have replicated Wake Forest, and that's all they did. They'd go out in meetings and prep, so by the time we got out there it was fine-tuned. Now it's guys looking at cards and coaches coaching them up. Shoot, we've got Tanzel Smart out there working as a Wake Forest defensive lineman, so we'll get the best look we possibly can. It's just something we have to do."

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would have thought there still were enough bodies to have a scout team, but the glaring problem is on the offensive and defensive lines. Tulane has 12 bodies on the OL, and 10 of them have to get ready for the game, leaving only two available for scout-team work. I've never seen a team not practice against the scout team by the time game-week preparation began, so this will be interesting. The defense has six ends, all of whom need to be ready to play at a position that requires a lot of substitution.

Scout-team candidates on offense would be P.J. Hurst at QB, Andrew Zuckerman and Jared Bertrand at RB, Frank Thomas, Reed Green, Rocky Ferony and Brian Newman at WR, Trey Camissa at TE, Tyler Johnson and Brian Webb (maybe Jason Stewart) at guard and no one at center or tackle.

Scout-team candidates on defense would be Deion Rainey and Paul Staudinger and no one else on the defensive line, Casey Spinelli and no one else at LB, John Helow and one of the freshmen at CB and Sam Davis and maybe Chase Napoleon at safety. That leaves Tulane three players short on both sides of the ball even before injuries.

This bears watching.

The Willie Fritz feature I just put on the front page ran in Baton Rouge and Lafayette as part of the Advocate's football tab section on Tuesday. For reasons I don't understand, but which I was told up front, they did not put the tab in their New Orleans edition or post the story online. I also had some breakout categories that accompanied the feature.

Some of the quotes you've seen before, but some are new.

I tweeted it last night and then forgot to post it.

Martin, a wide receiver from Ellender High in Houma, originally committed to UNO to play basketball but had a change of heart. He wants to play football and basketball at Tulane--his position in hoops is shooting guard--but I bet he ends up sticking to football. Being a two-sport athlete is next to impossible these days except for truly elite athletes who are incredibly disciplined in all aspects of life.

His highlight video is impressive. Although he is not particularly fast, he gets off the line quickly, has sharp cuts, appears to have good hands and uses his size well.

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Since basketball was his first love, he has not reached his ceiling in football yet and should get better as a senior.

Houma went 2-8 last year but lost games 35-32, 28-26 and 50-46.

Martin is the fourth wide receiver in the class.

I'm trying to be diplomatic here, but I received a text from the football office contact yesterday that practice was at 7:30 tonight and open to reporters. The part they neglected to mention was there also was a morning practice that was closed but had interviews afterward.

I guess I should have double-checked the original schedule, which listed a morning practice (but no night practice). There have been so many changes to the original one, though, I stopped paying attention to it.

The upshot: I was sitting on my butt at home instead of being there for post-practice interviews. Good thing Willie Fritz did not announce a starting QB.

I will be there tonight and post something when I get back--late. Of course it will be too late to get anything in The Advocate, but that won't affect you here.

But Wake will play both QBs who were in a battle for the job in the preseason. The starter, a better thrower, started 10 games last year. The backup, a better runner, started the other two.

http://www.journalnow.com/sports/wf...cle_887c9dd1-3ad1-533b-9e1c-97009578dc8c.html

Willie Fritz appears to have settled on a QB, but he has not said when he will announce his choice. With practices closed today and tomorrow, they can keep it a secret until Thursday if they want to.

Knowing Fritz, I don't think he will announce that two QBs will play against Wake Forest. He probably will prepare two to play, but I expect Cuiellette to start. After that, they might have an unannounced plan to rotate the backup in at a specific time or they might play it by ear.

With Tuesday's and Wednesday's workouts being moved to the Saints indoor facility, this likely was the last open practice I got to watch until Tulane begins normal game-week preparation for the season opener against Wake Forest. Unfortunately, there was not a whole lot to see because they concentrated on special teams coaching and drills for the first half of the practice (with nothing live) and began limited scout-team work in the latter portion.

I met the wife of Alex Atkins on my way in because she was waiting at the locked door in front of the Wilson Center after calling someone to let her in and give her access to the stadium. She's from Nashville and seemed very nice. I told her I thought her husband might be the most important addition to the staff because the O-line had been so bad under the previous coach and Atkins clearly knew what he was doing.

The first thing I noticed was the number of players who have minor injuries. Almost all of them are backups, but some of them are significant. The worst news is that linebacker Zachery Harris has a pulled groin. He was having a terrific camp, but tonight he was on the exercise bike and had a wrapping on his upper right leg. This does not appear like an injury that will heal by the opener.

"He was really having a good camp and was really turning some heads, and then he got hurt," Willie Fritz said. "He's been out the last three days."

I had not seen a live practice since last Wednesday, so this is the first I knew of the injury. Harris, who has been injury prone in the past, looked like he was a starter-quality backup who could be a difference maker. He still can be, but significant groin injuries usually are slow to heal.

Others who sat out were tight end Kendall Ardoin, who has missed a week with a back issue, tight end Marshall Wadleigh, wide receiver Trey Scott, cornerbacks Thakarius Keyes and Stephon Lofton, running back Miles Strickland (ankle) and, of course, wide receiver Andrew Hicks, who was doing individual work with a trainer as he rehabilitates a torn ACL.

They practiced punting, and Zach Block is back with the first team after freshman Coby Neenan had moved slightly ahead of him last week. I took down the entire first-team punt unit. The long snapper is Geron Eatherly. The three punt protectors are Sean Wilson, Robert Kennedy and Eric Thomas. The six cover guys are Richard Allen, Eric Bowie, Will Harper, Jarrod Franklin, Roderic Teamer and Devin Glenn. That means six of the nine guys are defensive starters and one more is a possible offensive starter, so Fritz was not blowing smoke on Media Day when he said he would use a lot of starters on special teams.

The second unit was Neenan, long snapper John Leglue, protectors Tanzel Smart, John Washington and Eldrick Washington and cover guys Devon Breaux, Lawrence Graham, Larry Bryant, Donnie Lewis Jr, Luke Jackson and Rae Juan Marbley.

The returners weren't trying to run back kicks, but Dontrell Hilliard muffed one he tried to field on a hop. Later, freshman wideout Chris Johnson bobbled a kickoff (the ball actually was being sent by a machine rather than a kickoff specialist). Johnson was one of four guys fielding kickoffs along Sherman Badie, Hilliard and Breaux.

Fritz took the microphone and directed drills during the special teams work. No question he his hands on in that department.

The three quarterbacks took equal reps in the scout-team work, and I know this is burying the lede, but I'm ready to make the call that Glen Cuiellette will be the starting quarterback. Fritz was not ready to say it after practice, but reading between the lines, it appears he will pick Cuiellette. Less clear is who the backup will be, but I talked to all three quarterbacks tonight and I'll let you see what they had to say a little later.

When they did a sideline passing drill against the scout team, the quarterbacks struggled, with each starting off by bouncing a low throw. A few others were completed out of bounds, and one of the few passes that was on the money ended up catching Breaux in the private parts. He held on for the catch and winced in pain before getting back on the field.

Here are Fritz' quotes. Scott Kushner and I were the only reporters out there.

"We did a lot of special teams and then we introduced Wake Forest, what they're doing and just getting a little feel for it. We'll start working on them every day from this point forward."

Is is still a three-way, even battle for the quarterback job?

"No, we're getting a little closer. I'm not exactly sure how we're going to announce it. I've never had to do that before. It seems like you don't do it at any other position."

So in your head you have a pretty good idea?

"A pretty decent idea. We're going to sit down and talk about it and visit. We really haven't had a chance. We went Sunday night and then this morning, so we're just trying to play catchup, watching film and all that stuff."

Is what you outlined the other day the criteria you are using to pick a quarterback--equal parts passing, running and decision-making?

"Yeah, it really is. Obviously, I hate saying not making mistakes. Making good plays, you want to be positive, but that's part of it is being able to run the offense without having a hiccup. One of the things we're really trying to work with is put noise up and really work with the 25-40 (play clock). We have three guys who haven't done a whole lot of that. One guy's played one play. The others have played zero. He's got a world of experience compared to the other two."

How did they do last night in the scrimmage?

"It wasn't a live scrimmage. It's just so difficult to evaluate without tackling, but we've got two or three spots where we're real thin with two or three guys hurt. We just have to be careful. We have to get them to the dance."

You look very thin at tight end.

"That's one of them. Kendall's injured right now. Hopefully he'll be back at the beginning of next week. When you've got two or three guys hurt at the same position, you've got problems."

How is Roderic Teamer doing now that he's the obvious starter at strong safety?

"He's doing a great job. He really got in great shape this summer. He's been running well. He's a hitter, easy to coach, wants to get better, is a pleaser. We're looking for a lot of leadership from both him and Jarrod on the back end. Some guys have a difficult time playing and communicating and getting all the information and understanding what it means. They just have to sit back there and play football and you do all this work, the scouting reports and the meetings and telling them this personnel group means this, when this guy's in this stance, it means this, when they have this kind of split between the receivers it means this. They don't ever get it. They are just out there trying to survive. These guys can play and think at the same time, which is good. You really want them to."

Does Zach Block have the edge at punter?

"Right now he does. A few days ago I thought it was Neenan. It kind of goes back and forth. That one's a little easier to evaluate. Catch to kick, how fast are they getting it off and how far does it go and what's the hang time. Those other positions, I wish they were all that easy."

So what do you all think of John Brantley as the starting qb? I think he's the guy we know the least about, but after reading and listening to practice reports, and knowing the youngster's work ethic I think it's inevitable. Josh Rosen started for UCLA last year and played pretty well...

Willie Fritz recognizes that turnover margin is the single biggest determinant of winners and losers in college football, and he puts that knowledge into practice with the way he emphasizes ball security on offense and defense every day. He said recently he had never lost a game as a head coach when his team was plus-two or better in turnover margin.

That said, Tulane avoided turnovers last year under CJ. There's this image that Tanner Lee was throwing an interception every quarter, but the reality is he cut back on picks dramatically after struggling in 2014. Incredibly, Tulane ranked tied for 17th nationally in fewest turnovers with 15. Georgia Southern, for what it's worth, had 21 turnovers.

That turnover stat is the biggest indictment of how awful Tulane was offensively last year. It's hard to go 3-9 when you have a positive turnover margin (plus-3). Tulane actually was on the plus-side of turnovers in each of the last three years of the CJ era. In 2014 it committed 25 and benefited from 28. In 2013 it committed 21 and benefited from 33. Only in 2012, when it committed 33 and benefited from 24, was it on the minus end.

Tulane's issues in the CJ era were legion, and the offense was awful from start to finish, but last year the Wave protected the ball for the most part, and until last year the defense was excellent at forcing turnovers.

There are so many areas where Willie Fritz and his staff are light years of CJ's staff. I'm not sure turnover margin will be one of them.

Here they are, a day late.

WILLIE FRITZ

What is Kendall Ardoin's status? He's missed the last few practices (with a shoulder injury).

"He's getting better. He'll be good here in another five or six days."

How about Miles Strickland?

"He's had some problems with his foot, but he'll be OK here. We've been very fortunate (knocks on a wooden table, then his own head) with nothing serious. They just need a little bit time to heal."

Andrew Hicks started to move around a little bit at practice. What's his progress?

"I tell you what, I was talking to him yesterday about it, but he is probably two or three months ahead of schedule, so I told him to train like you are going to play this season. You never know what's going to occur, and he has really, really (rehabilitated the torn ACL he sustained in spring practice). Our athletic training staff has done a superb job with him. They've really worked hard with him, and the kid's worked extremely hard."

Has anybody taken an edge in the quarterback derby?

"That's one of the things we are going to sit down and talk about this afternoon. The kids are going to lift and get out here, and we (the coaches)'re going to work until about 6 or 7. We are going to try to really get the depth chart back where it's current. I don't try changing every day. Some people do that. We reflect about every three or four days and kind of make updates and see who's first team, second team, etcetera, but I think we're getting a little closer to making a decision. They are all doing a nice job. Some days one's better than the other, but they are all doing a good job."

It it safe to say Cuiellette has been the most consistent passer but that there is more to the job than that?

"You bet. You bet. He throws a pretty ball and can make all the throws, and that's a part of the offense. You gotta be able to throw the football, but there's more to it. Part of it's game management. Who's making the least amount of mistakes. Who's most dangerous running the football. Who's the most accurate throwing the football. You combine those three elements, and that's going to be our quarterback. And we may end up playing a couple. I've done that a lot. I've played two a lot."

Is it down to Cuiellette and Bradwell, or is Brantley still in in (NOT MY QUESTION!)?

"Brantley's still in the mix without question."

Sometimes a defense is as strong as it weakest link. You've got two cornerbacks you really like in Parry Nickerson and Donnie Lewis, but how about nickelback, where Richard Allen and Taris Shenall are competing. How comfortable are you with them, and do they still have to show you something?

"I think Donnie has really matured. I've been very impressed with his approach to practice every day. The same thing with Parry. Both those two guys have got an opportunity to be top-flight corners in this conference, and they both played well at times last year but were a little inconsistent. As a corner, the more man you play, the more times you are susceptible to something happening. We'll play quite a bit of man, but I think those guys are good players without question. Richard has kind of moved in there. Our nickel guy has got to be able to blitz, play zone, play man in the slot. There's a lot of teams who are starting to really play a lot throwing the ball a lot to the slot. Back in the old days you would kind of play a strong safety type guy, and those teams would expose you with mismatches. With Richard there, we don't feel like there's a mismatch."

He has a lot of speed. You guys have that philosophy of putting three corners on the field instead of an extra safety (EDs NOTE: Bad job my me. Not feeling well, I had stopped listening to his last answer midway through and basically made a comment that mimicked what he had just explained).

"Yeah, we like it fast, fast, fast on the field. If they get real big, we've got the ability to get real big. We'll get three linebackers out there, maybe five defensive linemen, those kind of things, but not a lot of people are playing like that anymore."

Is Shenall still the top backup at that position?

"Taris is going to play a lot of spots for us. He's smart. He's probably the next guy in the secondary outside of the starters that has shown us he is definitely going to be rolling during each and every game."

Have you locked down the starting five on the offensive line?

"Right now we've got four for certain, and Leeward Brown is in that guard position. Kenneth Santa Marina is going to be in the rotation at the tackle position. We need to find one more guard. Keyshawn McLeod has been out of a couple of days. He should be back hopefully Monday. But we feel good about those four and Leeward had looked good those last couple of days, but you need more. We need to get up to having eight guys we feel good about."

Leeward's a big guy who can move a little bit. Is that what you like about him?

"He's starting to throw his weight around a little bit. He's starting to bend and block and play hard. That was always kind of the deal. He had to get in good enough shape to be able to play hard, and he's starting to do that."