After a couple of off days late last week, Tulane's receivers have been sharper this week. In my opinion, they are the biggest question mark on the team because none of them is a proven, productive Division I player, so I have been monitoring their development closely in preseason practice.

Tyrek Presley, who struggled mightily in the first two weeks of camp, made a nice catch on the sideline in individual drills on Tuesday. If you looked at the receivers standing in a row, Presley would stand out as having the best body, but he has been working with the third team because of his inattention to detail. The light may be coming on for him. We'll see.

Sorrell Brown, who missed his first two years with separate ACL tears, sat out practice for I believe the first time. He was on the field and kept studying a sheet that probably was a list of plays, so he remained involved and this looks like a precautionary move.

Jha'Quan Jackson is back full time, though, after missing a week with an arm injury. He runs crisp routes and is the quickest of the receivers in and out of cuts.

7-on-7

The first play of seven on seven produced a touchdown--for the defense. Keon Howard threw too far to the inside on an out route for Jacob Robertson, and Kyle Meyers was all over it, catching it in stride and heading to the end zone. That was the worst throw and decision I've seen from Howard this preseason, but he bounced back to find Jackson on the sideline for 17 yards and Duece Watts underneath on his next two snaps. Watts likes to go deep, but he has some versatility and looks like he will be dangerous in the open field. On a later series, Howard made a nice back shoulder throw to Jackson.

Michael Pratt looked for the home run on his first snap and connected with Tyjae Spears on a deep corner route, beating freshman cornerback Kevaris Hall. Spears, who appears headed for a huge year, had a rare flub a little later when he dropped a short pass as he turned the corner, forgetting to look it in as he tried to accelerate.

Justin Ibieta could not find anyone open on his first snap, eventually running. He completed a pass to Mykel Jones a little later, but he threw an interception on the last play of the drill, throwing an ill-advised floater for Phat Watts in the middle of the field that safety Cornelius Dyson picked off easily. Dyson, a do-it-all player in high school, has a good nose for the ball.

Ygenio Booker returned to practice in a no-contact jersey and made a reception after missing more than a week.

11 on 11

Howard started slowly again, having a too high pass for tight end Tyrick James glance off his fingertips in the middle of the field. He then hit Jackson for a short gain and threw wide of Jacob Robertson near the sideline.

Pratt entered and handed off to Spears, who exploded through a nice hole in the middle. Pratt followed with a completion to Spears and deep pass to Dane Ledford down the sideline. Ledford was not open against Kiland Harrison but played the ball better to make the grab. Harrison has struggled a bit in the last two practices, at least in the parts I watched.

Howard returned and threw a pretty pass to Amare Jones on a deep out. The versatility of the running backs will really help the passing game because they are capable of running a variety of routes rather than just catching the ball on swing passes. Howard finished 3 of 3 on the segment with a completion to Robertson.

Ibieta entered and completed a pass to Cameron Carroll, who also looks good. He scrambled on the next play and ended the day with a pass over the middle to Presley, who made a leaping catch he likely would not have made a week ago.

Freshman Adonis Friloux got some reps with the first unit at defensive tackle in place of Eric Hicks. It has not been a good camp for Jeffery Johnson to this point. He had a hand injury early on and continues to practice with the second unit. Willie Fritz praised Hicks' conditioning after Monday's practice, and I'm not sure Johnson returned in tip-top shape this summer. He is not noticeably heavier than in the past, but no one would have predicted him practicing with the second team.

NOTES

Jaylon Monroe did not practice. In seven-on-seven, Harrison replaced him, with Willie Langham lining up at nickelback, but Harrison was on the second team in 11-on-11 witth Langham playing cornerback and Ajani Kerr at nickelback.

The Wave is down two tight ends, with Keshon Williams joining Reggie Brown on the sideline. James, Will Wallace and Christian Daniels are the top three.

Walk-on Josh Coltrin, who made a long catch last week as a backup quarterback filling in a receiver, has moved to receiver full time and no longer is wearing a red QB jersey. The five quarterbacks available for individual drills were the three scholarship guys, Josh Holl and Cameron Dartez. Dartez never gets reps in 7 on 7 or 11 on 11. Holl occasionally does.

Josh Remetich is practicing after not being available at the beginning of preseason camp. Lining up at right guard, he was part of a backup line that had fellow true freshman Rashad Green at left guard and Trey Tuggle at right tackle. Michael Remondet was the center for that group, with Nik Hogan at left tackle. The other five reserve linemen getting reps are freshmen Joseph Solomon and Matt Lombardi, second-team center Caleb Thomas, Cameron Jackel and Stephen Lewerenz. I'd put walk-on Timothy Shafter and Colby Orgeron next, meaning Tulane has 17 available linemen. I don't think Jackson Fort is practicing.

Guerry- Good to see your piece in the paper today. Congratulations.

Roll Wave!!!

Fritz said today is is unlikely Tulane will find an opponent for opening weekend, and he is giving the team Wednesday and Thursday off from practice in a pre-planned move after 12 hard workouts.

The self-imposed deadline for getting a game is tomorrow, but Fritz is not optimistic it will happen.

After skipping Sunday's practice and getting there for only the last 15 minutes of yesterday's workout, I was there for the usual amount of time today and will post a full practice report tomorrow about what happened today. One quick note: Josh Remetich is practicing, and he may have been practicing since Sunday. He lined up at second-team right guard today.

Tulane ended its practice today with a spirited two-minute drill, and wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson made his presence felt in his first team workout since landing hard on his arm in the first week of the preseason. Wearing a no-contact jersey, he jumped in traffic to haul in a pass from Keon Howard to put the first-team offense in the red zone against the first-team defense. I know it was only five practices in the spring, but Jackson just has a knack for getting open and making big grabs. He's dynamic.

His big play did not lead to a score, though. Howard missed tight end Christian Daniels with a low throw on a crossing route in the end zone. Daniels, who had good burst out of cuts, was open enough for a connection if the throw had been better, but he is not ready to make the spectacular catch. On the next play, Kyle Meyers knocked down a pass intended for Ryan Thompson on another crossing route, and after Fritz called timeout to give both units a chance to regroup, Howard tried to hit a covered Jackson in the corner of the end zone and airmailed it well over his head on what was designated as fourth down.

The starting offensive line was the usual suspects: LT Joey Claybrook, LG Corey Dublin, center Sincere Haynesworth, RG Ben Knutson and RT Jaylen Miller.

The starting defense was Cam Sample, Patrick Johnson, Eric Hicks and De'Andre Williams on the line, Marvin Moody and Kevin Henry at linebacker, Willie Langham at nicklelback, Meyers and Jaylon Monroe at cornerback and Larry Brooks and Chase Kuerschen at safety. Kuerschen was back after missing the previous few days with a minor injury.

Hick was on the first team even though Jeffery Johnson returned to practice, getting a few reps with the second unit.

"Eric Hicks has gotten much better," Fritz said. "He's a guy that's a little bit of an unknown to everybody because he didn't get to play much last year. I think we played him maybe one or two games (it was one, against UConn). He got in under the new redshirt rule. He comes from a super program, Benedictine (Military School) over in Georgia. His high school coach is a buddy of mine, Danny Britt. They've won a bunch of games over there, so he's been well coached. He did an excellent job in the time we were away of training because when he came in on day 1 on June 15, he looked like a different guy. He's almost 290 (pounds). He's got very good movement. He's another one of the defensive linemen we think is a heck of a player."

The practice ended with the second team going against the second team, with Michael Pratt directing the offense. He threw an 8-yard completion on first down, had a pass knocked down by cornerback Kiland Harrison and scrambled 4 yards to keep the drive alive. Dorian Williams "sacked" him on the next play for a 5-yard loss, but he then hit Amare Jones for 13 yards on a play that would have gone for more in a live drill because Jones spun right past new cornerback Jaetavian Toles into the open field. The play was whistled down at the 49, and the defense jumped offside on the next snap (it was either Adonis Friloux or Brandon Brown, I believe). On the next snap, Pratt threw a strike to Duece Watts on a streak, with Watts running by Harrison easily for a 44-yard touchdown. Always creating extra situations, Fritz asked the offense to start at the 1 as if Watts had gone out of bounds there, and Pratt sneaked across the goal line for a touchdown.

That was it for the day as practice ended before 9:20. The wideouts on the first snap with Pratt were Phat Watts, Tyrek Presley and Amare Jones split out wide, but the receivers rotated constantly. The second-team defensive line had Angelo Anderson at joker, Carlos Hatcher at end and a rotation of Jeffery Johnson, Brown and Friloux inside.

The second-team offensive line was Nik Hogan at LT, Stephen Lewerenz at LG, Caleb Thomas at C, Cameron Jackel at RG and Trey Tuggle at LT. Tuggle is in the running for a starting spot because Fritz said a few days ago that the two spots on the right side of the line had tight competition. The other three healthy true freshmen, all of whom Fritz likes, are on the third team with redshirt freshman Colby Orgeron and and walk-on Timothy Shafter. Josh Remetich is not practicing yet.

FRITZ

"We went with just helmets this morning. We are going to have a big one tomorrow. We feel like we're going pretty darn hard, so we focused on the kicking game and did a lot of good drill work and some full-field cover stuff as well and some 7 on 7, what other people call pass skelly, and we worked on some two-minute at the end of practice. It's really difficult for the defense to simulate two-minute and pretty easy for the offense to do it. We have to do that against the defense to help them out a little bit, so we'll try to hit that at least four times prior to game one and do that in bits and pieces in practice. Tomorrow we'll do a little four-minute period in there where the offense is trying to play keepaway, stay in bounds and keep the clock running and force the defense to use timeouts and the defense is trying to force them out of bounds, get a quick three-and-out and make them punt and give the chance for their offense to score."

On opening game possibility:

"Troy Dannen came out after practice today and told me we've still got one that's a possibility. We've tried all over the place and just have not been real fortunate. There's not going to be a whole lot of week 1 games. We had difficulty trying to find one, so if it doesn't happen, hopefully we're going to find out here today or tomorrow because if we're not going to play that week 1 game, I'm going to adjust our practices if we're not playing until the 12th (of September). That's why I'd like to find out now. We've been practicing this whole time under the assumption we are going to play a week 1 game, and if it's not going to happen, I want to give these guys a couple days off in a row at least."

You moved Jaetavian Toles to cornerback. What does that say about your confidence in the receivers on hand?

"We're pretty deep at receiver with the addition of the Wattses and Mike Jones. We've got some veteran guys. When you get a guy from the junior college ranks, especially a quality junior college like Jones, that's a tough league over there in Mississippi. That's good football over there. That's where our man Nick Anderson's from, so you've got those two guys who are really vets. Obviously there's a huge difference from junior college to Division I, but they've really adapted well. Mike Jones is another great addition. Jha'Quan Jackson had a great five practices of spring ball and he's a dynamic player. Sorrell Brown, who's been banged up since he got here, we think is a dynamic player, a bigger guy out on the perimeter. Dane Ledford has shown some good things the last few days. Jacob Robertson is by far playing the best of his career. He's very durable and has great attention to detail. Then we can always throw Amare out there and can throw YG out there and some other guys if we had to. Tyjae Spears catches the ball extremely well. Our tight ends are all very talented. Great move by moving Christian Daniels out there to that tight end position. He runs super routes, has excellent speed, so we've got some options out there.

"Also the quarterbacks are really doing a super job of being accurate. You can have all the players you want out there, but if the quarterback is not accurate and you're not providing good pass protection, a good stable of receivers can look like they're bad."

With Ty Keyes and Iverson Celestine committing this month and Keyes having a recruiting ranking equaled by only one player in the Rivals era and Celestine having a ranking equaled by only four others, I decided to look at every signee rated 5.6 or higher and see how they fared at Tulane. Rivals begin using a form of its current ratings in 2004, though no one in 2002 or 2003 would have been high if it had been used then, and refined it in 2006 to what is close to the one it uses today.

Usually, Tulane's top recruits have not lived up to their billing, but that is starting to change under Willie Fritz and his staff, who have a good eye for talent and know how to coach.

1) Darion Monroe 2012 (5.8)

Analysis: He was not the all-world talent Curtis Johnson built him up as when he de-committed from Texas A&M to sign with Tulane in CJ's first class, but he had a very good career, starting every game except for the one he missed due to suspension as a senior and finishing with 333 tackles, eight fumble recoveries and six interceptions. He was projected as a cornerback but was not fast enough, settling in at free safety after two games as a freshman.

THE 5.7 GUYS

LB Edward Williams 2013 (5.7)

Analysis: His parents forced him to sign with Tulane when he wanted to play for Texas Tech. He never appeared happy at Tulane and never really got the chance to live up to his potential, starting eight games as a sophomore and making 38 tackles. 2015 could have been his breakout year, but CJ suspended him for the season for academic reasons with the blessing of his parents, and he did not regain his eligibility when Fritz arrived.

OT Kenneth Santa Marina 2013 (5.7)

Analysis: The McDonogh 35 product was not as good as his hype, failing to make a significant impact under two coaches. He started six games at guard under Fritz as a redshirt junior in 2016 but lost his job before the end of the season and did not return in 2017.

DT Jeffery Johnson 2018 (5.7)

Analysis: Although he has not been as dominant as many hoped for due to some nagging injuries, he has been solid in the middle. He had 30 tackles as a true freshman and 26 last year and has been immovable in the middle when healthy. Look for 2020 to be a big step up for him if the season happens.

OT Josh Remetich 2020 (5.7)

Analysis: career has not started yet.

THE 5.6 GUYS

TE Gabe Ratliff 2004

Analysis: He had 32 catches and two TDs with a high total of 12 for 125 yards as a senior.

QB Scott Elliott 2004

Analysis: It is hard to judge QBs from the Bob Toledo era because of the prehistoric offense, but Elliot completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes with six career starts and was ineffective by any measure.

DT Frank Morton 2004

Analysis: He had 80 tackles with 12 starts through three years and apparently did not return for his final season when he would have been a projected starter.

TE Brock Sanders 2008

Analysis: Toledo loved recruiting tight ends, but Sanders never was starter quality. He caught nine passes and left before his senior year.

LB Cody Ledford 2009

Analysis: An apparent washout who played for a small private high school in Tallahassee. Ledford was not listed on the 2010 roster and had no stats in 2009. I was back in New Orleans in 2009 but did not cover the team.

RB Orleans Darkwa 2010

Analysis: The perfect Tulane recruit before the Wave finally got a big-time coach, Darkwa came because of the excellent academics rather than the football program and had a heck of a career. Playing on bad offenses, he started 35 games, rushed for more than 900 yards as a freshman and sophomore and had a few years in the NFL. A terrible ankle injury I witnessed in practice cost him much of his junior year, but that saved him from getting even more abused behind the worst run-blocking offensive line I've ever seen in 2012. He bounced back with 863 yards as a senior and would have excelled in Fritz's system.

RB Dante Butler 2011

Analysis: I always liked Butler, a Brother Martin product who had his freshman year robbed from him when Toledo's staff used him on special teams. If he had been a redshirt senior in 2015, he might have put up good numbers. As it was, he never rushed for 200 yards in a year, and he moved to fullback as a junior. He started six times there as a senior.

OG Chris Taylor 2013

Analysis: Taylor was solid, starting four times as a freshman and in every game after that. He earned second-team All-Conference from Phil Steele as a sophomore but did not build on it, gaining a little too much weight. Still, he never was a liability and gave an honest effort each time out.

WR Teddy Veal 2014

Analysis: The West Jefferson product had a lot of talent, putting up good numbers for bad offenses in 2014 (40 catches, 381 yards) and 2015 (team highs of 48 catches, 644 yards and five TDs) after surviving an on-campus rape accusation. He would have been good for Fritz but he decided to leave for the more prolific pass offense at Louisiana Tech. where he caught 144 passes in his final two years.

LB Rae Juan Marbley 2014

Analysis: An outstanding character guy with talent, Marbley blossomed as a senior after showing promise (81 tackles) in his first three years. He made a team-high 96.5 tackles at inside linbacber with a team-high 9.5 stops for loss for what would have been Fritz's first bowl team if Jonathan Banks had A) show more toughness when he gambled to run for the end zone on third down against SMU in the season finale or B) the referees not been influenced by the location of the game and ruled him short of the end zone as time ran out. Marbley deserved better, but that's life.

OG Leeward Brown 2015

Analysis: After redshirting in 2015, he started every game at guard in 2016 and the opener in 2017 before losing his job and never regaining it. He played as a reserve in the rest of the games and left the team at the end of the year. He was part of the last, weak group of CJ that exception Rod Teamer told me later he knew was bad from the first day they began practicing.

RB Nigel Anderson 2015

Analysis: Although he made an appearance at preseason practice, he never became eligible, a problem that cropped up for the first time under CJ in that forgettable last class as the coaches took a chance on a lot of risky guys to try to salvage the class.

CB Tre Jackson 2016

Analysis: Now we are entering the Fritz era of recruiting. Jackson was talented, but as the son of one of my favorite players when I covered Florida, wide receiver Jack Jackson, he inherited some of his father's difficult traits. Jack Jackson was never easy for Steve Spurrier to deal with, and Tre Jackson, not the superstar his dad was, played in two games as a freshman and eight as a sophomore (making only five tackles) before leaving. He could have been an impact player with the right mindset.

WR Jacob Robertson 2016

Analysis: Robertson has been a bit player through four years but has one more chance to make a significant impact. He had 11 catches with two starts as a redshirt freshman in 2017, four catches in 2018 and eight catches with one start last year. He will be in the mix this season if the season is played, so his legacy could change.

RB Amare Jones 2018

Analysis: He's a star who figures to have a huge junior season because of his all-around ability as a kick returner, runner and receiver. He fell short of very high expectations after a big start last year as he learned how to read holes and not go for the home run each time, but he still averaged 6.1 yards per carry, 10.8 yards per reception, 12.8 yards per punt return and 21.5 yards per kickoff return while producing 1,611 all-purpose yards. He is on more than one national preseason watch list for good reason.

DT Alfred Thomas 2018

Analysis: Although he has played a bit in his first two years, Thomas has not been productive. He had seven tackles in seven games as a true freshman and made two tackles in three games last year while being hampered by injury. He won't start as a junior, but he certainly can make an impact. It looked like he was getting time at end rather than tackle in the truncated spring drills.

LB La'Dedric Jackson 2018

Analysis: He capped off a highly rated class by signing in the late period but never made an impact, leaving at the end of his freshman year.

CB Dorian Campbell 2018

Analysis: Apparently, his heart was not into football, as the Baton Rouge native who appeared to have a bright future left at the end of his first year and resurfaced on the LSU track team, where he excelled as the lead runner in the 4 X100-meter relay and also was good in the 400 meters.

OG Jason Swann 2018

Analysis: The Florida product did not even make it through a full year before leaving, never playing in a game.

DE Juan Monjarres 2018

Analysis: After showing potential as a pass rusher through two years, including a huge sack and forced fumble in the end zone of Tulane's rout of Memphis in 2018, before missing the last half of 2019 with a knee injury, Monjarres no longer is listed on the roster. Stay tuned to see if the St. Aug product returns and fulfills his potential.

QB Michael Pratt and DE Angelo Anderson, 2020

Analysis: Pratt looked very promising in the spring. Anderson will get a chance to show what he can do in preseason practice.

I continued to focus on the receivers at Tulane's practice today because they are the easiest to judge in non-contact drills and are the biggest question mark entering the season the Green Wave still hopes to play. I arrived to see individual drills about halfway through the workout, and it was not a pretty start. With no one covering them, Sorrell Brown, Tyrek Presley and Amare Jones dropped passes that hit them in the hands, although in the dog days of August practice, concentration tends to slip at times. Phat Watts dropped a pass thrown behind him, and Jacob Robertson dropped a very low throw that would have been hard for anyone to hold on to. Still, receivers should catch just about anything in individual drills, and they did not do it today.

Mykel Jones was dressed but did not get a rep while I was there. Dane Ledford was full go, as was Amare Jones, who was held out of Thursday's scrimmage. Jha'Quan Jackson, whose absence had been noticeable, participated in individual drills in a no-contact jersey but sat out the 7 on 7 and 11 on 11. His return is good news, though, because he was the best all-around receiver on the team in the five spring practices.

The news got better at the start of 7-on-7 work, with the quarterbacks completing their first seven passes. Keon Howard, who is content to take the shorter routes when they are available, hit tight end Will Wallace twice and Sorrrell Brown once in his three-play opening stint. Michael Pratt entered and threw underneath to Wallace, who is having a good camp, and hit Tyjae Spears downfield on a pass he threw slightly behind him before connecting with walk-on Ryan Thompson on an intermediate route in the middle of the field.

Justin Ibieta went in and hit Keshon Williams on a quick pop before ending the streak with a misfire to Williams in traffic farther down the field. He found Stephon Huderson over the middle on his next attempt, making the QBs 8 for 9 to start, although most of them were completed near the line of scrimmage.

In Howard's second stint, he hit Sorrell Brown inside of Kyle Meyers, who has not given up many completions in the last week, missed tight end Tyrick James over the middle on a dangerous throw into traffic and threw over James' head when Willie Langham had tight coverage.

Ibiata was next and threw a beautiful deep ball to Thompson, who dropped it. Duece Watts caught a pass but fumbled it as he tried to adjust the ball. Brown then juggled a catch and secured it as he fell down headed back toward the line of scrimmage. Cameron Carroll, who looks good, then got wide open for a big gain on a wheel route. I did not notice who he beat, but it was by at least 5 yards on a well executed play.

The longest gain of the day came on one of the only rep walk-on Josh Holl got. He found Dane Ledford deep down the middle of the field against the third-team defense.

In Howard's third stint, he hit Brown on a short route, threw behind Christian Daniels, who could not hold on to the ball and could not connect with Duece Watts with Meyers blanketing him.

Pratt returned and tried to hit Duece Watts on a deep route, but Kiland Harrison was all over him. Pratt completed a pass to Tyrek Presley on a crossing route before Presley hauled in his second consecutive reception on on throw from Ibieta.

11 on 11

This segment started with a nice deep throw by Howard to a receiver I could not catch the number of (think it was Duece Watts). A little later, Pratt showed his innate ability with a scrambling dart to a well-covered Huderson. He was near the sideline when he lofted it over the head of a defender. Although the whistle already had blown signifying the end of the play, it was nice improvisation.

Linebacker Dorian Williams showed his speed on Ibieta's first throw, getting downfield to break up a bomb for Duece Watts. The other completions came from Howard to James on the sideline, Howard to Brown for a nice gain over the middle and Pratt to Duece Wats inside. The day ended when Presley dropped an Ibieata pass that was thrown behind him.

Although the receivers did not miss any easy grabs, what I'm not seeing is the spectacular catch. The ball has to be on target without a ton of traffic. No one is making the plays Darnell Mooney made the past few years, although the full health of Mykel Jones and Jha'Quan Jackson can make a huge difference. They are both projected starters. The rest of the group has been up and down, although Duece Watts appears ticketed to start and definitely is a deep threat.

The first team on defense has been consistently the same group the past few practices, with Eric Hicks replacing an injured Jeffery Johnson at defensive tackle and Ajani Kerr replacing an injured Chase Kuerschen at safety. Meyers and Jaylon Monroe are the clear starters at cornerback, although Kiland Harrison continues to impress, with Larry Brooks at safety, Kevin Henry and Marvin Moody at linebacker, Langham at nickekback, Patrick Johnson and Cameron Sample at end and De'Andre Williams at nose tackle.

The linebacker depth is quite good. Jesus Machado had a "sack" in 11-on-11 work, and he is the fifth guy.

Trey Tuggle practiced today with the second-team line at right tackle. He replaced walk-on Timothy Shafter at that spot.

An injured Ygenio Booker missed another practice. If he can stay healthy, he will be a significant factor in the passing game, but he's missed a lot of time since he arrived.

I will post quotes later.

As reported by 247 is Michael Lunz a 3 star LB from Kentucky.

The bad news about Tulane's scrimmages under Willie Fritz is they are not media friendly. He prefers situational scrimmages rather than game-like scrimmages, so there are no drives per say and the down and distance are largely predetermined. They also are rotating the quarterbacks every few plays this preseason, so they don't get full series.

The good news is the scrimmages are football-team-gets-better friendly, and ultimately, my ease in transcribing what's going on is irrelevant. Tulane ran 48 plays today and had six live punts (minus the tackling) with six referees on hand, giving the coaches plenty to observe live and on video and to go forward from there.

A number of players were held out due to injury--wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson, running backs Amare Jones and Ygenio Booker, tight end Reggie Brown and lineman Josh Remetich on offense and tackle Jeffery Johnson, safety Chase Kuerschen and Kanyon Walker on defense. Brown is going around on a scooter with a left leg injury.

The other difference is today's scrimmage was the high number of rushes, which are hard for me to judge in no-tackling drills. Keon Howard took three snaps on the opening series and did not pass once, handing off to Tyjae Spears and Stephon Huderson and scrambling when the offensive line gave him a ton of time to throw but he could not find anyone open.

Justin Ibieta went in next and tried to hit Mykel Jones, who got his first action in team drills in the days I've been there, on a deep pattern. Kiland Harrison blanketed him and prevented the catch.

Next it was Michael Pratt's turn. He handed off to Spears, who was stopped by excellent penetration from Carlos Hatcher. After a couple more running plays, Pratt scrambled when he received early pressure.

Josh Hall was in briefly for a pair of handoffs to walk-on Logan Ammons before Howard returned. This time, Cameron Carroll accelerated through a nice hole for what would have been a sizable gain in a tackling drill. Cameron Sample, who is poised to have a tremendous year if he stays healthy and the season is played, forced Howard into a throwaway, and Marvin Moody took Spears' helmet off after reaching him on an outside run. There was not heavy contact, but the helmet ended up on the ground.

Pratt was next for a series of handoffs, with two inside runs by Huderson of indeterminent success and a run by Carroll.

Back in went Ibieta, who ran a keeper before completing a short pass to walk-on Reed Rutkowski on an inside route and a short dump to Spears after holding on to the ball for a while. The offensive line held its own against the defensive front, usually giving the QBs time to throw. Then it was more time for Holl, who dropped a snap on one play.

The scrimmage ended without any huge plays from the offense, which is hampered by not having Jones and, for the last two days, the receivers' inability to get open. It probably feels like I'm picking on Tyrek Presley, but he had another play today when he looked a little lackadaisical going for a ball he probably was not going to catch anyway because he was well covered and Pratt threw an off-target floater. I'd like to see more aggressiveness from Presley.

Wright was impressive in the live punting drills that took place right before the scrimmage, booming a high 52-yarder on the first one from the offense's 17. They then went down the field and punted in the opposite direction, and he got off another good one. Backup punter Casey Glover was good on his two punts, hitting his first one 51 yards, before Wright got two more. The first one traveled 60 yards. The second one, when he got heavy pressure and had to hurry it, went about 36 yards. Spears was the primary returner with Jones sidelined. He tried to catch the short punt on the bounce in traffic and muffed it, a definite no-no.

The first-team offense had Spears at running back, Jones, Duece Watts and Jacob Robertson at wideout, Tyrick James at tight end and the usual suspects on the offensive line.

The first-team defense had Jaylon Monroe and Kyle Meyers at cornerback, Larry Brooks at strong safety, Ajani Kerr at free safety, Willie Langham at nickelback. Kevin Henry and Moody at linebacker, Eric Hicks and De'Andre Williams at tackle and Sample and Patrick Johnson on the outside. Hicks, playing for the injured Jeffery Johnson, who has a cast on on hand. appears to have moved ahead of Davon Wright, who worked on the second-team line with Adonis Friloux, Carlos Hatcher and Angelo Anderson.

Before the scrimmage, they had some 7-on-7 work, and the defense dominated. Pratt tried to fit in tight passes on consecutive plays, with Meyers deflecting a pass to Sorrell Brown while running stride-for-stride with him and and Kerr stepping in front of Brown for a pick six. Both grad tranfers appear to be strong additions as expected. Robertson had a chance to make a huge play, but he could not hold on to the ball after laying out for it in traffic. Tight end Will Wallace had the longest gain on a seam route on a nice pass from Ibieta. Christian Daniels and Phat Watts had catches, too.

Fritz had a few comments on the scrimmage:

"It was a nice humid day here in NOLA. I thought our guys did a good job of battling through. We had an officials crew, which I thought was good for us. We had some calls we need. Coaches have been talking about them on multiple occasions, and sometimes it means more when the officials throw the flag. It was good to have the officials out there. We did a lot of kicking game, a lot of competitive kicking game. We started the day off with extra point and field goal (I was not there yet) versus extra point and field goal block and did nine reps, then we moved on to kickoff versus kickoff return and did six reps. We went with a lot of guys so we could see who could actually run down the field and do the whole thing. Then we went ahead and did 7 on 7 and 1-on-1 pass rush with the officials there and came back with punt versus punt return. We finished up with 48 plays offense versus defense. We weren't tackling to the ground, but we got a lot of good work in with it.

"We'll get a chance to go up and watch the film right now. Our guys are getting in better shape. We're fighting through the heat and humidity because our expectations are we're going to play fast and furious the whole time. It doesn't matter to us what the temperature is. We're doing a good job of giving breaks and hydrating. Kudos to our athletic training staff and what they're doing as far as keeping these guys well taken care of."

On what he liked and did not like:

"The biggest thing I thought was just the kicking game. A lot of people don't run reps in the kicking game to completion. Now we weren't tackling the returner, but this was the first time we had good on good with techniques on kickoff return and techniques on kickoff covering the field and simulating a real live kickoff and tagging off on the ball carrier. We're going to get a lot out of that watching film on it, and the same thing with punt versus punt return. Some guys got reps on both sides of the ball

"We also got a lot out of 7 on 7 and 1-on-1 pass rush, then also the team segments where we had officials out there. Guys were getting away with something that they didn't get away with today. The yellow flag came out, and just getting a little more game-like."

On most improved area from year to year on the team:

"Offensive line. We're going three full groups right now, and all of them can operate. We've never had close to 15 guys. And obviously they're all not AA starting offensive linemen right now, but they can operate bodies into bodies. They're not getting whipped quickly off the offensive line like sometimes happens with freshmen. I think we hit on all of our freshmen. We signed five offensive linemen and all five of them are excellent players. They've provided a ton of depth. Sincere Haynesworth is a big-time player. He can start for anybody in the country. Corey Dublin, a four-year starter, provides a ton of leadership and toughness. Joey Claybrook has gotten much better, and we have a bunch of competition on the right side of the line. We have four guys vying for those two spots (Jaylen Miller and Cameron Jackel at RT; Ben Knutson and I guess Stephen Lewerenz at right guard, although it might be Rashad Green). We need to be (improved) because we're really good on the defensive line. Those guys are going to bury us if they don't come and compete every day and use proper technique."

He also talked about the cancellation of the Southeastern game:

“It’s a disappointment, but we have to adjust and fight through the adversity,” he said. “There’s one constant right now. It’s change.”

“We want to play 12 games. That’s what we’d like to do. If we can find somebody, we’ll jump on and try to find them. Our intentions are if we’re going to play, let’s play a full schedule.”

“Our guys have had a great attitude. We update them as soon as we get any information that’s real. I know our players want to play 12 games and then hopefully more with a conference championship (game) and a bowl game.”

“I’m just following our docs, particularly Doc Stewart. They’ve done a great job of testing and we’re testing all our guys tomorrow. Obviously the health and safety of our student-athletes is at the forefront, but we also feel like this is very doable. If it’s not and someone says we can’t do it, we won’t do it, but the jury still seems to be out. There’s been a lot of hesitation amongst groups who are canceling and groups who are playing. We’re full speed ahead until someone tells us positively otherwise.”

St. Louis (Mo.) De Smet three-star OL Hutson Lillibridge has announced his commitment to Tulane. I had a chance to cover Hutson several times in the last two years. He is a tough, strong lineman who I see fitting best at the guard position. Also a bonus getting into De Smet, which is kicking out a ton of top talent right now.

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BYU is open on that date.

I see he is in the transfer portal. It should be interesting to see how many B10 and Pac12 players enter the portal because of the cancellation of the season. I would expect this to affect recruiting.

I had to take an older relative to the hospital for non-COVID issue and did not make it to practice today, although I did get home in time to ask a couple questions to Fritz.

Tulane's scrimmage tomorrow no longer will feature tackling. Fritz said he was opting for safety at this point but would have a truly live scrimmage down the road in preseason camp if they get more clarity on the status of the season.

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With minor injuries mounting, the receivers had a brutal morning at Yulman Stadium after looking pretty good in the first five. The drop squad was out in full force during 7-on-7 practice that ended at 9:30.

Leading returning receiver Jaetavian Toles remains sidelined with an unspecified injury--he has been nowhere in evidence but is still on the team--and Jha'Quan Jackson did not practice because of the left arm injury he sustained in Monday's workout when he landed hard on the turf. Jackson was out there with no visible brace or sling, and he participated in post-practice exercises, so my best best is it will be a short-term absence. Dane Ledford was in a red no-contact jersey today as well. Unfortunately, the feed on the Zoom call with Willie Fritz wigged out on me for the first time, so I did not have a chance to ask about injuries.

Mykel Jones, who continues to be held out of team drills, set the tone by dropping a pass from Michael Pratt in receiver drills that hit him in the hands and was not thrown hard.

Once 7-on-7 seven drills began, Sorrell Brown dropped a beautiful throw by Pratt that eluded the outstretched hands of a defender. Sophomore Tyrek Presley, whose body says big-time receiver but whose performance has been lacking, showed indifferent effort on a seam pass Justin Ibieta threw over the top, letting it sail a couple yards past him when it appeared he had a play on the ball. On the next play, he dropped an easy catch.

Running back Cam Carroll, who usually has good hands, joined the party by dropping an easy one near the sideline from Pratt. One of the defenders on the play mocked him, saying "come on, Cam."

A little later, Jacob Robertson dropped one on contact for what would have been a 20-yard gain over the middle. Freshman safety Cornelius Dyson raced to the sideline to pick off a Keon Howard throw. Cornerback Kyle Meyers broke up a pass for Presley, with yet another DB showing better ball instincts than Presley, who did bounce back to catch consecutive short passes near the end of 11-on-11 work. Walk-on cornerback Rishi Rattan, whom I dismissed as a non-factor when he had an interception on the second day of practice, broke up a pass for Duece Watts beautifully, slapping it the ground with quick acceleration. Rattan, from Shawnee, Kansas, is 5-9, 165 and unlikely to contribute, but he makes plays every day.

The 11-on-11 work, which did not last long, started with a busted coverage as Phat Watts ran down the seam with no one near him for an easy catch from Pratt. I'm not sure who was at fault, but Kerr looked irritated. On the next snap, Brown dropped another pass.

The two best plays of the day came from combos we will not see in games. Pratt threw a gorgeous deep ball to walk-on quarterback Josh Coltrin, who filled in due to the shortage at receiver, leading to a huge celebration. Later, Pratt, who has tremendous arm talent, threw a perfect deep out to freshman walk-on Stephen Payne, who just had room to get his feet inbounds. Payne is 5-10, 165 pounds.

Eric Hicks got some reps with the first unit at tackle today and Ajani Kerr stepped in for an injured Chase Kuershen at free safety. Willie Langham replaced Kerr at nickelback. Kevin Henry was back with the first unit alongside Marvin Moody, which is the duo I expect to start the season, with Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams getting plenty of time, too.

Overall, this is the most athletic defense Tulane has had under Fritz. If the Wave gets good play at free safety and from the two grad transfer DBs, the defense should be really strong. Clearly, the only real questions are in the secondary, but I like Monroe and Larry Brooks.

There was no Angelo Anderson sighting anywhere on the field. I will ask about him tomorrow if he is not practicing.

The freshman offensive lineman have not made an impact yet, but it's still early in camp. Matt Lombardi is playing left tackle, with Rashad Green at left guard and Joseph Solomon at right guard while Josh Remetich sits out. I did not notice Trey Tuggle today and will have to check on him.

Ygenio Booker missed his second consecutive day. He has been banged up often in his time at Tulane.

Fritz was a motivational speaker at the end of practice, telling the player he had "no new news" on the status of the season and saying "We're the Terminator. We just keep going." It has to be hard to concentrate with indecision swirling around the viability of college football, but it appears decisions by the Power Five conferences will be delayed, which is good news for the continuation of practice.

Fritz told me on the Zoom call he is as worried about hydration as coronavirus. Tulane does not have the Saints indoor facility as an option, and the offensive and defensive linemen debuted experimental shields inside their helmets today, making conditions even hotter for them. I'm not sure the cost-benefit analysis supports those, but the AAC is considering mandating them, so Tulane will have to get used to them in case they become mandatory.

With rumors spreading that the Big Ten and Pac 12 will cancel fall football as soon as tomorrow, Tulane controlled what it could control on Monday morning, practicing a little earlier than usual and ending at 9:26 because it's a coronavirus testing day. Coaches and players have to proceed as if the season will continue, and they have done a good job of it to this point.

I saw all of the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 again today, and here is the rundown.

7 ON 7

The first-team defense had Dorian Williams and Marvin Moody at linebacker, Kyle Meyers and Jaylon Monroe at cornerback, Ajani Kerr at nickelback, Larry Brooks at strong safety and Chase Kuerschen at free safety.

The second-team defense had Nick Anderson and probably Kevin Henry at LB (I did not write it down), Kiland Harrison and freshman Kevaris Hall at cornerback, Willie Langham at nickelback, Cornelius Dyson at strong safety and Macon Clark at free safety.

The third-team defense had Jesus Machado and Matthew Hightower at linebacker, Reggie Neely and Rishi Rattan at cornerback, Clark at nickelback so he could get some work there and Shi'Keem Laister and Dyson again at safety (I did not see Tonquez Ball, and depth is light at the position with the summer departure of Tyler Judson).

Keon Howard was sharp again, completing his first six passes over three short stints before forcing one deep over the middle to Jha'Quan Jackson in an unfortunate play that ended in a deflected interception for Brooks and an injury to Jackson when he landed hard on his left shoulder. Jackson did not return for the rest of the day and appeared to be in a bit of pain. Before that play, Howard made quick, decisive decisions, hitting Jacob Robertson on a crossing pattern with Meyers trailing, connecting with Jackson for a short gain and finding Sorrell Brown over the middle (beating Meyers again) versus the first-team D, throwing to Tyjae Spears on a quick out and throwing a dart to Dane Ledford for a sizable gain against the second-team D and hitting Cameron Carroll on a pass in the flat he threw slightly behind him.

Michael Pratt struggled today. After completing a short pass to Spears, who as you would expect looks really good, he threw an interception directly into the hands of Anderson, who anticipated the decision and jumped the route. From that point, Pratt appeared hesitant, which is unusual for him. Operating against the No. 1 D on his next series, he waited forever before completing a pass to Jackson, having Jaylon Monroe break up a slant pass (Monroe has been good) and settling for Tyrick James as a safety valve after finding no one open downfield in his first set of downs against the No. 2 D. In his final series, he threw his best pass, hitting Spears in traffic over the middle and leading him perfectly, before connecting with Ledford on another slow-developing play and throwing underneath to Ryan Thompson.

11 on 11

Pratt opened the team portion of practice and was "sacked" by Cam Sample after a running play. He then had a slant pass deflected, scrambled when he could not find anyone open and hit Duece Watts on a crossing route after holding on to the ball for a long time. He tried to hit Tyrek Presley on a deep post, but Presley did not run his route with purpose, and Kevaris Hall made a better play on the ball than he did, knocking it down while trying to intercept it. Spears then made a sweet cut on a run that probably would have been a long gain in a live drill.

Ibieta was next, and Spears dropped a pass near the sideline as a safety valve when he had a lot of open field in front of him. He berated himself. A swing pass to Spears that probably would have gone for no gain followed before a run into a crowd by Stephon Huderson.

Howard entered and scrambled decisively, then completed a sideline pass to Carroll, scrambled again when no one was open, threw a nice pass to Ledford on an inside route and had a swing pass bounce off Carroll's hands when he threw it a little high.

Ibieta came back and almost threw an interception, with Rattan dropping a pass intended for Presley. He then threw a short pass that Carroll caught while having to stop to corral it because it was behind him, an incompletion that sailed over everyone's head in the middle of the field and was sacked by Adonis Friloux, who came in clean. I did not see who he beat on the pass rush, but it was a nice play, and it ended the day. Friloux and Noah Taliancich received reps together with the first unit inside during the 11 on 11.

NOTES

Ygenio Booker, who was dinged up in practice yesterday, did not practice. Neither did freshman offensive lineman Josh Remetich, who has not practiced in any of the three days I have watched.

Mykel Jones practiced in individual drills but was held out of 7 on 7 and 11 on 11. I asked him about it afterward and he said he was fine but coaches were just holding out of team drills. As is Willie Fritz's policy, Tulane is very tight-lipped about injuries, but Jones looked fine in individual work. Jaetavian Toles was not at practice as far as I could tell.

When I arrived at practice, the offense was on the stadium field and the defense was practicing on the smaller field outside the stadium. I had not seen that split before. Usually the offensive linemen and the defensive linemen spend time on the smaller field, but not the entire defense or offense.

Meyers did not have a great practice, particularly in 7 on 7. He was not happy with himself after giving up consecutive completions.

I like what I'm seeing from Howard. It's easy to see why he earned starting shots at Southern Miss as a freshman and sophomore. At the end of practice after players took pads off but before the team meeting in the middle of the field, he spent several minutes tossing the ball to Will Hall's son and just appears comfortable in his role as a team leader.

My biggest question mark about Tulane entering preseason drills was the passing game. To become an AAC contender, the Green Wave has to be more successful in the air than it was last year, when Justin McMillan, who exceeded expectations as a runner, did not get the job done as a thrower despite having an excellent receiver in Darnell Mooney and another good one in Jalen McCleskey, both of whom are gone along with McMillian. And when I watched SMU's secondary receivers make two incredible catches for touchdowns in the regular-season finale--plays Tulane's secondary receivers never would have made--the talent gap in that department appeared large.

I will have those concerns if the season starts, too (with the MAC canceling all fall sports today, it's a big IF), but the first week of preseason drills has been positive on that front. Willie Fritz said the QBs began the Friday practice I missed with 11 consecutive completions, and more deep balls are connecting in the two days I've seen than at any time since I started covering the team in 2010.

Today, I focused on the passing game, watching all of the 7 on 7 and 11-on-11 work in the final hour. Mykel Jones and Jaetavian Toles did not participate, but even if they had, Tulane's wide receiving corps will be a cast of unproven players this fall, with the group combining for 29 Division I catches last year, including Jones' two at Oklahoma (The Watts twins had 37 in JC ball).

The thing is, several of them are making plays in preseason camp. Today, the first teamers were true sophomore Jha'Quan Jackson, senior Jacob Robertson and Duece Watts. The second teamers were Sorrell Brown, Phat Watts and Dane Ledford. Tyrek Presley and a collection of walk-ons got reps with the third unit. Jones, whom Willie Fritz praised in his Zoom interview today, figures to start ahead of Robertson when he returns (I did not ask about Jones not practicing but will on Monday if he is not back). Toles, who caught 13 passes last year, did not have a good spring after losing his starting job to Robertson late last year and is more of a question. He was not one of the 10 receivers (counting three running backs) Fritz mentioned when asked to assess the wideouts in the video conference.

The quarterbacks were rotating quickly in the 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 work this morning. Howard, whose accuracy has improved tremendously from the start of spring drills, began by connecting with Jackson on the sideline. Jackson stood out more than any receiver in the five spring practices, and Fritz said today he expects him to start and that his move to QB as a senior in high school hindered his development before he arrived at Tulane. He caught only two passes in eight games on 2019 but is showing excellent hands and good open-field skills.

Howard was off target on his next throw, overthrowing an open receiver for what could have been a long gain. He then hit Sorrell Brown, a big target who missed his first two years due to separate knee injuries, for a short gain. Brown had more catches today than at any practice I've observed.

Michael Pratt entered and was victimized by drops, which were a problem last year even for Mooney and McCleskey. Presley, who caught three passes as a freshman last season but has a long way to go to get in the mix this year, dropped one on a slant. Then tight end/converted quarterback Christian Daniels had an ugly drop after getting open about 20 yards down the field, letting the ball get to his body and bounce off.

Justin Ibieta was next, and Chase Kuerschen broke up his pass to tight end Tyrick James down the seam. Ibieta then hit Amare Jones near the sideline.

Pratt went back in and connected with Brown deep down the middle for a big gain. He then hit Ygenio Booker, whose receiving skills are outstanding, inside before Brown dropped a slightly off-target throw. A little later, Pratt trusted his arm too much in a deep throw for Jones into double coverage that Kuerschen intercepted off a deflection. Pratt threw behind Duece Watts for an incompletion on his next pass.

The walk-on QBs got some reps, too, and tight end Will Wallace, not known for his receiving skills, made an oustanding diving catch of a deep pass from Josh Holl.

In Ibieta's next set of reps, he tried to hit walk-on Ryan Thompson deep on cornerback Kiland Harrison, who was step for step with him and knocked the ball away. He then found Thompson for a short gain on a quick slant and connected with Ledford on a pretty deep floater, although the defensive players on the sideline insisted Ledford landed out of bounds. Ledford, who looked good in a Superdome practice last fall after moving to receiver before getting hurt soon afterward, has been impressive this camp. Ibieta's last throw was a completed deep out to freshman tight end Reggie Brown, who bobbled it slightly before bringing it near the sideline.

Howard returned for his last 8-on-8 stint and found Brown down the seam before Kuerschen could get there to break it up. He followed with a completion to Tyjae Spears on the sideline and a completion to Brown over the middle.

Pratt returned, and Clark broke up his pass for Cameron Carroll before Booker made a diving catch on a deep ball near the sideline. He came up a little gimpy and was stretching his legs as if he had a cramp.

In the situational 11-on-11 drill that ended practice, they were not in the red zone like in Thursday's workout, giving them more room to operate. The QB substitutions were rapid, but Howard started with an unsuccessful deep ball to Jackson, who was well covered by Jaylon Monroe. Pratt went in after two plays and the whistle blew when he could not find anyone open. He completed a short pass to Brown on an inside route and hit Ledford on a sideline pattern.

Ibieta entered and completed a floater to Ledford for a sizable gain before being pressured into an incomplete pass.

Holl was next, and he completed a 40-plus yard TD pass to unknown walk-on Stephen Payne when freshman cornerback Reggie Neely fell down. We won't be seeing that combo in games, but it was a nice play.

Pratt went int and connected with Jackson for a short gain outside before getting "sacked" by De'Andre Williams. A rare run play to Spears up the middle followed.

Ibieata went 2 for 2 in his last stint, completing a short pass Phat Watts before Booker made another heck of a play, diving to haul in a ball on a deep sideline pattern. He stayed down for nearly a minute after the catch, although he appeared OK when he walked around after getting up.

Howard's last stint featured three straight completions--one to Brown when he beat Harrison on a streak pattern, another to Presley inside and another to Thompson on a ball thrown slightly behind him.

The day ended in fitting fashion as walk-on Cameron Dartez completed a long ball to Phat Watts, who made another diving catch as the offense celebrated.

There is no question Will Hall is coaching these guys up in the passing game. Tulane still has a lot of questions to answer in that department, but the wideouts will get help from Jones, Spears and Booker. It's certainly a more promising situation that I would have forecast before the start of spring ball, although the wideouts will have to prove themselves in real games.

I will transcribe Fritz's quotes from the Zoom call later, but he said they will have two scrimmages this preseason--one on Aug. 13 in practice No. 8 and another on Aug. 20. Those will be the only two full-pad practices of the preseason, but Fritz has been doing it like that for several years.

The new thing is Tulane will practice four days in a row and then take one day off throughout camp because Fritz said studies had proven coaches overworked players in camp in the past, so tomorrow is the first off day.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that the college season is allowed to move forward.

NOTES

--The emphasis on drinking water has been ramped up this preseason. Fritz started his post-practice talk to the players by yelling "hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate."

--Fritz also is emphasizing sleep. Players are strongly encouraged to take two-to-three-hour naps after lunch, something that will not be possible when classes start Aug. 19. Tulane has been measuring sleep patterns since the beginning of last year, and Fritz has mentioned the naps in both practices I have attended.

--Today was freshman defensive tackle Brandon Brown's birthday. Players and coaches sang Happy Birthday to him in the post-practice meeting in the middle of the field.

--Caleb Thomas continued to get the reps as the second-team center. Fritz, however, labeled sophomore starting center Sincere Haynesworth "The Terminator" in his interview, saying he would play every down.

--Redshirt freshman safety Kanyon Walker, who was injured and never practiced last year as far as I can recall, still is unavailable. He watched practice from the sideline in a jersey but with no helmet.

Tulane hit the practice field Thursday morning for the second time and for the first time in ffront of reporters, finishing around 9:45 at Yulman Stadium. In a Zoom conference call later, athletic director Troy Dannen said he did not anticipate any fans being allowed at Tulane games this year, including the early basketball games, and that he he saw no scenario with more than 3,000 fans allowed in the stadium. He added that there have been only five positive coronovarius tests out of 1,080 administered to football players since testing began June 13, with two of them happening to players who had just arrived and the other three from players living in the same house right after arrival. No football players are in quarantine at the moment, with Tulane testing twice a week.

But more on that later. This report is focused on the football, with Tulane having an extensive 11-on-11 session in shorts and shoulder pads during the second hour of practice.

FSU grad transfer Kyle Meyers is wearing No. 10 and has practiced both days. When they went to 11-on-11 work today, he was the nickelback with the second-team defense. Later, he received reps with the first team at cornerback and nickelback. I still have no idea why he is not listed on the roster, but his status is not in question according to Willie Fritz.

"He's good to go," Fritz said. "He's 100-percent eligible. Most of you know Kyle. He played at Holy Cross High School, is a transfer student for us from Florida State and we're pumped up about having him. We needed some more experience at the corner position, and he's given that to us. He can also step inside and play some nickelback for us and also has a lot of experience in the kicking game. Kyle's here and we're pumped about that."

The first-team defense in the first reps of 11 on 11 was Patrick Johnson, Jeffrey Johnson, DeAndre Williams and Cameron Sample on the front --Fritz labeled the D-line as good as any group in the country--Marvin Moody and Kevin Henry at linebacker, Georgia Tech transfer Ajani Kerr at nickelback, Jaylon Monroe and Willie Langham at cornerback, Larry Brooks at strong safety and Chase Kuerschen at free safety.

Langham, who also got some time at nickelback, had a good day. He jumped a quick out and almost had a pick-six he would have take 90 yards for a touchdown if he had held on to the ball on a throw from Michael Pratt to Jacob Robertson and also broke up a couple other passes later in the practice.

The first-team offensive line had Duke grad transfer Jaylon Miller at right tackle, joining holdovers Joey Claybrook Corey Dublin, Sincere Haynesworth and Ben Knutson from left to right. Tyrick James was the starting tight end.

Keon Howard, of course, is the first-team quarterback, although Fritz said afterward Michael Pratt was competing with him for the starting job. Howard's best pass today was a beautiful fade to Sorrell Brown over the outstretched hands of freshman cornerback Reggie Neely (they were mixing and matching personnel by that point) for a touchdown. He did misfire on a swing pass to Ygenio Booker and had to throw one into the stands under duress.

Pratt had a rough stretch, following his near pick six with two fumbled snaps under center (one with Haynesworth snapping) and getting "sacked" by backup nickelback K.J. Vault on a blitz when he came in untouched. Third-string quarterback and Country Day product Justin Ibieta looked sharper, throwing a pretty fade to Phat Watts for a 13-yard gain to the 1-yard line in a drill where each play started from the 14. But Fritz emphasized the advantage Pratt had in going through five spring practices and everything else on campus in January and February.

All five running backs looked good, with Amare Jones, Tyjae Spears, Cameron Carroll, Stephon Huderson and Ygenio Booker making nice runs. Most of the plays took place either from the 14- or 9-yard lines, making it a red zone workout.

There was a Dane Ledford sighting when he beat Vault on a corner route. He juggled the catch slightly but brought it in before he went out of bounds.

Davon Wright, listed as 6-1, 305 pounds, got some reps with the first unit at defensive tackle, replacing Jeffrey Johnson, but I don't like Wright's body. He looks like he has too much of a belly, but players carry their weight differently.

The biggest cheer of the morning came near the end of the 11-on-11 session when walk-on freshman cornerback Rishi Rattan, from Shawnee, Kansas, intercepted a fade pass from Howard on the play after Howard's TD toss to Brown on the other side of the field. He threw it into a crowd, and Rattan caught it and started running the other way as he was serenaded by screaming teammates from the defensive sideline. Rattan is not in the mix for playing time, and players love it when backups like that get their time in the spotlight.

Two players were shaken up. Defensive back Cornelius Dyson limped off with a leg injury early in the 11-on-11 session, and defensive tackle Adonis Friloux came up gimpy near the end of the practice after a play when Fritz yelled at the players for going to the ground and not staying on their feet.

The second-team defense had Alfred Thomas (I believe it was him although I wrote down the wrong number), Eric Hicks, Wright and Carlos Hatcher on the line. Darius Hodges got some reps, too. The second-team linebackers were Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson, although the LBs rotated a bit. The second-team secondary consisted of Meyers/Kerr at nickelback, Kiland Harrison and Meyers/Kerr at cornerback and Ton'Quez Ball and Macon Clark at safety. I did not see Clark getting any time at nickelback as he did in the spring, but I might have missed it.

I did a double-take when I saw the second-team offensive line, which appeared to be Nik Hogan at left tackle, Rashad Green at left guard, Caleb Thomas at center, Stephen Lewerenz at right guard and Cameron Jackel at right tackle. I've tended to discount Thomas because he's been hurt from the time he arrived.

The third-team offensive line was Matt Lombardi at left tackle, Colby Orgeron at left guard, Michael Remondet at center, Joseph Solomon at right guard and Trey Tuggle at left tackle. I did not notice Josh Remetich, so he might have an injury.

Other than the concentration on red zone work, it looked like a normal practice to me. Coaches wore masks when they talked to players at close range, and the handshaking among players that was a ritual at the end of practice has been replaced by raising one arm over their heads in the era of coronavirus, but they clearly are trying to make it as normal as possible. Fritz and his players said they were fully confident the season would go on as scheduled and they were preparing that way, while Dannen was much more cautious, saying he couched everything he said with the realization the season might not happen. Tulane is very lucky to have Dannen as its AD in time like this, not because of his cautious words but because of his proactive approach and professional manner that was sorely lacking before he arrived. He was in command of all the facts in his Zoom interview, which coincided with Fritz's, after practice.

Look for an announcement at 2 p.m. of Tulane adding games against South Alabama and Southern Miss. Dannen said it would be a joint announcement with the other schools, although I'm just speculating on the Southern Miss part because he did not name the schools.

I'll have more quotes soon.

What’s the deal with him being on team this fall or not?

Who knows if the season will happen at all, but Tulane just lost a second game with the SEC canceling its non-conference schedule today.

Since neither the Northwestern or the Mississippi State games were buy games--they both had return dates--Tulane will not be as affected as it would have if the Auburn game had been canceled last season. But the Group of Five conferences in general are going to struggle.

The first full preseason practice today is not open to reporters, but tomorrow's will be before a zoom conference call with Fritz and selected players.

As you all know, I have offered blanket coverage of Tulane's preseason camp every year I have run this site and I intend to do it again this year if possible, but other than tomorrow, this week will be difficult. My father-in-law died of coronavirus in March, and his long-delayed funeral will be Friday. Relatives are in town and there is a lot going on this week.

By Monday, I will be back to normal, although it is unclear what daily access will look like in the coronavirus era.

Champaigne, a two-star DE from Tomball, Texas, committed last fall but did not sign because of a serious knee injury. He tweeted today the knee has recovered, and I have confirmed he will sign and be a part of the class of 2021 now.

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It's Kriston Esnard, the No. 4 ranked placekicker in the country according to Kohl's Kicking. Tulane was the only school to offer him a scholarship, but he sounds like a promising prospect.

I have to create a profile for him at Rivals, something that was commonplace under Toledo and CJ but is very rare under Fritz.

Esnard is from Decatur High in Georgia.

https://kohlskicking.com/player-profiles/kriston-esnard

Tulane has benefited in recent years from recruiting the junior colleges. While Jabril Clewis, Jonathan Banks, and Dominique Briggs were never superstars, they started a lot of games for the Wave. There are probably others I have overlooked. Nick Anderson and the Watts twins are our latest “finds” from the Juco ranks and their overall contributions are yet to be finalized. For 2021, we’ve got one Juco commitment so far in Offensive Lineman, Hayden Shook, but JC recruiting has a different “twist” this year.

Junior Colleges have reportedly moved their season to the spring. So, what does that mean? First, it means the four year schools will not be able to see JC players perform prior to the early signing period in December or the final signing period in February. Will we sign JUCO’s based on a single year of tape without seeing them in their sophomore year? If we’ve offered and they’ve committed, probably. But will schools hold off on offering and retain a couple of recruiting slots to sign players after their spring seasons? Or, if a guy like Shook is truly committed to the Wave and that commitment is mutual, will he sign in December, forego his second season in junior college and enter Tulane with four years remaining to play three (ie. as a “true” Sophomore rather than a “true” Junior)?

Similar questions can be asked about high school seniors in states that have already moved football to the spring (like where I live in Virginia). Billy Wiles, our QB commit from Virginia, will not play his senior year until after signing day. Does that change anything? What if he planned to graduate and attend Tulane in the Spring to get a “head start?” (and I have no indication that is/was his plan) How will spring football affect his plans? Every year, relative unknown players rise significantly in the ranks based on their senior seasons. Will teams hold slots for such until after spring football?

Like everything else in our lives, Covid 19 is changing how we look at things, even football recruiting. Fortunately, I think our coaches are better prepared to handle such a changed environment than most.

Roll Wave!!!

This is the last of the eight-part series. I'm skeptical about the season happening, but nothing is certain at this point. I will say Tulane people are generally optimistic about some form of the season happening.

https://tulane.rivals.com/news/rivals-com-aac-roundtable-will-we-have-a-2020-season-

It's B.J. Ragland, a 6-3, 295-pound OT from Chattanooga who had offers from UCF, ECU and Navy among other G5 programs.

He is the second offensive lineman in the class, joining guard Hayden Shook.

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