I don't think any of Tulane's players will be drafted this year.

Donnie Lewis got some mention as a prospect from NFL.com before last Saturday's East-West Shrine Game, but no one mentioned him after the game, when he made three assisted tackles before getting injured. No other Tulane player is in an All-Star game, and I just don't see the draft potential of the draft-eligible players.

I will post the final standings shortly, but here are the long-delayed results from bowl pick 'em.

7

Gretna Green

6

Golfer81
paliii
DrBox

5

LSU Law Greenie
charlamange8
diverdo
Kettrade1
Guerry

4

winwave
highwave
sscald
WaveON

3

Wavetime
chigoyboy
St Amant Wave

GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS

Tulane-ULL 16 of 16
Wake Forest over Memphis 7
Florida over Michigan 11
Clemson over Notre Dame 8
Oklahoma over Alabama 6
LSU over UCF 3
Washington over Ohio State 4
Texas over Georgia 4

Tulane released it yesterday after FootballScoop.com reported it a few days earlier. The new guy is Cody Kennedy, who was a grad assistant at Georgia this past year and served as Will Hall's OL coach at West Georgia in 2016.

Fritz said he would given Hall heavy input into the new coach and that clearly was the case.

https://tulanegreenwave.com/news/20...dy-as-offensive-line-coach.aspx?path=football

With three recruiting weekends prior to February 6 national signing day, I, like many Tulane fans, am focused on recruiting. We clearly have needs and I wouldn’t turn down an Alabama-level recruit regardless of his position. But, these last four slots are very valuable and shouldn’t be squandered (my opinion) on “projects” (unless they have extraordinary upside) or “fillers,” simply to get to the magic “25” number. For this reason, I am surprised at how some of our fans get so upset when a kid, playing a position of secondary need to Tulane, or one who, in my opinion, is a “fringe” signee to begin with, commits/signs with another school.

To me, our overriding need is for a freshman QB who will eventually start and star for at least three years. If neither Ledford nor Daniels can fit that bill (and the jury may not be in on that), why would we sign another young man of the same general skill-set? If we can’t get the kind of kid we really need, I’d pass this year. With McMillan and Howard, we are in pretty good shape for the next year and with graduate transfer QB’s annually popping up all over the place, an opening at QB for a year isn’t necessarily a bad think; a good-to-excellent fill could likely be found quickly.

We also need help on the offensive line, immediate help in my opinion. That tells me we need another experienced player who can jump into a starting position or, as a minimum, provide depth and “on-field” contributions from the “get-go.” So, while I’d love to see us sign a big, future four-year starter right out of high school, I’d stay away from anything much short of that.

We seem to be looking for least one more defensive lineman, most likely an end, which suggests to me, we expect some attrition at that position. Who that might be I have my suspicions, but not enough verifiable knowledge to put a young man’s name out there. If we do go this way, we need to get someone of the caliber we signed last recruiting season. Going backwards is not an option.

So, why do I put so much stock and emphasis on these last four openings? To me, saving a slot or two for a potential summer transfer (Graduate or JC) makes a lot of sense, rather than take someone who is unlikely to help for at least a couple of years. Also, 2020 is likely to be a year in which we can only sign about 20 players. Currently we have 78 players on scholarship or signed up for one. If we sign four more, that would “max us out” at 82 players, three short of the limit. We will only have 13 seniors next season, so that would take us to only 16 openings. Of course, attrition will add a few more, but I’d like us to sign a full complement next year when, hopefully, a good season will put us in better shape with higher potential recruits. A great season could alter our entire recruiting profile; we need to be ready.

That said, if the next three weeks provide the kind of players Coach Fritz wants, I’ll be happy with it. He clearly knows more about this than I. Can’t wait to see who visits.

Roll Wave!!!

Tulane is loading up on the final two weekends of recruiting before the traditional February signing day. With a lot of coaches on the road this weekend, the only guys in town will be on 2020 recruits on unofficial visits.

I do not have that list.

per FootballScoop is Cody Kennedy currently a grad assistant at Georgia. Previously worked with Will Hall.

It's not a position of need, but no team ever has enough good defensive linemen.

I have confirmed that Tulane is interested in this player. He finished third on Rice's team with 55 tackles, a huge total for an interior lineman.

https://oregonstate.rivals.com/news/rice-dl-grad-transfer-zach-abercrumbia-is-blowing-up

Towson State tonight. Unbelievable.

Life intervened today so I have not been able to transcribe Fritz's 28-minute-plus question-and-answer session, but here are a few highlights before I post the transcription tomorrow, or at least half of it. I probably will divide it into two parts.

1) Fritz confirmed what Troy Dannen sent to Tulane fans in a letter recently, saying a new weight room would be completed by June 1. My take: It will be a big improvement but may not be good enough to make a difference in recruiting.

2) He is not in a hurry to replace Alex Atkins. With 21 signees already in the fold, the recruiting aspect is not forcing him to make a quick hire like it would have in the past before the early signing date came into being last year. Will Hall will have a lot of input in the hire.

3) The offense is going to be diversified in the passing game.

That was the focus of the story I wrote for The Advocate, and it is a vital change. Fritz said Tulane needed to be able to pass in obvious passing situations and when opponents were not keying on the run. Currently, it is based almost exclusively on having receivers beat one-one-one coverage with rudimentary concepts and not enough options.

4) Justin McMillan is the frontrunner at quarterback.

That appears obvious, but Fritz never had said it before. Hopefully McMillan will have a good offseason and good spring drills because he has the potential to be a major difference maker. They could not have a sophisticated pass offense with Jonathan Banks because he could not handle the concepts. McMillan can.

5) Spring practice will begin March 12 after spring break, with practices in the morning on Tuesday,. Thursday and Saturday.

I have a feeling they will go four times in the first three weeks to get the 15 practices in, but maybe they plan to have it over five weeks instead of the normal five. We'll see.

I applaud our commissioner for attempting to link the AAC with the P5 conferences. To most people, however, it sounds silly. But, to be honest, in football, over the last couple of years, we’ve sometime ranked closer to the lowest P5 conference (generally the PAC 12) than we have to the next G5 conference (generally the Mountain West). Until this year.

Facts are hard to come by in such a discussion, so I like to use the Massey rankings as a consensus of over 100 “opinions” to form a more “informed” view of what “most” people are thinking. That doesn’t make it right; it just indicates a consensus. And if that’s what people think, it becomes important from a perspective standpoint if no other.

In 2016, according to Massey, the PAC 12 had an average ranking of 52.02 compared to the AAC’s ranking of 68.89, a difference of 16.87 places. The Mountain West, at 78.46 trailed us by 9.57 places. So, we clearly had not disassociated ourselves from the G5.

But last year (2017) the PAC 12 averaged a 51.71 ranking at season’s end while the AAC and Mountain West were at 66.69 and 83.21 respectively. So the AAC trailed the PAC 12 by 14.98 places and led the Mountain West by 16.52. So, in which group did we belong? An argument could be made, based on that data, that, if not a “member” of something called the “P6,” we should not be relegated the “G5” either.

Of course this year, as several have noted since last August, the AAC has had a down year in football and the ratings show it. While the PAC 12 finished at 54.78, the AAC averaged a ranking of 80.19, fully 25.41 behind. Worse, after the bowl season, the Mountain West finished at 77.04, 3.15 places ahead of the AAC. We were only ahead of the Sunbelt by 4.93 places. In fact, from the SEC to the PAC 12, the P5 ranged from a 31.9 to 54.78 in rankings, while the G5 ranged from 77.04 to 92.06. It’s hard to make a P6 claim with those results. There is simply too large a gap between the P5 and G5.

For interest, Tulane finished in 80th place this year according to Massey after finishing in 79th place in 2017. The last time we finished better than 80th (other than 2017) was in 2002, when we finished in 64th. Over the past 20 years this is the first time we've had consecutive finishes in the top 80. Sad, but maybe a new day is coming.

Roll Wave!!!

Guerry- If you get the time between now and Spring football, I think many of us would appreciate an in depth interview with Kyle Speer, our Director of Strength and Conditioning. Recognizing your competing responsibilities and interests, that may well be impossible, but I think it would be illuminating for us who are not as close to the program. Some of the former (and more recent) Tulane athletes on this site could probably suggest better questions than I and I would certainly welcome any additions to the list I have compiled. But, if you get a chance to talk to Coach Speer, here are some of the questions I’d like answered:

1. You’ve been with Coach Fritz since the Sam Houston days. Obviously, as a former strength and conditioning coach himself, he appreciates the importance of your job. How much interaction do you have with him during the season? In the off-season? Or does he pretty much leave you alone?

2. Recent coaching staffs as they take jobs at Tulane have complained about the lack of strength on the team. One head coach claimed that only two players on the roster could bench press 400 pounds. Is that even a good measure of team strength? If so, how does today’s team stack up? If not, what do you consider a good measure? And how do you think we now stack up, strength-wise, against our peers in the AAC?

3. You’ve now been here for three years; which of the upperclassmen (juniors and seniors), from a strength and conditioning standpoint, have made the most improvement during that time in your view? How so?

4. How about Freshmen? Which of them, particularly among those who redshirted this past season, have made the most progress strength-wise?

5. How does your training program vary by position? In other words, what are the key exercises you focus on for linemen versus, say, wide receivers or defensive backs? What are you doing to increase the leg strength of our kickers?

6. Whose strength would surprise Tulane fans? Are there any "little" guys who are really strong for their size? Put another way, who, pound-for-pound, are the strongest players on the team?

7. Tulane is rebuilding and expanding its current strength and conditioning facility. How much input do you have on the design and the selection and purchase of equipment? What are the most important improvements needed to the old facility?

8. Can you compare the upgraded facility to the current one in terms of equipment and number of available training positions? How will it rate versus our peers in the AAC? And, will it be a positive in recruiting?

9. During construction and modification, will training be adversely affected? Will access be limited during the upgrade?

10. Tulane is also planning a unique altitude chamber to increase the endurance of athletes. How do you see that working into your conditioning regime?

Anyway, those are some initial ideas if you get a chance to interview Coach Speer.

Roll Wave!!!

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Today on College Football Value rankings. They ranked 115 college football programs by "net worth" and revenues generated in 2018. I'm not going to post a link as it is behind a pay wall, but I assume the paper version has it somewhere in today's copy. Numbers 1 through 10 are: (1) University of Texas, (2) Ohio State, (3) Alabama, (4) Michigan, (5) Notre Dame (6) Georgia (7) Oklahoma, (8) Auburn (9) LSU (10) Tennessee

Number 1: University of Texas Football generated $164mil in 2018 revenues and has a 2018 net worth value on the program of $1.105bln - I assume on the back of the Longhorn TV network. Number 9: LSU generated $123mil and has a 2018 net worth value on the program of $852mil.

The first AAC school is listed at #65 - Central Florida with 2018 revenue of $29.5mil and a program value of $68mil. South Florida is close behind ranked at #69. The highest G5 is Boise State (from my eyeball test at #63). I assume Tulane Football was one of the few programs that didn't submit information as they are not listed. U LA LA is listed at 107 with 2018 revenue of $11mil and total value of $11mil.

Other comparable private schools are TCU at #42 with 2018 revenue of $66mil and program value of $191mil. Vanderbilt is number #61 with a program value of $82mil and Rice is higher than I expected at #87 with a program value of $21.4mil.

Basically highlights the rich keep getting richer in P5 football programs.

More than two months after I interviewed him, I finally went back and found the file for the Q&A I promised at the beginning of November.

The last two years this staff could not get the ball over the plate.

"Understatement (laughs). Understatement."

What can you do to fix that?

"For starters, just kind of changing the mindset of these guys and what the expectations are on the mound and getting them to understand the importance of how many strikes can we throw and letting teams put the ball in play, pitching to contact. Some of the things that I've seen that I thought we got away from the last couple of years, it was like, look, if we can just get back to buying in to pitching to contact. And some of the guys are making big strides in that department and some guys are taking a little more time on that end of it and getting mechanics cleaned up. It's a long process."

This team had some pitchers with obvious potential last year if they could get the ball over the plate.

"No doubt. There's a bunch of guys like that. It's a really, from a talent standpoint, it's very high. We've got stuff and velocity and size and strength and endurance and all the things you look for from pitchers, but we have to be better pitchers. We've got a lot of throwers. Trying to get them to understand how to pitch a little bit more, how to manipulate counts and how important strike 1 is and working ahead of guys.

"Some of the guys, it's second nature for them, guys like Kaleb Roper, Keagan Gillies or even Chase Solesky now that he's healthy. Strikes are easy for those guys, they really are, and it's a matter of just keeping them in that environment. It's been fun so far (laughs again)."

Ross Massey lost the plot for the last couple of years. The only time he got the ball over the plate, it looked like he was aiming. What have you seen in him?

"You know, I've spent a lot of time with him so far. We've done a lot of video. We took more video yesterday (November 1st). We've identified some key things we think are creating some of that. Now we're on the path of tackling the adjustments we need to make on his end. We kind of know what we need to do. Now it's a matter of putting in the work and hoping that the result gets there for us. What an experienced arm. I keep reminding him how great a redemption story he could be if he could bookend his career from his freshman year and his senior year, and who cares what the other two years were because those are behind us. Finish strong. He works really, really hard and cares a lot. He's putting in really good work. We're starting to turn a corner, so hopefully we can keep that going in that direction."

You had a good job at a good program in Southeastern. Was it an easy decision coming back here?

"It was easier than people thought it would have been for me. What a great situation I was in (at Southeastern) working every day with one of my best friends in a school that's 22 miles from the house I grew up in. But only natural to want to go back to your alma mater and want to go back to a place you're really proud of. So history rich in baseball here. Seen it from the outside for the last seven years, coaching against them and knowing what's here and what these guys are about and what the school's about and the baseball program's about. I just felt like it was a little bit of a no-brainer for me. I know it was for Matt (Riser) and coach (Jay) Artigues and all those guys. They were looking at me like you shouldn't even second-guess what you're doing, like you need to go, see you later. We wish you weren't leaving but it's time to go.

"It's been exciting because coach (Travis) Jewett's been above and beyond welcoming for me and trying to give me every tool that I need for us to be successful here, so that part's been awesome for me."

Jewett is entering a big year for him in his third year. How much pressure do you feel to get it right?

"For me, none. It's not like there's an elephant in the room. There's really not. We haven't won for two years. We're not hiding behind that and trying to gloss it over. We haven't done what we needed to do the last two years, but the talent is here. From a position standpoint we are going to be very, very talented. Very, very talented. We have eight of our nine returners back and Kobi Owen healthy again. We've got some pieces that are tremendous from that side. I told (hitting) coach (Eddie) Smith what we think is going to be our weekend rotation and our top two bullpen arms are as good as anybody in the league or better. I feel really comfortable with those guys. Our first five or six guys are really good. I'm working hard to try to develop some depth behind those guys, and I honestly feel like the key to our season this year is going to be staying healthy with our top-end guys and having four or five more guys emerge into key contributors for us on the mound. Who those guys are, I don't know yet. We've got some guys starting to separate themselves, but I'm not afraid of the challenge of it. I knew what it was when I came over here. No secret on that end. I like to compete. I think we'll be fine."

Was it more a mental thing with these guys or a physical thing?

"It's a mixed bag. It was a real mixed bag. There were a lot of things that led to being whatever it was, 280th in the country in walks per nine (innings). It was something like that. It was a bunch of things, from roles to recovery to mechanics to mental capacity to pitch selection. It's all a combined effort. When you struggle that mightily it's not usually one thing. It's a lot of things. Now do I think we're going to turn around this year and be top 50 in the country. No, that's not realistic. But we will be in the top half. With the offense we have this year and the position players and the defense we have this year, that's going to be enough."

You call all the pitches, right?

"I do. Now they have some freedom, but it's earned. They have to earn my trust a little bit and make sure we're pitching within our philosophy."

Fritz will have his annual season-ending presser Monday.

Any questions you want answered?

Having signed 21 players during the early signing period, Tulane has four slots remaining for 2019. The next contact period with recruits begins on January 10; School starts Jan 14, and national signing day is February 6. So, if we are to get a JC player for the Spring semester, he needs to be on board by Jan 14 (give or take). JC’s, Graduate transfers, and even high school graduates could sign up all the way until school starts next year. But the focus right now is on the four slots for February 6. If we don’t fill them, then some of the other options could come into play.

Some Tulane fans rate our recruiting on how many Louisiana kids we sign. By that measure, Curtis Johnson was the greatest recruiter in Tulane history. Few, if any, actually believe that. Most of us, however, would love to see Tulane sign a healthy proportion of the state-wide recruits with the most college football potential. These are generally the most sought after and, for the most part, sign with P5 schools for reasons most of us understand. In most years Louisiana produces roughly 100 kids who receive Division 1A (BCS) scholarships divided almost evenly between P5 and G5 universities (50 each). That tells me we need to sign kids in the top 50 or so (if that could be accurately determined) to rise to the top of the G5 and start to compete with the lower rungs of P5 schools on a consistent basis. Of course, we would also need to sign comparable players from out of state.

Through the early signing period this year, to the best of my knowledge, only 57 Louisiana high school seniors have actually signed with BCS-level programs, 25 with P5 schools and 32 with G5 schools. Thus, if this is an average year (and it may well not be), we could expect another 40 or so kids to receive scholarships to BCS schools with as many as 25 going the P5 route. That suggests a number of quality recruits still available within the state.

To me our biggest needs are for QB with clear dual threat potential who fits our offense and could be an all-conference player after redshirting one year and starting for 3-4 years. Sadly, there are not many of them. Secondly, I think we need another offensive lineman who can start right away. That suggests another JC or graduate transfer, rather than a high school senior. Still, some freshmen do start even for the best teams, so if we can get a really good one, that would help. After that, most people think we should take the best players available to fill out or four slots. I agree if that means not to worry about what position. I’d prefer to think we’d limit ourselves to “can’t miss” or “can’t pass up” players at this point, rather than the “best” of what might be relatively poor alternatives. So, back to Louisiana.

At QB, the state offers Lance Legendre from Warren Easton. He’s big (6’3” and 210#), has a strong arm (on one highlight he throws the ball close to 70 yards in the air), and is listed as running a 4.6 40, which may or may not be accurate. He has numerous P5 offers but has visited Tulane unofficially on several occasions, so is familiar with the school. I think we’d be a good choice for him but who knows what enters a kid’s mental calculations on such things. While not a “sure thing” (few things are), he looks to be as close as we’re likely to get this year. Among the other available QB’s (Amani Gilmore, Travis Mumphrey, and Chandler Fields signed with Kentucky, UNLV, and ULL respectively), I don’t see anyone else in Louisiana I’d sign this year. In fact, I’d take Legendre over any of those three who signed earlier with other schools.

On the offensive line, there are also not many good options left in the state. I have our signee, Colby Orgeron, as the #8 Offensive lineman in the state with several who signed with ULL, ULM, Texas State, and the like, rated below him. Only two of those rated higher have not signed. The best, it appears, is Caleb Etienne, like Legendre, from Warren Easton. He’s 6’8” and 326#. What’s intriguing is that he’s committed to Ole Miss but not signed. On signing day, Ole Miss signed 25 players and, unless they have some room from earlier, when they were scholarship limited, they are done. He, and three other Ole Miss commits, appear to be in the same situation that Tyler Judson found himself, a commitment that was not honored by the school. Could Etienne come to Tulane? Could he and Legendre be a package deal? Does Judson have any influence with him since they were both Ole Miss commits and may have met and/or talked? We offered him early last year and he has been on unofficial visits to Tulane, so I’d think we’d be interested.

The other OLineman of possible interest, at least to me, is Jacques Wallace from Southern Lab. He’s 6’4” and 280# and looks to be a good prospect. He’s not, however, in the same class, potential wise, as Etienne. Unless we expect more attrition on the OLine, I’d probably pass.

We’re pretty well set at running back and I like our signee, Tyjae Spears, who I consider to be in the top five in the state after the two signed by LSU (Emory and Davis) and Michael Hollins who signed with UVA. Unsigned Tyreese Jackson would be in the same class to my way of thinking. From Westgate High School, he’s 6’0” and 215# with good speed (4.53?). We offered him early; he’s visited unofficially; and he’s got a number of P5 offers. However, his most recent offers have come from Prairie View, Ark-Pine Bluff, and other FCS schools, suggesting the possibility of academic issues. Ahmad Antoine from Karr (5’11” and 190#) also looks good but we’ve never offered him and he has a number of P5 offers that he might find more attractive. My guess is we’re done at RB unless we go out of state for a “can’t miss.”

I don’t see any attractive tight ends remaining in Louisiana and we’re probably done there anyway. Of course, like always, the state has a number of excellent wide receiver prospects, though we may be done there as well. Counting our two signees, Presley and Jackson, we will have ten on scholarship. Depending on the health situation of LeDee, Robertson, Sorrell Brown, and Ygenio Booker, that should/might be enough. One of the best players in the state, regardless the position, Davonta Lee from Amite, has not signed but he’s undoubtedly headed to LSU or another “top tier” football power. Obviously, we’d take him, but his availability to us is probably near zero. Lakeshore’s Jacob Bernard and Riverside Academy’s Kash Foley have had Tulane offers for a long time and have both visited unofficially. If we find a need for another wide receiver, I think either would be a good get.

On defense, we appear to be set for a couple of years on the defensive line and the signing of Darius Hodges, Caleb Thomas, Eric Hicks and Amani Dixon would seem to shore up depth for a while as well. The best remaining defensive linemen in the state are probably Earl Barquet from John Ehret and Billy Sonnier from Northside (Lafayette). I don’t know if we’ve offered Ehret, who has numerous P5 offers, and Sonnier appears to be a non-qualifier academically at this point. In another year, Dillion Davis from Ascension Catholic would be a good get but I doubt we have the room for him this year.

With Moody and Graham penciled in as starters, and lettermen Keith Jones, K.J. Vault, and Quentin Brown returning, we have a pretty good nucleus of linebackers. Add JC transfer, Nick Anderson, and early signee, Dorian Williams, and we may be done. But, I like to have plenty of linebackers who tend to make good special teamers so I’d be willing to take another really good prospect here. Larry Scott (Ferriday) and Cade Seymour (Walker) are the only ones left that I think we’ve offered at one point or another. But I’m not sure either qualifies as a top prospect when we’ve got so few openings remaining.

Right now we have 17 scholarship defensive backs, including our five signees, expected in the fall. Even with that I wouldn’t be shocked to see us sign another one. Within Louisiana, the two best remaining to my eye are Bertrand Carrell (Madison Prep) and Tyrone Lewis (Hammond). Both are about 6’1” and have had numerous P5 offers beyond that of Tulane. Carrell has visited unofficially a couple of times and Lewis took an official visit in December. Either one would be an excellent prospect but the question remains, do we have the room?

Finally, on special teams, I think we could use an excellent kicker with 50+ yard range. Unfortunately, few of them exist and none, to my knowledge, this year in Louisiana. By next year it will become more important as well as the need to find a snapper to replace Eatherly, whose anonymity has been a blessing.

Of course, all of this is just my opinion and, although I’ve watched a lot of hudl highlights on these kids, I’ve not met any of them or seen them play in person. And, as important, Louisiana, while blessed with a great deal of talent, does not have monopoly on football prospects. We could fill our needs very well without touching the state. But, it’s just so handy. I hope we can get more of the better prospects.

Roll Wave!!!

Having reviewed some of the Louisiana-based kids who have not yet committed for 2019, I thought I’d mention a few that we have offered that might fill our current needs which I see as QB and OL, along with any particularly good players from other positions who might end up in Olive Green and Blue.

We’ve offered at least 20 QB’s from out of state for 2019 and by my count, all but two have signed elsewhere. Those two are Knox Kadum from Rome, Georgia who is listed as 6’3” and 185#. Over a 4 year career as the starting QB, his team went 49-6 and won two state titles in Class 5A (7A is the highest). He completed over 64% of his passes for 7,400 yards and 76 TD’s against 15 INT’s. He also scored 37 TD’s rushing on 357 carries for 2414 yards (6.8 yds/carry), so he’s a legitimate dual threat QB. Most of his offers are from Sun, MAC, and CUSA schools though he was offered by Rutgers in early December. He apparently had a good time on an official visit shortly after the offer but did not sign, so he’s apparently still available. Rutgers has signed one QB so far and has another committed but not signed. Kadum looks very good but I have no idea of his interest in Tulane or if we are actively recruiting him. To me, barring the signing of Legendre (assuming he’s even eligible), he’d be worth a scholarship.

The other QB still available that we have offered is Peyton Matocha, who played for St. Thomas in Houston. He’s also a big kid at 6’4” and 202#, according to recruiting sites. He received a December offer from Tulane as well as late offers from both Massachusetts and Wyoming. He visited Wyoming in December and the visit apparently went very well. He’s expected to visit Tulane in the next couple of weeks. Unlike Kadum, Matocha only started full time in his senior year when his team went 6-6. He completed 54% of his passes as a senior for almost 3,700 yards and 35 TD’s with 13 INT’s. He also scored 14 TD’s running the ball, gaining 787 yards on 146 carries (5.4 yds/carry), so he’s also a legitimate “dual threat.” His team played in Class 5A with 6A being the highest. Both guys look pretty good on their hudl highlights though Kadum is probably closer to playing BCS-level football at this point. Matocha simply hasn’t played as much. That said, I have no idea of Kadum’s current interest in the Wave or ours in him.

The offensive line is another area where we have offered a boatload of kids- over 40 from out of state by my count-- and have only a couple who are unsigned. But I think only one might be worth signing. He is William Rogers, 6’4” and 305# , from Hampton, Ga. His team went 7-5 this year in Class 6A, which is the second highest classification in the state. Thus, he probably faced pretty tough competition. He played both ways for his team and has a number of P5 offers including BC, West Virginia, Illinois, and Missouri. I have no idea if any of them or us, for that matter, are still pursuing him, but I like what I see of highlights.

Looking at the “best available” players we’ve offered from out of state, I really like the linebacker from Starkville, MS, Zach Edwards, who made an official visit in December. He has received numerous P5 offers from schools like LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State. How many remain intact is anyone’s guess. He visited Tulane with a couple of other high school teammates so he may have been “along for the ride,” and his interest may not be what it might appear. But his highlights are special and, after a QB and OL, I’d take him in a “heartbeat.”

I also really like Tyler Scott, the DB from Florida who has been linked to Tulane for several months but is uncommitted and unsigned by anyone. He’s received a whole bunch of P5 offers but remains unclaimed. To me, he’s in the same class of defender as Louisianan’s Bertrand Carrell and Tyrone Lewis. If we get another DB, I’d take any of the three without hesitation.

Obviously there are many more excellent, unsigned players across the country and some will find out in the next 2-3 weeks that their options are closing down rather dramatically, including some who consider Tulane a “fall back” but have waited too long. We’ll probably sign someone none of us have heard of and may not sign anyone any of us have considered. It’s what makes recruiting fun, at least to me. You can make all kinds of assumptions, look at all the ratings, review all the highlights, and still have no idea what a kid is thinking or what a coach, with much more information, may intend. We’re a month away from becoming a great deal more knowledgeable.

Roll Wave!!

The local paper here in SE Alabama just put out their list of potential Neal Brown replacements. Hall was on the list as was former Tulane DC Jon Sumrall

will reportedly be fired by the University of Houston.

With Dana Holgorson to Houston becoming official today, here's my take on the league's coaches:

EAST

Josh Heupel (UCF)

--He did a terrific job inheriting an undefeated team and steering it to another perfect regular season, but the real test will come next year, presumably without McKenzie Milton

Charlie Strong (USF)

--I was one of the few who was not particularly impressed by him during his two stints as an assistant at Florida when I covered the team. Great guy, and he did a stand-up job at Louisville, but he is a mediocre head coach.

Luke Fickell (Cincinnati)

--He inherited the mess that Tommy Tuberville left and went 11-2 in his second year. Cincinnati looked well coached all year, winning despite having an offense that appeared limited at times. Recruiting has been very good, too.

Mike Houston (East Carolina)

--The last James Madison hot shot coach, Everett Withers, failed fast at Texas State, but Houston is seen as the real deal. That remains to be seen, but he is a huge upgrade on Scottie Montgomery regardless. ECU has the resources to be a perennial contender, and Houston should get them there.

Randy Edsall (UConn)

--Edsall led UConn to an Orange Bowl bid in his first stint in Storrs but has struggled mightily since then, getting fired at Maryland before the abject disaster of his first two seasons back at UConn. In fairness to him, Bob Diaco might have been one of the worst head coaches in college football history, but that still does not explain how historically putrid the Huskies' defense was this year.

Temple (TBA)

--It's hard to hire a coach and have him leave two weeks later like Manny Diaz did when the Miami job opened, but Temple has won consistently in recently years with coaches who varied in quality.

WEST

Willie Fritz (Tulane)

--I've thought he was a winner from the first spring practice I covered. The improvement has taken longer than I (and probably he) expected, but Tulane, despite some inconsistency this year, should become a perennial contender starting next season. The hiring of Will Hall should expedite the process.

Ken Niamutalolo (Navy)

--I still like him despite Navy's dive this year. Some questionable decisions at quarterback bit the Middies in the butt, and their defense has been suspect for years, but the track record is too long and too strong to discount a return to prominence.

Dana Holgorson (Houston)

--I've never loved him as a coach, but he is a huge upgrade on Major Applewhite, who never, ever should have been promoted to succeed Tom Herman. Houston has better resources and more money than its fellow West contenders and should be a factor every year with Holgorson. His defenses, though, were subpar at West Virginia. I'm not sure he's a well-rounded coach.

Philip Montgomery (Tulsa)

--I was flat out wrong about him. Because of his Baylor background, I thought he was an offensive genius who would have Tulsa contending every year. Instead. the defense has been pitiful and the offense has been really bad in the passing game the past two years. Recruiting has been even worse. He could be gone at the end of 2019 without a significant turnaround.

Mike Norvell (Memphis)

--Those in the know are high on him, and I'm not discounting them totally. but I have not liked his in-game decisions and Memphis' up-and-down nature the past two years. A team good enough to almost beat UCF the last three times they have played (though coming up empty) should not lose to Navy and get clobbered by this year's Tulane team while giving the ball to one of the nation's best running backs fewer than 10 times. There's just something shaky about the whole operation there despite the Tigers reaching back-to-back title games.

Sonny Dykes (SMU)

--I was not impressed with Dykes at California (and I watch a lot of Pac-12 games). He had SMU in contention for the AAC title game before a slide at the end of the year and a killer loss to Tulsa left the Mustangs with a losing record. I expect him to be a downgrade from Chad Morris, leaving SMU in the bottom half of the West more often than not.

Our special teams have improved markedly under Coach Fritz. We rarely see the dropped hikes, shanked kicks, fumbled punts, snaps over the punters head, and blocked field goal attempts that became so common under the previous couple of regimes. Still, we had a couple such errors this year. And we had more special team penalties than desired. Those need correction. We also saw a much better return game once Amare Jones took over the job and I’d expect that to continue.

This leads me to some interesting statistics. Jones’s 27.9 yards per kick return was the best in Tulane history since Bobby “Jitterbug” Kellogg returned six kicks for an average of 38.2 yards in 1938. Yep, the best in 80 years. Wow!!! And that was good for 5th place in the country this year out of 129 teams. His 7.5 yards/punt return was the best since Derrick Strozier’s 8.1 yard average in 2012. As for kicking: in two years, Glover is now 73 for 77 (95%) on extra points and 18 for 22 (81.8%) on field goals. Those are certainly good numbers. In fact, that field goal percentage is the best in Tulane history, even better than Cairo Santos’s 78.2% from 2010-2013. Of course, Glover’s long is only 40 yards which equates to a line of scrimmage at the 22 yard line. And his misses on short field goals against Cincinnati in 2017 and Navy in 2018 contributed to one loss and could have cost us another. And punting has improved. Freshman Ryan Wright averaged 44.0 yards per punt, good for 20th best in the country. Of course, Block did all of our “pooch” punting, so that helped his average. Still… we seem to be on the right track.

Roll Wave!!!

?

attachment

i don’t recall if someone passed it onto Nico, but I am certain he passed it on to Rod Teamer.

This is the only number on our roster that has been passed on that I am aware of. Offseason boredom had me entertaining myself wondering.... Who will wear it next year? It would be great if the coaches honor this.

Lawrence Graham
Marvin Moody
Is Tirese ready to play a larger role
Could a DE or OLB like Patrick Johnson be allowed to wear it?

Who do you think is a candidate?

Will Hall interviewed with Ole Miss last night and is the No. 1 candidate for that coordinator job. Apparently, and this comes from a good source, there was a snag about how many assistants he could bring in with him (not from Tulane, but elswewhere) to run the offense the way he wanted to run it.

Ole Miss is also looking at Matt Canada, the LSU OC in 2017 who ended up being the interim head coach at Maryland this year before the whole staff was let go.

it does not look good for Tulane on this front, but nothing is settled yet.