Here is the second part of my camp preview, focusing on the defense and special teams:
DEFENSIVE LINE
Starters: DE/OLB Patrick Johnson, DT Cameron Sample, NG De'Andre Williams, DE Robert Kennedy
Backups: DE/OLB Larry Bryant, DT Davon Wright, NG Jeffery Johnson, DE Peter Woullard
Reserves: Torri Singletary, Nick Kubiet
Newcomers: Carlos Hatcher, Juan Monjarres, Jamiran James, Alfred Thomas
Johnson, Sample and Kennedy are locks to start, but the competition at nose tackle will be fun to watch. Williams had the edge in the spring, but the coaches love Jeffery Johnson's work ethic and upside. Don't discount Davon Wright, another early-enrolling freshman who was a beast in the weight room this summer. Tulane has to be better against the run after allowing 5.3 yards per carry last season AND losing its best run-stuffer in Sean Wilson. Cameron Sample will be significantly improved after a promising freshman season, and Kennedy is back to full health after giving his all on a gimpy knee when he returned from major knee surgery midway through 2017. Freshmen Jamiran James and Alfred Thomas are highly thought of, too, but they come in behind the others since they did not participate in spring practice. The bodies are there. Now it's about development.
Camp is going well if: Sample, Kennedy and Johnson play as expected. The coaches believe Sample will be an All-Conference lineman at some point in his career. Johnson, too, gained valuable experience as a true freshman, and Kennedy is both strong and crafty when at full strength.
Camp is going poorly if: The nose guards are not ready. Johnson looked very raw in the spring but was impressive in the spring game. Is he ready to start at such a pivotal position? Williams has not proven himself at this level, either. With all of the talented young guys, the future is bright, but the present is murkier.
LINEBACKERS
Starters: Zach Harris and Lawrence Graham or Marvin Moody
Backups: K.J. Vault, Bryant
Newcomers: Keitha Jones, La'Dedric Jackson
Despite losing leading tackler Rae Juan Marbley, Tulane is in good shape here. Harris, who finally remained mostly healthy last season, should improve on the 69 tackles he made. Graham, a coaches' favorite, ended spring on top of the depth chart after a consistently solid performance, but the talented Moody will push him, with all three guys getting significant playing time in the Wave's two-linebacker sets. It is not as clear cut after that. K.J. Vault is fast but did not make a big impact in the spring, while Bryant, who has yet to find his niche, was double-trained at inside linebacker and edge pass rusher.
Camp is going well if: Graham and Moody take turns in starring roles. The competition between them should be fun to watch. They have very different body types but both can run to the ball.
Camp is going poorly if: Harris gets hurt. He has been beset by nagging injuries throughout his career, and if he misses more time in preseason drills, it would be a setback. He appears ready to take over as a team leader.
CORNERBACKS/NICKELBACK
Starters: CBs Donnie Lewis and Jaylon Monroe, NB Tirise Barge
Backups: CBs Thakarius Keyes, Willie Langham and Chris Joyce, NB Will Harper
Newcomer: Larry Brooks
Along with nose tackle, the competition at the cornerback spot opposite Lewis will be the most important in camp. None of the candidates proved ready for the job in the spring, with each having good and bad moments. Monroe lined up with the first team for almost every practice, so he enters with an advantage, but the position will be won in August. Keyes made two tackles last year and Monroe made one. Langham was redshirted, and Joyce missed most of spring drills with an injury after enrolling early. Barge, by the way, may give Tulane a dynamic it has lacked since it had Jordan Batiste in 2013--a cover guy who can reach the quarterback on blitzes.
Camp is going well if: One of the young corners is consistent. The other starting corner, Lewis, has plenty to prove, too, but not in practice, where he already excels. The coaches believe he has the potential to be an All-Conference performer although he has not played like it yet. Regardless, he will not get much thrown his way unless someone emerges on the other side.
Camp is going poorly if: The quarterbacks pick on Monroe, Keyes and whoever lines up in their spot with regularity. So much of cornerback play is about confidence, so it would be a bad sign if they get beaten routinely in practice.
SAFETIES
Starters: FS Rod Teamer, SS P.J. Hall
Backups: Chase Kuerschen, Taris Shenall, Sean Harper, Quentin Brown
Newcomers: Dorian Camel, Macon Clark
Tulane appeared to hit on the right combination in the spring, moving Teamer from strong to free safety and inserting Hall as the starting strong safety. The proof will come once the season starts, but both of them played well in their new roles. The Wave has quality backups, too. Kuerschen's speed was exposed when he started at free safety a year ago, but he still made 60 tackles, the third highest total on the team, and has good instincts. He should provide quality downs after a failed experiment at linebacker in the spring. Shenall has started nine times in his career.
Camp is going well if: Teamer and Hall continue to make plays. Teamer played through injuries that limited his effectiveness a year ago, finishing with 48 tackles but struggling in coverage at times, including SMUs game-winning touchdown. He is more suited to free safety, where he can see the entire field and use his big hitting to good effect. Hall, a former cornerback, is better in coverage, although he still needs to translate his practice ability into games.
Camp is going poorly if: Someone gets hurt. It is hard to imagine anything going wrong in the preseason barring an injury.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Starters: PK Merek Glover, punter Ryan Wright or Zach Block, LS Geron Eatherly
Backups: Coby Neenan, Randy Harvey
Newcomer: Wright
All eyes will be on the competition between Wright and Block. The coaches probably hope Wright wins the job because Block has been mediocre for three seasons without getting better, but they will go with whoever performs better. Fritz said this spring that punting is the easiest position to judge, so the coaches will chart Block's and Wright's punts and make a decision. Glover will be interesting to watch, too. Fritz is high on him, pointing out he had never put on pads in his life before he played at Oklahoma last year, missed only one field goal and can be very effective from 40 yards and in. Randy Harvey likely will be his only competition with Neenan, who suffered a strong case of the yips, listed as a punter now.
Camp is going well if: Either Wright or Block punts well, and Glover makes field goals. It's that simple. Tulane does not have enough margin for error to survive without better kicking than it has received in the last two years.
Camp is going poorly if: Glover misses routine kicks. An inaccurate kicker saps the confidence from the entire team.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Starters: DE/OLB Patrick Johnson, DT Cameron Sample, NG De'Andre Williams, DE Robert Kennedy
Backups: DE/OLB Larry Bryant, DT Davon Wright, NG Jeffery Johnson, DE Peter Woullard
Reserves: Torri Singletary, Nick Kubiet
Newcomers: Carlos Hatcher, Juan Monjarres, Jamiran James, Alfred Thomas
Johnson, Sample and Kennedy are locks to start, but the competition at nose tackle will be fun to watch. Williams had the edge in the spring, but the coaches love Jeffery Johnson's work ethic and upside. Don't discount Davon Wright, another early-enrolling freshman who was a beast in the weight room this summer. Tulane has to be better against the run after allowing 5.3 yards per carry last season AND losing its best run-stuffer in Sean Wilson. Cameron Sample will be significantly improved after a promising freshman season, and Kennedy is back to full health after giving his all on a gimpy knee when he returned from major knee surgery midway through 2017. Freshmen Jamiran James and Alfred Thomas are highly thought of, too, but they come in behind the others since they did not participate in spring practice. The bodies are there. Now it's about development.
Camp is going well if: Sample, Kennedy and Johnson play as expected. The coaches believe Sample will be an All-Conference lineman at some point in his career. Johnson, too, gained valuable experience as a true freshman, and Kennedy is both strong and crafty when at full strength.
Camp is going poorly if: The nose guards are not ready. Johnson looked very raw in the spring but was impressive in the spring game. Is he ready to start at such a pivotal position? Williams has not proven himself at this level, either. With all of the talented young guys, the future is bright, but the present is murkier.
LINEBACKERS
Starters: Zach Harris and Lawrence Graham or Marvin Moody
Backups: K.J. Vault, Bryant
Newcomers: Keitha Jones, La'Dedric Jackson
Despite losing leading tackler Rae Juan Marbley, Tulane is in good shape here. Harris, who finally remained mostly healthy last season, should improve on the 69 tackles he made. Graham, a coaches' favorite, ended spring on top of the depth chart after a consistently solid performance, but the talented Moody will push him, with all three guys getting significant playing time in the Wave's two-linebacker sets. It is not as clear cut after that. K.J. Vault is fast but did not make a big impact in the spring, while Bryant, who has yet to find his niche, was double-trained at inside linebacker and edge pass rusher.
Camp is going well if: Graham and Moody take turns in starring roles. The competition between them should be fun to watch. They have very different body types but both can run to the ball.
Camp is going poorly if: Harris gets hurt. He has been beset by nagging injuries throughout his career, and if he misses more time in preseason drills, it would be a setback. He appears ready to take over as a team leader.
CORNERBACKS/NICKELBACK
Starters: CBs Donnie Lewis and Jaylon Monroe, NB Tirise Barge
Backups: CBs Thakarius Keyes, Willie Langham and Chris Joyce, NB Will Harper
Newcomer: Larry Brooks
Along with nose tackle, the competition at the cornerback spot opposite Lewis will be the most important in camp. None of the candidates proved ready for the job in the spring, with each having good and bad moments. Monroe lined up with the first team for almost every practice, so he enters with an advantage, but the position will be won in August. Keyes made two tackles last year and Monroe made one. Langham was redshirted, and Joyce missed most of spring drills with an injury after enrolling early. Barge, by the way, may give Tulane a dynamic it has lacked since it had Jordan Batiste in 2013--a cover guy who can reach the quarterback on blitzes.
Camp is going well if: One of the young corners is consistent. The other starting corner, Lewis, has plenty to prove, too, but not in practice, where he already excels. The coaches believe he has the potential to be an All-Conference performer although he has not played like it yet. Regardless, he will not get much thrown his way unless someone emerges on the other side.
Camp is going poorly if: The quarterbacks pick on Monroe, Keyes and whoever lines up in their spot with regularity. So much of cornerback play is about confidence, so it would be a bad sign if they get beaten routinely in practice.
SAFETIES
Starters: FS Rod Teamer, SS P.J. Hall
Backups: Chase Kuerschen, Taris Shenall, Sean Harper, Quentin Brown
Newcomers: Dorian Camel, Macon Clark
Tulane appeared to hit on the right combination in the spring, moving Teamer from strong to free safety and inserting Hall as the starting strong safety. The proof will come once the season starts, but both of them played well in their new roles. The Wave has quality backups, too. Kuerschen's speed was exposed when he started at free safety a year ago, but he still made 60 tackles, the third highest total on the team, and has good instincts. He should provide quality downs after a failed experiment at linebacker in the spring. Shenall has started nine times in his career.
Camp is going well if: Teamer and Hall continue to make plays. Teamer played through injuries that limited his effectiveness a year ago, finishing with 48 tackles but struggling in coverage at times, including SMUs game-winning touchdown. He is more suited to free safety, where he can see the entire field and use his big hitting to good effect. Hall, a former cornerback, is better in coverage, although he still needs to translate his practice ability into games.
Camp is going poorly if: Someone gets hurt. It is hard to imagine anything going wrong in the preseason barring an injury.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Starters: PK Merek Glover, punter Ryan Wright or Zach Block, LS Geron Eatherly
Backups: Coby Neenan, Randy Harvey
Newcomer: Wright
All eyes will be on the competition between Wright and Block. The coaches probably hope Wright wins the job because Block has been mediocre for three seasons without getting better, but they will go with whoever performs better. Fritz said this spring that punting is the easiest position to judge, so the coaches will chart Block's and Wright's punts and make a decision. Glover will be interesting to watch, too. Fritz is high on him, pointing out he had never put on pads in his life before he played at Oklahoma last year, missed only one field goal and can be very effective from 40 yards and in. Randy Harvey likely will be his only competition with Neenan, who suffered a strong case of the yips, listed as a punter now.
Camp is going well if: Either Wright or Block punts well, and Glover makes field goals. It's that simple. Tulane does not have enough margin for error to survive without better kicking than it has received in the last two years.
Camp is going poorly if: Glover misses routine kicks. An inaccurate kicker saps the confidence from the entire team.