It was not as hot as expected for the first preseason practice of year No. 3 under Willie Fritz, with a cloud cover making conditions bearable on Wednesday morning. The Green Wave has a legitimate chance to break through this season, and the eyeball test on opening day was positive. This team looks much better than the last two years, primarily because it has a confident, comfortable quarterback for the first time but also because of bigger, stronger bodies across the board than in the past.
Tulane still has plenty of questions to answer, but the passing game is infinitely sharper than it was at this time in 2016 and 2017. Jonathan Banks was on target with his throws today and was making quick, good decisions. He should be helped by a new-look offensive line, too. As expected, South Alabama graduate transfer Noah Fisher lined up at first-team left tackle today, and although his body is not exactly sculpted, he looks quicker and more active than Tulane's tackles of recent vintage.
To accommodate Fisher, Keyshawn McLeod moved to right tackle, John Leglue moved to right guard and Dominique Briggs moved to left guard. The only guy in the same spot as at the end of the spring was center Corey Dublin. Obviously we will learn more about Fisher as preseason camp continues, but having a reliable guy at what normally is considered the most important person on the offensive line (protecting Banks' blind side) is a welcome feeling. Tulane also will not have to rely on redshirt freshman Cameron Jackel, whom the coaches like in the long term but probably is not ready to be a starter yet after getting plenty of reps with the first unit in the spring.
I don't expect any changes to the top unit in camp. Leglue always has preferred playing on the right side, so my guess that he would be moved to left guard in the depth chart I had to hastily produce for the Advocate last night was wrong. The coaches decided it made more sense to move Briggs to the right side. As for right tackle McLeod beat out Tyler Johnson in the spring, so it made sense to give McLeod the first opportunity at right tackle. I've never been sold on Leglue's performance at right tackle anyway, so moving him to guard makes sense, too.
The second-team offensive line was Joey Claybrook at left tackle, walk-on Ben Bratcher at left guard, Hunter Knighton at center, Jackel at right guard and Tyler Johnson at right tackle.
Just like Fisher, Freddy Canteen, the other grad transfer, stood out at wide receiver. He caught a long touchdown pass from Banks in traffic during 11-on-11 drills and also ran a smooth-looking slant, shielding his defender from the ball, on another reception. His speed was evident after a series of injuries sidetracked his career first at Michigan and then at Notre Dame. On day 1, he looked like a starter caliber receiver.
The biggest surprise on defense was Larry Bryant practicing with the first team at nickelback rather than Tirise Barge, who worked with the second team in the 11-on-11 work at the end of practice. (I arrived at 9, midway through the workout; the official rule allows media to watch only the last 30 minutes, but they are not strict about it). Barge, I thought, had emerged as the clear starter at nickel in the spring, so that competition bears watching. I did not even have Bryant as the backup nickel, although they mixed and matched a lot of guys there in the spring.
It also looks like I was wrong about Robert Kennedy playing end and Cameron Sample playing tackle, although that definitely is how they lined up for portions of the spring, including the spring game. Phil Steele had Sample outside and Kennedy inside in his depth chart, and that's how they lined up today, with Patrick Johnson at left end and De'Andre Williams at nose tackle. The second-team D had Jeffery Johnson at nose tackle, Davon Wright and Alfred Thomas flanking him and Peter Woullard at the other end.
The cornerbacks and safeties offered no surprises other than Jaylon Monroe waring jersey No. 9 instead of his listed 23. He and Donnie Lewis were the first-team cornerbacks when I first arrived, but Lewis went to the sideline and was replaced by Willie Langham for 11-on-11 drills. I expect they are trying to give the young guys extra reps because Lewis did not appear injured. Chris Joyce and Thakarius Keyes were the second-team corners in what promises to be the most wide open competition on the team for a starting spot.
The starting safeties, of course, were P.J. Hall and Rod Teamer. The backups were Taris Shenall and Sean Harper. I did not see Chase Kuerschen out there but probably missed him. I will check tomorrow.
The linebackers were the same as at the end of spring, with Lawrence Graham and Zach Harris starting and Marvin Moody and KJ Vault backing them up.
I did not take down much play-by-play from the 11-on-11 work because I was looking at personnel, but here are some other impressions from today:
--Darnell Mooney is going to have a huge year. He ended last season with a bang and will pick up where he left off.
--Jaetavian Toles and Jacob Robertson made some plays today. Tulane needs some of the backups to step up at receiver, and they may be able to do it. Another young receiver. D.J. Owens, was on the trainer's table when I arrived and did not practice, running short sprints on the sideline to test a leg injury.
--Christian Daniels was better today than at any time in the spring, when he looked like a deer in the headlights after arriving on campus as an early enrollee. His arm strength still needs to pick up, but he hit freshman running back Ygenio Booker with a nice floating long pass in the back of the end zone and threw a sharp pass to Toles on a slant. Dane Ledford is the No. 2 QB, but Daniels looks like he will compete with him in August after coming up short in March and April.
--New scholarship receiver Brian Newman did not have any official receptions when I was watching, but he showed his good hands on two plays, diving for a ball that hit the ground right before it arrived but holding on to it somehow. No completion, but impressive nonetheless. A little later, he snagged an option pitch from Ledford that was going behind him, another tough play.
--Ryan Wright is huge. He did not punt while I was there, but the dude looks every bit of his 6-3, 245-pound listing.
--Banks' arms are huge. He attributed it to hard work in the weight room. He wants to have a huge year really badly, both for himself and the team, and is leaving no stone unturned along the way. He is listed at 6-2, 230 after arriving about 15 pounds lighter in the spring of 2017.
--Tight end Kendall Ardoin had a bad drop of a short pass, stumbling after he missed it. That was the only blatant mistake by a receiver. Freshman running back Amare Jones fumbled an exchange with Ledford, but what really angered Fritz was the way multiple players dove for the ball, opening up the possibility of a leg injury. He is really concerned about avoiding injuries, and he told them to save that kind of dangerous effort for scrimmages.
--I've been around enough Fritz practices to know what he does not like. On one play, about four linemen went to the ground, and I commented to the people around me, "too many players on the ground," about two seconds before Fritz yelled the exact same words through his microphone.
--Stephon Huderson and Devin Glenn were very active at the end of practice, getting a series of carries in a run-heavy conclusion to the 11-on-11 work. Fritz disputes the notion that Tulane's running backs will not be as good as last year, saying he expects big things out of the top three returnees plus Glenn and freshman Cameron Carroll, whom he says looks like a senior at 6-0, 230.
He also praised the potential of Jones.
--Fritz was very animated today. Right after I got there, he was not happy with someone who got too close to a quarterback, screaming into his microphone, "stay away from the frickin' quarterback, Stay out of the throwing cylinder. Every frickin' time." Those were his exact words and not my attempt to clean it up. His excitement led to the inevitable question about whether he was coaching guys harder this year, a notion he always disagrees with because he says he coaches the same way all the time. I agree. That's one of his many strengths.
I will post quotes a little later. Fritz, Fisher, Canteen, Teamer and Banks all spoke after practice in front of about eight reporters, a first-day gaggle that usually thins out quickly.
Tulane still has plenty of questions to answer, but the passing game is infinitely sharper than it was at this time in 2016 and 2017. Jonathan Banks was on target with his throws today and was making quick, good decisions. He should be helped by a new-look offensive line, too. As expected, South Alabama graduate transfer Noah Fisher lined up at first-team left tackle today, and although his body is not exactly sculpted, he looks quicker and more active than Tulane's tackles of recent vintage.
To accommodate Fisher, Keyshawn McLeod moved to right tackle, John Leglue moved to right guard and Dominique Briggs moved to left guard. The only guy in the same spot as at the end of the spring was center Corey Dublin. Obviously we will learn more about Fisher as preseason camp continues, but having a reliable guy at what normally is considered the most important person on the offensive line (protecting Banks' blind side) is a welcome feeling. Tulane also will not have to rely on redshirt freshman Cameron Jackel, whom the coaches like in the long term but probably is not ready to be a starter yet after getting plenty of reps with the first unit in the spring.
I don't expect any changes to the top unit in camp. Leglue always has preferred playing on the right side, so my guess that he would be moved to left guard in the depth chart I had to hastily produce for the Advocate last night was wrong. The coaches decided it made more sense to move Briggs to the right side. As for right tackle McLeod beat out Tyler Johnson in the spring, so it made sense to give McLeod the first opportunity at right tackle. I've never been sold on Leglue's performance at right tackle anyway, so moving him to guard makes sense, too.
The second-team offensive line was Joey Claybrook at left tackle, walk-on Ben Bratcher at left guard, Hunter Knighton at center, Jackel at right guard and Tyler Johnson at right tackle.
Just like Fisher, Freddy Canteen, the other grad transfer, stood out at wide receiver. He caught a long touchdown pass from Banks in traffic during 11-on-11 drills and also ran a smooth-looking slant, shielding his defender from the ball, on another reception. His speed was evident after a series of injuries sidetracked his career first at Michigan and then at Notre Dame. On day 1, he looked like a starter caliber receiver.
The biggest surprise on defense was Larry Bryant practicing with the first team at nickelback rather than Tirise Barge, who worked with the second team in the 11-on-11 work at the end of practice. (I arrived at 9, midway through the workout; the official rule allows media to watch only the last 30 minutes, but they are not strict about it). Barge, I thought, had emerged as the clear starter at nickel in the spring, so that competition bears watching. I did not even have Bryant as the backup nickel, although they mixed and matched a lot of guys there in the spring.
It also looks like I was wrong about Robert Kennedy playing end and Cameron Sample playing tackle, although that definitely is how they lined up for portions of the spring, including the spring game. Phil Steele had Sample outside and Kennedy inside in his depth chart, and that's how they lined up today, with Patrick Johnson at left end and De'Andre Williams at nose tackle. The second-team D had Jeffery Johnson at nose tackle, Davon Wright and Alfred Thomas flanking him and Peter Woullard at the other end.
The cornerbacks and safeties offered no surprises other than Jaylon Monroe waring jersey No. 9 instead of his listed 23. He and Donnie Lewis were the first-team cornerbacks when I first arrived, but Lewis went to the sideline and was replaced by Willie Langham for 11-on-11 drills. I expect they are trying to give the young guys extra reps because Lewis did not appear injured. Chris Joyce and Thakarius Keyes were the second-team corners in what promises to be the most wide open competition on the team for a starting spot.
The starting safeties, of course, were P.J. Hall and Rod Teamer. The backups were Taris Shenall and Sean Harper. I did not see Chase Kuerschen out there but probably missed him. I will check tomorrow.
The linebackers were the same as at the end of spring, with Lawrence Graham and Zach Harris starting and Marvin Moody and KJ Vault backing them up.
I did not take down much play-by-play from the 11-on-11 work because I was looking at personnel, but here are some other impressions from today:
--Darnell Mooney is going to have a huge year. He ended last season with a bang and will pick up where he left off.
--Jaetavian Toles and Jacob Robertson made some plays today. Tulane needs some of the backups to step up at receiver, and they may be able to do it. Another young receiver. D.J. Owens, was on the trainer's table when I arrived and did not practice, running short sprints on the sideline to test a leg injury.
--Christian Daniels was better today than at any time in the spring, when he looked like a deer in the headlights after arriving on campus as an early enrollee. His arm strength still needs to pick up, but he hit freshman running back Ygenio Booker with a nice floating long pass in the back of the end zone and threw a sharp pass to Toles on a slant. Dane Ledford is the No. 2 QB, but Daniels looks like he will compete with him in August after coming up short in March and April.
--New scholarship receiver Brian Newman did not have any official receptions when I was watching, but he showed his good hands on two plays, diving for a ball that hit the ground right before it arrived but holding on to it somehow. No completion, but impressive nonetheless. A little later, he snagged an option pitch from Ledford that was going behind him, another tough play.
--Ryan Wright is huge. He did not punt while I was there, but the dude looks every bit of his 6-3, 245-pound listing.
--Banks' arms are huge. He attributed it to hard work in the weight room. He wants to have a huge year really badly, both for himself and the team, and is leaving no stone unturned along the way. He is listed at 6-2, 230 after arriving about 15 pounds lighter in the spring of 2017.
--Tight end Kendall Ardoin had a bad drop of a short pass, stumbling after he missed it. That was the only blatant mistake by a receiver. Freshman running back Amare Jones fumbled an exchange with Ledford, but what really angered Fritz was the way multiple players dove for the ball, opening up the possibility of a leg injury. He is really concerned about avoiding injuries, and he told them to save that kind of dangerous effort for scrimmages.
--I've been around enough Fritz practices to know what he does not like. On one play, about four linemen went to the ground, and I commented to the people around me, "too many players on the ground," about two seconds before Fritz yelled the exact same words through his microphone.
--Stephon Huderson and Devin Glenn were very active at the end of practice, getting a series of carries in a run-heavy conclusion to the 11-on-11 work. Fritz disputes the notion that Tulane's running backs will not be as good as last year, saying he expects big things out of the top three returnees plus Glenn and freshman Cameron Carroll, whom he says looks like a senior at 6-0, 230.
He also praised the potential of Jones.
--Fritz was very animated today. Right after I got there, he was not happy with someone who got too close to a quarterback, screaming into his microphone, "stay away from the frickin' quarterback, Stay out of the throwing cylinder. Every frickin' time." Those were his exact words and not my attempt to clean it up. His excitement led to the inevitable question about whether he was coaching guys harder this year, a notion he always disagrees with because he says he coaches the same way all the time. I agree. That's one of his many strengths.
I will post quotes a little later. Fritz, Fisher, Canteen, Teamer and Banks all spoke after practice in front of about eight reporters, a first-day gaggle that usually thins out quickly.
