Tulane practiced at the Superdome today because there was a forecast for rain. Dome workouts are closed to reporters this year because of COVID, but Willie Fritz talked in a Zoom call when they got back to campus.
"We had a good week of workouts. We went down to the Superdome today. We've always appreciated them letting us come down there and use that tremendous facility. We've been unable to go out and use the Saints facility during this time. They are always so generous in allowing us to come out there as well. We thought there might be rain. There wasn't, but it went well. We hadn't been there for a while, so we had a nice, spirited workout. We're getting ready to play Memphis this Saturday at 11 a.m. It's a game that got pushed back a week. Guys have done a good job. I was concerned a little bit with this free time that we had last week over Thanksgiving, everybody going home, but we've done a nice job with our protocols of everybody being able to participate. We have another (coronavirus) test tomorrow morning.
"I am real happy for Will Hall. He accepted the head coaching position at Southern Mississippi. Will's done a great job for us. I've known Will early in his career. He did a good job as a Division II head coach at West Alabama and West Georgia. When I talked to people over there (at Southern Miss)--their athletic director and some other people--he's a natural fit. Everybody's concerned when they are hiring someone and getting a name and all that other kind of stuff. Will knows about every third person over there in the state, and he'll be a great fit and has been a head coach before. We're playing a game. I know there's a lot of rumor and innuendo. I've had my phone bowing up here the last few days. We're waiting until we get through this big game on Saturday before we start moving forward on candidates and things like that. We're very happy for Will and his family. That's a great deal for him. I hate losing coaches. You get attached to not only the coach, but the families. I've been head coach now for a long time and this happened to me quite frequently. They move on to a job that might appear to be a better situation for them. Obviously this one is for Will. I imagine this is the first time in the history of Tulane that an assistant coach has taken an FBS coaching job. I'm just guessing. I could be wrong, but I'm happy for him."
Clearly it seems like Will kept you apprised with what was going on at Southern Miss. What was the communication like?
"He did a great job. He told me what was happening, what was going on. The athletic director over there did a great job as well. In this day and age it's difficult to keep everybody apprised and keep it quiet because you don't know when this could be a distraction, but obviously he did a great job being very professional in this situation, which I didn't expect anything less."
Do you feel pretty good about the players being able to handle the distraction and processing the news?
"They've done a great job. One of the things i did when we announced it to the players Wednesday morning prior to practice was I got all the seniors up there because this was going to be their last game for a lot of those guys. I said Will has given his blood, sweat and tears for two years for Tulane University, and I got some of these guys who have done it for five, so let's send them all out on a good note. That's one of the blessings that I have here at Tulane. I can have adult conversations with guys every day, which is good. They understand there's change at times, and it's my job to go out and find another great one."
From finding Will Hall to working with him for the first year, how quickly did you realize this guy's going to be a (FBS) head coach eventually and we might not be able to keep him for long?
"I watch all the time with guys wanting to learn and see things through my lens. He's one' of the few assistant coaches I've had who would pick my brain about things and ask me questions. I almost think it's impossible for a guy to go down in levels. They are this level and then go down to 1-AA or Division II and generally speaking they are unhappy because there aren't all the bells and whistles they had at the other job. But going up, it really gives you a great appreciation for what you have. I know I have that here at Tulane and every place I've ever been from starting at Juco to Division II to 1-AA to Georgia Southern to eventually getting to the top level of collegiate football here at Tulane. It just was a fit. I comment their athletic director. I'm sure he vetted a lot of people, but it's got to be a fit. He's got the experience and it was a great hire."
Are the reports about Chip Long being your next offensive coordinator premature, or do you just not want to address the opening right now?
"Everything is premature. I had a lot of interesting phone calls from friends last evening who called me about different deals, so I finally just quit answering the phone and just put it on mute, so all our focus is on Memphis."
Do you expect to make a decision next week?
"You hope, but you never know. I'm not as good at this as some other people. There are some people who are always planning ahead and they have lists for every position coach and this, that and the other thing, but I always have four or five guys in my mind, and then I make sure that I call some people that I trust in the profession. You always want to check and make sure. Will, I knew him personally but I also knew some places that he'd worked at and had some people that I trusted, and that's why I hired him. I brought him in and interviewed him just like you do with everybody, but it's important to get face to face with people, and I don't mean like this (a Zoom call) in the COVID era. I mean real face to face."
Has it been determined whether Cody Kennedy will follow Hall to Southern Miss?
"I don't think it's been determined at all. I always want everybody to do what they feel is best for them and their career and their families and all those kind of things. Cody's done a tremendous job for us as well. We're not going to broach that with anybody until after we get done with this game, and I told Will that also."
How much will you miss Will Hall's recruiting, especially in Mississippi?
"He did a good job in Mississippi. He knows everybody over there, and even if he didn't, he'd be a good recruiter. A good recruiter is a good recruiter whether you put them in Alaska or Florida. I'm blessed that I have a bunch of those guys on my staff."
What have the seniors meant to this program?
"They bought into everything we were doing. I can't even tell you how many of these guys have graduated already before we even play this game on Saturday. A bunch of them are finishing up a master's degree, and I have not talked to any of them about next year because we've got this free year right now. I'm sure some of these guys are going to come back and get more degree, but I didn't want that to be a distraction. I wanted it to be their decision and having a good conversation when the season is over. They've done a tremendous job. I believe they are the winningest senior class in the history of Tulane (actually just for this century), so that's something, too. They are real close to being big time the winningest class. They've taken us from one place and done a super job of getting us where we're competitive and winning games. Obviously we want to push that even more and do even better."
How much of an emphasis is there on just becoming bowl eligible (actually, every team is bowl eligible this year)?
"Big time. Big time. It's a huge goal for us, and that's something we've talked about all season and certainly we've talked about it this week."
In total offense you are around 60 in the country (68th), but in touchdowns you are fifth (actually tied for eighth in raw total). What do you feel like that says about the group?
"They've done a super job, but part of that is we've played a few more games than other people have as well. We've played 10 and getting ready to play 11. We've done an excellent job in the red zone area, capitalizing on points. Special teams and defense with takeaways have set up some short field, and we've done a nice job of getting touchdowns instead of field goals."
What does it say about this team that you've gotten in all your games when most schools haven't?
"It's been a very, very, very, very strange year without question. But to be honest with you I am going to use this in recruiting. I'm going to tell kids, all right, here are the guys you are going to be around. They've handled it in an adult manner. And it's day after day after day. We're walking into the Superdome and I'm 'mask, mask,' and I only have to say it to a couple of guys who forget for a second, so it's fun to be around these guys and be able to have adult conversations. They do a really nice job. It's a credit to them, our medical staff, our athletic trainers, all the coaches, but we still have 18- to 22-year olds, and they've done a very nice job. This is a tricky deal with how people get it. We've had all sorts of people get it across the country, haven't we?
"We had a good week of workouts. We went down to the Superdome today. We've always appreciated them letting us come down there and use that tremendous facility. We've been unable to go out and use the Saints facility during this time. They are always so generous in allowing us to come out there as well. We thought there might be rain. There wasn't, but it went well. We hadn't been there for a while, so we had a nice, spirited workout. We're getting ready to play Memphis this Saturday at 11 a.m. It's a game that got pushed back a week. Guys have done a good job. I was concerned a little bit with this free time that we had last week over Thanksgiving, everybody going home, but we've done a nice job with our protocols of everybody being able to participate. We have another (coronavirus) test tomorrow morning.
"I am real happy for Will Hall. He accepted the head coaching position at Southern Mississippi. Will's done a great job for us. I've known Will early in his career. He did a good job as a Division II head coach at West Alabama and West Georgia. When I talked to people over there (at Southern Miss)--their athletic director and some other people--he's a natural fit. Everybody's concerned when they are hiring someone and getting a name and all that other kind of stuff. Will knows about every third person over there in the state, and he'll be a great fit and has been a head coach before. We're playing a game. I know there's a lot of rumor and innuendo. I've had my phone bowing up here the last few days. We're waiting until we get through this big game on Saturday before we start moving forward on candidates and things like that. We're very happy for Will and his family. That's a great deal for him. I hate losing coaches. You get attached to not only the coach, but the families. I've been head coach now for a long time and this happened to me quite frequently. They move on to a job that might appear to be a better situation for them. Obviously this one is for Will. I imagine this is the first time in the history of Tulane that an assistant coach has taken an FBS coaching job. I'm just guessing. I could be wrong, but I'm happy for him."
Clearly it seems like Will kept you apprised with what was going on at Southern Miss. What was the communication like?
"He did a great job. He told me what was happening, what was going on. The athletic director over there did a great job as well. In this day and age it's difficult to keep everybody apprised and keep it quiet because you don't know when this could be a distraction, but obviously he did a great job being very professional in this situation, which I didn't expect anything less."
Do you feel pretty good about the players being able to handle the distraction and processing the news?
"They've done a great job. One of the things i did when we announced it to the players Wednesday morning prior to practice was I got all the seniors up there because this was going to be their last game for a lot of those guys. I said Will has given his blood, sweat and tears for two years for Tulane University, and I got some of these guys who have done it for five, so let's send them all out on a good note. That's one of the blessings that I have here at Tulane. I can have adult conversations with guys every day, which is good. They understand there's change at times, and it's my job to go out and find another great one."
From finding Will Hall to working with him for the first year, how quickly did you realize this guy's going to be a (FBS) head coach eventually and we might not be able to keep him for long?
"I watch all the time with guys wanting to learn and see things through my lens. He's one' of the few assistant coaches I've had who would pick my brain about things and ask me questions. I almost think it's impossible for a guy to go down in levels. They are this level and then go down to 1-AA or Division II and generally speaking they are unhappy because there aren't all the bells and whistles they had at the other job. But going up, it really gives you a great appreciation for what you have. I know I have that here at Tulane and every place I've ever been from starting at Juco to Division II to 1-AA to Georgia Southern to eventually getting to the top level of collegiate football here at Tulane. It just was a fit. I comment their athletic director. I'm sure he vetted a lot of people, but it's got to be a fit. He's got the experience and it was a great hire."
Are the reports about Chip Long being your next offensive coordinator premature, or do you just not want to address the opening right now?
"Everything is premature. I had a lot of interesting phone calls from friends last evening who called me about different deals, so I finally just quit answering the phone and just put it on mute, so all our focus is on Memphis."
Do you expect to make a decision next week?
"You hope, but you never know. I'm not as good at this as some other people. There are some people who are always planning ahead and they have lists for every position coach and this, that and the other thing, but I always have four or five guys in my mind, and then I make sure that I call some people that I trust in the profession. You always want to check and make sure. Will, I knew him personally but I also knew some places that he'd worked at and had some people that I trusted, and that's why I hired him. I brought him in and interviewed him just like you do with everybody, but it's important to get face to face with people, and I don't mean like this (a Zoom call) in the COVID era. I mean real face to face."
Has it been determined whether Cody Kennedy will follow Hall to Southern Miss?
"I don't think it's been determined at all. I always want everybody to do what they feel is best for them and their career and their families and all those kind of things. Cody's done a tremendous job for us as well. We're not going to broach that with anybody until after we get done with this game, and I told Will that also."
How much will you miss Will Hall's recruiting, especially in Mississippi?
"He did a good job in Mississippi. He knows everybody over there, and even if he didn't, he'd be a good recruiter. A good recruiter is a good recruiter whether you put them in Alaska or Florida. I'm blessed that I have a bunch of those guys on my staff."
What have the seniors meant to this program?
"They bought into everything we were doing. I can't even tell you how many of these guys have graduated already before we even play this game on Saturday. A bunch of them are finishing up a master's degree, and I have not talked to any of them about next year because we've got this free year right now. I'm sure some of these guys are going to come back and get more degree, but I didn't want that to be a distraction. I wanted it to be their decision and having a good conversation when the season is over. They've done a tremendous job. I believe they are the winningest senior class in the history of Tulane (actually just for this century), so that's something, too. They are real close to being big time the winningest class. They've taken us from one place and done a super job of getting us where we're competitive and winning games. Obviously we want to push that even more and do even better."
How much of an emphasis is there on just becoming bowl eligible (actually, every team is bowl eligible this year)?
"Big time. Big time. It's a huge goal for us, and that's something we've talked about all season and certainly we've talked about it this week."
In total offense you are around 60 in the country (68th), but in touchdowns you are fifth (actually tied for eighth in raw total). What do you feel like that says about the group?
"They've done a super job, but part of that is we've played a few more games than other people have as well. We've played 10 and getting ready to play 11. We've done an excellent job in the red zone area, capitalizing on points. Special teams and defense with takeaways have set up some short field, and we've done a nice job of getting touchdowns instead of field goals."
What does it say about this team that you've gotten in all your games when most schools haven't?
"It's been a very, very, very, very strange year without question. But to be honest with you I am going to use this in recruiting. I'm going to tell kids, all right, here are the guys you are going to be around. They've handled it in an adult manner. And it's day after day after day. We're walking into the Superdome and I'm 'mask, mask,' and I only have to say it to a couple of guys who forget for a second, so it's fun to be around these guys and be able to have adult conversations. They do a really nice job. It's a credit to them, our medical staff, our athletic trainers, all the coaches, but we still have 18- to 22-year olds, and they've done a very nice job. This is a tricky deal with how people get it. We've had all sorts of people get it across the country, haven't we?
