Tough schedule may hinder Green Wave’s rapid progress
Optimism is high among Tulane football leaders.
The Green Wave are coming off their best season since 2013 in just the second year under coach Willie Fritz. That glimmer of hope helped the program land one of the best recruiting classes in school history.
While help is on the way, Tulane will have some hurdles to clear this season. The Green Wave are ranked No. 114 in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team. Tulane Willie Fritz (9-15 overall, entering third season; 201-89-1 overall) 5-7, 3-5 in the American Athletic Conference; fifth in the West Division
Tulane finished the 2017 season one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2013. The Green Wave put together one of their best home stretches, with four of the team’s five wins coming in New Orleans. That included wins over a 10-win Army squad and a sevenwin Houston team. 2 5
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RB Dontrell Hilliard, OL Junior Diaz, CB Parry Nickerson, S Jarrod Franklin, DT Sean Wilson, DE Ade Aruna, LB Rae Juan Marbley, DE Quinlan Carroll, LB Luke Jackson
QB Jonathan Banks, WR Terren Encalade, WR Darnell Mooney, TE Charles Jones II, CB Donnie Lewis Jr., S Roderic Teamer Jr., LB Zachery Harris, DE Robert Kennedy, S Chase Kuerschen
Jonathan Banks amassed more than 2,300 yards of total offense while passing for more yards in a season (1,797) since Tanner Lee (1,962) did in 2014. The junior-college transfer’s skill set fits perfectly into what Tulane wants to do offensively. His growth as a passer and cutting down on mistakes will be crucial for Wave in 2018.
Another pivotal component of success will be the offensive line and luckily for Tulane, the unit returns four of the five starters. Center Junior Diaz transferred following last season, leaving John Leglue (25 starts) as the most experienced lineman. The addition of Billy Granier, a Vanderbilt transfer, provides some muchneeded depth.
Banks’ top receiving threats from last season are back, including redshirt senior Terren Encalade (730 yards) and junior Darnell Mooney (599 yards), are back. the Green
The departure of tailback Dontrell Hilliard is a huge blow for a rushing offense that ranked in the top 20 in the country with 231.5 yards per game in 2017.
The defense must adapt after departures in key positions, but none will hurt as much as the exit of cornerback Parry Nickerson, a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection who led the league with six interceptions in 2017. Nickerson’s veteran leadership will be solely missed as Tulane’s secondary undergoes a rebuild thanks to the exit of safety Jarrod Franklin.
The defensive front seven also feature some new faces as the group looks to replace leading tackler Rae Juan Marbley (96 tackles) and three linemen.
Fritz landed his best recruiting class since he was hired in 2016, picking up three players ranked among the best in school history. That’s a good sign for a program that’s played in just two bowl games since 2000 and has won just 28 percent of its games during the past decade.
The defense has some serious question marks and with a schedule that features Wake Forest, UAB, Ohio State and Memphis in the first month, answers will need to be found in a hurry.