Now that the dust has settled from the dismal Military Bowl, it is time to turn our attention to the most important offseason in green wave football history. We sit on the precipice of a season where Tulane making the college football playoff is genuinely possible. Anyone who thought this was possible prior to this season had delusions of grandeur. A lot needs to change this offseason for this to happen but it IS possible. You don’t have to beleive me, but many a graphic has already been circulated.
It all starts with the signal caller. The greatest quarterback in Tulane history will soon be lighting it up on Sundays. Kai Horton has proven to be a serviceable spot starter but hardly the game changer Pratt has been. I expect Horton to find a new home next season and with that a new QB1 Uptown. If you’re a regular reader of the wave after wave blog, you already know the structure of this article. Let’s get into the potential portal QBs.
The Big Splash: Malachi Nelson USC
Everyone knows about Malachi Nelson. The heir apparent to Lincoln Reillys never ending train of heisman QBs. With the incredible first start of Miller Moss, it is all but certain he will leave through the portal. He has confirmed that he will take an official visit with the green wave the first week of January. He will only make 3 official visits. My understanding is that it will be South Carolina, Tulane and one other.
Malachi is an unknown at the college level but brings validity and credibility to what we’re trying to do in terms of recruiting at Tulane. The idea of a 5 star / top recruit selecting Tulane over the myriad of other choices would add a ton of legitimacy and prove how far this program has come. A quick bio below on Malachi for those live under a rock.
He was listed as the No. 1 ranked recruit in the nation per ESPN. Nelson was also named the 2022 Gatorade California Player of the Year. As a senior on varsity, he was named a 2023 Under Armour All-American He went 192-for-286 (.671) for 2,898 yards and 35 TDs with 4 INTs. He rushed for 153 yards on 23 carries (6.7 avg) with 2 TDs to help Los Alamitos earn first place in the Sunset League going 5-0 and 9-3 overall.
The Proven Winner: Jordan McCloud, JMU
While McCloud may lack some of the sizzle of Nelson, he’s got a lot more steak. As a starter at JMU this year, he guided the Dukes to 11 wins and put up 3,657 yards and 35 tds against 10 picks.
The poster child for the modern college QB, McCloud is on his 3rd school. He transferred to JMU after spending two seasons at Arizona (2021-22) and three seasons at USF (2018-20). He was a career 292-of-490 (60%) for 3,251 passing yards and 23 touchdowns with 15 interceptions between Arizona and USF. To total it all up he has started 32 games at the d1 level.
He will turn 25 next fall and will without a doubt be the most experienced qb the wave will pursue this offseason. He is a master of the portal and learning new offenses. Given all this moving around in his career so far, he slots in as the most sure fire plug and play qb of the bunch. He is my personal choice from the standpoint of having proven by far the most on the field.
The Physical Freak:
Robby Ashford Auburn
Another portal veteran that has been linked to the green wave is Auburn QB Robby Ashford. The Hoover, AL product stands a massive 6’4 220. He transferred from Oregon to Auburn in 2022 and was named the starting QB. He threw for 1,613 yards, 7 TD and added 709 yards rushing and 7 more TDs on the ground. He was supplanted by Payton Thorne this past season and was used as a change of pace Qb and short yardage rushing specialist.
Additionally, he was the No. 121 ranked baseball player in the nation by both Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report … Top-ranked player in Alabama by Perfect Game and No. 2 according to Prep Baseball Report.
Ashford is a 2 sport athletic phenom that never seemed to reach his lofty potential at Oregon or Auburn. His size and strength would go a long way in a slightly smaller American Athletic Conference. The most dynamic runner of the bunch, he’d allow for the wave to lean on a heavy run game that already includes freshman all American Mahki Hughes. On top of his physical prowess, the opportunity to fire up old episodes Two-A-Days with coaching legend Rush Propst cannot be overstated.
The Local Legend Zeon Chriss, ULL
Chriss was the primary backup at quarterback for the Rajin Cajuns as a freshman coming into the 2023 season and was thrown into action when starter Ben Wooldridge suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 against UAB. The Baton Rouge native started 6 games for the Cajuns leading them to a 3-3 record while throwing 11 tds and rushing for another 6.
A lesser known qb than the first 3 mentioned that will perhaps garner less power 5 attention in the portal despite his obvious talent. Chriss strikes me as the most likely target to sign with the wave if offered. A g5 kid from Louisiana who was on Tulane’s radar as a high school recruit.
The four candidates above are all very high profile transfers who will have their choice of landing spots. It’s very possible none of them select Tulane. Last but not least is our very own in house candidate.
The Tulane Kid Darian Mensah
As I mentioned earlier, I expect Kai to move on and due to very frustrating circumstances it seems we will never get to see what a full season of Justin Ibieta will look like. This means that Darian Mensah, who?, yes Darien Mensah is the incumbent qb1 for the 2024 season. The California kid was named Mountain League Player of the Year after posting a completion percentage of 69 percent with 2,256 yards though the air and 25 total touchdowns on the season … Helped lead the team to a 10-2 record in 2022 and a 7-0 mark in the Mountain League.
Reportedly, the coaching staff likes Mensah. I admit he is a long shot and the chances of Tulane bringing in a starting qb from the portal are roughly 90%. On the off chance that not a single a new QB is reeled in by Sumrall and co., it may be Mensah mania uptown in 2024.
I expect to see commitments following the official visit window of January 3rd – 7th. Those 5 days should determine who the next QB of the green wave and with that the future trajectory of the program. By the end of next weekend, we may very well know how serious Coach Sumrall is about participating in the 2024 College Football Playoff.
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