Tulane Football Blog

ESPN and Twitter have made us beleive it is possible to have a never ending supply of college football content. Can read about your team 24/7/365 in today’s day and age. Recruiting, coaching changes and schedule releases are nice small morsels to get you through the winter, but they all pale in comparison to the main course. Of course I’m talking about the boys taking the field and playing football. Helmets, shoulder pads finally go on.In the words of Jon Sumrall, I am very eager about Tuesday morning March 12th.

Today, we will get to see the new look green wave take the field. It is only the first practice of the season, but it will still give us some storylines to sink our teeth into. I’m looking to find the next shadre, the next mahki before everyone else does. Here are a few players that I’m watching on the first day of camp.

Makai Williams

We had a breakout Mahki last year why not another? If you’ve been following offseason workouts through rusty Whitt’s Instagram, there’s not a single player that appears more than Makai Williams.

With Jesus Machado on the mend, you should see makai beside Tyler Grubbs with the ones tomorrow. An all state high school player in Texas that set the school record for tackles in his time at Cibolo Steele. He patiently waited for time on the field last season and he should get his chance starting tomorrow.

Lu Tillery CB #0?

The transfer from ULM is someone I expect the coaching staff to look to early on in a totally rebuilt secondary. Everyone who played meaningful snaps for us on the outside is gone. As excited as I am about Jayden Lewis, experience cannot be overlooked. Tillery has 1,146 career snaps on the outside. He allowed a 57.9% completion % in 2023 with a PFF coverage grade: 73.1.

Dominic Steward

If we’re looking for the next breakout freshman, we have to include a freshman, The early enrollee from Atlanta has already been turning heads since arriving on campus in January. It is likely we will bring in a graduate transfer to start at left tackle in 2024, but until that happens the job is wide open. I place Steward here because I view him as the tackle with the highest ceiling on the current roster. A strong spring and he could be in line for some playing time come this fall.

Deshaun Batiste

Tulane is replacing both of its defensive ends with departures to the nfl and transfer portal. If you’ve read my stuff before, you know this is the position group I’m most intrigued by. I am pretty confident Matthew Fobbs-White will lock down a starting job but who will be opposite him. Could it be Troy transfer and New Orleans native Deshaun Batiste?

A two-time all-state and three-time all-district selection at John F. Kennedy High School … Named the District MVP twice and was also a two-time defensive player of the year honoree. Batiste racked up 40 sacks between his junior and senior years in New Orleans.

For me, it’s all about the position groups to watch. I’ve picked a player from the groups I’m most interested in. Linebacker, corner and of course both sides of the trenches. There are flashier positions to get excited about but these four position groups stand as Tulane’s biggest question marks entering 2024.