The 2015 football season was another letdown for the Green Wave: Tulane ended the season with a 3-9 record and ultimately let go of its head coach, Curtis Johnson. Johnson was yet another coach failing to lift up what seemed to be an unfixable football program, as Tulane only won one season in the previous 13 years. Troy Dannen stepped in as the new athletic director following the season, and Tulane was determined to hire a new football coach with a track record of rebuilding programs to compete on a national stage. 

Enter Willie Fritz. Fritz went into New Orleans after rebuilding Georgia Southern University’s football program, going 17-7 in two seasons and leading the Eagles to their first bowl appearance in 2015. In his introductory press conference, Dannen praised Fritz’s abilities of “producing quality men, high academic achievements and great competitive success.” 

Over the next five years, the Green Wave began to establish a winning culture. Tulane saw three consecutive bowl appearances from 2018 to 2020. Fritz provided the Green Wave with a new identity built on defense and pounding the football on the ground game, averaging 217.1 rush yards in the 2020 season. 

As far as producing quality talent, Fritz’s tenure has led to increased representation in the NFL, with 19 of his former Green Wave players seeing quality time professionally. 

After the disappointment that was the 2021 season, one that was clouded by Hurricane Ida and one possession losses, Fritz adopted a new mantra that would define the Green Wave for the following years: “1-0.” 

The idea of going “1-0” and winning the week both on and off the field was exactly what the Green Wave needed. It sparked the greatest turnaround in college football and saw Tulane in a major bowl game for the first time since the 1930s, while finishing in the top 10 for the first time since 1998. 

Tulane’s success in 2022 brought with it reports of Fritz moving to a Power Five conference program. Prior to the American Athletic Conference championship game against University of Central Florida, rumors circulated of Fritz being the frontrunner for Georgia Tech’s vacant coaching seat, which many believed was all but a done deal. Instead, Fritz decided to remain at Tulane for at least one more season, and brought back standout quarterback Michael Pratt and center Sincere Haynesworth with him, despite both having offers to either transfer to bigger name schools or even declare for the NFL draft. 

This past season, Tulane has continued to follow its “1-0” mantra, resulting in an undefeated conference record and once again cementing itself in the College Football Playoff top 25. The Green Wave continues to build on its identity of ground and pound, replacing the shifty Tyjae Spears with the bulldozing freshman, Makhi Hughes, who has averaged over 100 yards per game on the ground in the season. Pratt has also excelled at managing the game in his third season for the Green Wave, finishing the regular season with his highest quarterback rating yet, at 164.9. 

Continuous success has only led to more rumors. Most recently, Fritz has been connected to the University of Houston job, after Dana Holgorsen was fired. Talks of transferring have also surrounded Pratt, who will be getting calls from many college powerhouses after this season. With new athletic director David Harris on Tulane’s campus, the assurance of Pratt and Fritz returning to Tulane is not as strong as it once was.

Nevertheless, Pratt and Fritz have pushed back on these conversations in favor of focusing on this season. This weekend against Southern Methodist University marks a huge opportunity for the Green Wave. Being able to win back-to-back American conference titles and securing a spot in a major bowl game in consecutive seasons will lead to national attention that can see the Green Wave become a larger player in college football and recruiting in the years to come. 

With SMU’s starting quarterback Preston Stone already ruled out, the Green Wave has to capitalize on this golden opportunity to earn a spot in either the Fiesta, Peach or Cotton Bowl games where they will await one of college football’s powerhouse programs. 

For Fritz in company, what comes after this season is irrelevant, as they remain laser focused on one thing: going “1-0.”