Tulane University football is officially back — sort of. While we won’t see the 2025 Green Wave roster take the field until the spring game on April 19, practices at Yulman Stadium are well underway, with players settling into new roles and fighting for starting spots at their positions.
Starting with players settling into new roles, one of the things that has stood out so far during spring practices has been former quarterback Ty Thompson adjusting to his new role as a tight end. While Thompson is definitely built for the position, standing at 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 220 pounds, the question was whether the former five-star recruit and top transfer would accept this new role.
The good thing is, Thompson has embraced it with open arms, saying to Maddy Hudak of Sports Insider, “It’s something I’m ready for and very willing to dive my nose in, stick my head into whatever it is that will help the team win and get me on the field.” Hopefully, we still see head coach Sumrall put Thompson at quarterback in short yardage positions, especially on third and fourth down, since his quarterback sneaks were integral to Tulane’s ability to keep their drives going.
As far as fighting for starting spots goes, the main question, like last year, is who will start at quarterback for the Green Wave. The first option is TJ Finley, a 23-year-old coming from Western Kentucky University, who, after the first day of spring practice, was referred to by Sumrall as having “social security in college football” due to his lengthy experience. Sumrall praised both his experience as well as his arm talent, citing both as shining through so far.
While Finley was the only player explicitly called out by Sumrall in the interview, he made it clear that the competition is just starting. Finley has his work cut out for him, especially by juniors Kadin Semonza from Ball State University and Donovan Leary from the University of Illinois. Considering Darian Mensah, a redshirt freshman, was able to win the job last year, Sumrall clearly is true to his word when referring to it as an “open competition.”
However, Sumrall repeatedly mentioned how the Green Wave is “ahead” of schedule this year as far as player development compared to last year. That goes with the defensive side too: “Last year I mean I thought I was going to have to play DB in practice … the backend guys are just better right now.”
In another interview with Hudak, Sumrall also praised the defensive front, pointing to the increased depth they have upfront this year. While the defense’s strong performances have not necessarily helped the new quarterbacks find confidence yet, they certainly are giving them much-needed reps against good competition.
