Following Tulane University football’s spring game on Saturday, April 19, head coach Jon Sumrall shared that while they are happy with the group that they have currently, there “will be some additions coming here in the next month, roughly” to help bolster the roster even further. Less than two weeks out from that press conference, the Green Wave has already made a handful of splashes in the transfer portal. While it may have been a bit overwhelming keeping track of all the movement, we are here to break it all down.
Coach Sumrall shared after the spring game that they will “very likely” be adding another quarterback through the portal to “make the room right and also to add competition and see who our starters are going to be.” It took less than a week for Sumrall and co. to deliver on that statement, getting a commitment from University of Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan on April 24. Sullivan played sparingly for the Hawkeyes this past season, but flashed in his limited opportunity, completing 38 of his 53 pass attempts for 475 yards and three touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, quarterback TJ Finley, who transferred earlier this offseason from Western Kentucky University, announced he would be reentering the transfer portal the following day, April 25. Finley had been making headlines following his arrest on a charge of illegal possession of stolen items worth more than $25,000. While it had become increasingly apparent that Finley was unlikely to ever suit up for the Wave, the commitment of Sullivan seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Finley’s days in New Orleans.
While Brendan Sullivan stole many of the headlines, offensive lineman Langston Hogg was actually the first commitment following the spring game, committing to the Wave mere hours after the game ended. With lots of turnover on the offensive line this offseason, with many starters graduating, Hogg arrives with a real chance at earning a starting spot as a freshman. He was considered a three-star prospect and reportedly chose the Green Wave over schools like the University Oregon, the University of Arkansas, the University of Memphis and many others.
After Sullivan’s commitment, the Wave moved quickly to give him and the rest of the quarterback room a new weapon down the field, landing Washington State University transfer wide receiver Tre Shackelford on April 28. Shackelford, who began his career at Austin Peay before transferring to Washington State, brings solid production to the Wave’s receiving corps, as he’s tallied 72 catches for 1,027 yards and seven touchdowns throughout his career so far. Shackelford will be a major part of the rotation at wide receiver, as the Wave will showcase a number of talented players at the position this season.
Another notable transfer get for the Wave is likely very familiar with new quarterback Brendan Sullivan, having caught quite a few of his passes in practice. Tight end Johnny Pascuzzi is a fellow former University of Iowa Hawkeye who didn’t see much time at Iowa, catching two passes for 41 yards combined in his two seasons in Iowa City. The Green Wave is banking on his talent and believes a change of scenery and a step down in competition could unlock his potential.
A slew of defensive players have been picked up out of the portal as well. The University of Southern Mississippi transfer defensive lineman Armondous Cooley joins an uber-talented defensive line group that dominated during the spring game. Two defensive backs shared their commitment to the Green Wave as well, both coming from a school coach Sumrall is very familiar with. Defensive backs LJ Green and Dorion Jackson arrive from Troy University, where Sumrall was the head coach before making the move to Tulane last offseason. Green and Jackson figure to both be major contributors in the defensive backfield for the Wave this season, giving the unit a lot more depth.
A lot has been happening in Uptown as the Green Wave has already patched up many of their holes throughout the roster in the transfer portal. With the portal continuing to offer more opportunities to upgrade the roster, the Wave seems primed to compete for another American Athletic Conference Championship with training camp approaching quickly.