by I’m a little late to the party on this, but Tulane instantly remained one of the top Group of Five programs following a terrific portal haul this past week under newly hired head coach Jon Sumrall.
Sumrall, who went 23-4 at Troy over the past two seasons, has now put the entire country on notice. After landing five-star QB Ty Thompson from Oregon two weeks ago, Sumrall continued to make noise in the portal by picking up a pair of elite wide receiver transfers on Monday.
Both Alabama transfer Shazz Preston, a consensus four-star prospect entering college, and USC transfer Mario Williams, one of Heisman winning QB Caleb Williams’ favorite targets for the Trojans, signed with Tulane to bolster an already talented Green Wave offense. If that’s not enough, Tulane also signed four-star high school cornerback Jayden Lewis (Anniston, AL), proving that Sumrall’s old Alabama recruiting ties are still paying off from his days at Troy.
After losing Willie Taggart — the man who built and brought this program to the forefront of the AAC — and several key players like QB Michael Pratt and CB Jadon Canady, Tulane has now regained its traction and are right in the mix for a 12-team playoff bid.
The Sumrall era could not have gotten off to a better start as he completely reignited a fanbase after hardly being a month on the job. It’s safe to say that the future is still bright in New Orleans.