2026 K-State Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 3: Tulane

K-State's schedule gets more challenging each week in 2026, as the Wildcats host Tulane in Week 3. The Green Wave are entering a new era with Will Hall as the coach, but the team is coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff last year. Jon Sumrall was the coach last season, but he is now the coach at Florida.

The matchup will be the fourth between the two schools, with the Wildcats winning a 34-27 thriller in Louisiana in 2024. K-State was trailing 27-20 early in the fourth quarter, but a 60-yard fumble return by Jack Fabris helped give the Wildcats the win.

This is the final non-conference game for Collin Klein and the Wildcats, and this should be the toughest game before the start of Big 12 play.

Offense

Jake Retzlaff is no longer the quarterback for Tulane, but it is now time for Kadin Semonza to lead the Green Wave. He was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2024 after an impressive campaign when he threw for 2,904 yards and 25 touchdowns. He transferred to Tulane in 2025, but the last second arrival of Retzlaff put him into a backup role where it was too late to transfer.

Now, he is the guy for Tulane, and he has the type of talent to have the Green Wave in contention once again. He isn't the running threat that Retzlaff was, but he doesn't need to be with the running duo of Florida State transfer Jaylin Lucas and sophomore Jamauri McClure. McClure rushed for 540 yards while averaging an impressive 6.5 yards per carry.

The receiving core has a lot of talent, with Anthony Brown-Stephens and LSU transfer Destyn Hill forming a dynamic 1-2 duo. When it comes to the skilled positions, the Green Wave have more than enough to win the American. The biggest challenge for the offense is going to be the play of the offensive line.

Tulane brought in five new offensive linemen this offseason, with it being a combination of freshmen and guys in the transfer portal. The Green Wave's best recruit this past off-season was 4-star interior lineman Tylan George, who was ranked the 11th best in the country. If the line can create running gaps and protect the quarterback, then this team has a chance to put up a ton of points this season.

Defense

The biggest question on the defensive side of the ball will be in the front seven. Like the offensive line, there are many new players as the Green Wave brought in six guys to try to fill spots. One big positive for Tulane is that the two leading tacklers from last season's team are back.

Safety Jack Tchienchou (83 tackles) and linebacker Chris Rodgers (80) are the two leaders of the team, and will be tasked with making sure the new guys are up to speed and in the right spots.

Defensive coordinator Tayler Polk will have his team in a 3-4 for much of the time, but he will also be in a 4-2-5. The Green Wave will have a lot of versatility on their defense, as guys will have to play in different spots based on the formation.

Schedule

Very few non-Power 4 schools challenge themselves like the Green Wave, and that once again is the case in 2026. Tulane opens the season with a road game at the defending ACC Champion, Duke Blue Devils. Last season, the Green Wave knocked off Northwestern and Duke in the non-conference schedule. Not only do they do a great job of challenging themselves in the non-conference, but they also win those games and set themselves up for a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.

Last year, the Wildcats had a disastrous non-conference season, losing to both Army and Arizona. That set the tone for the 6-6 season, as the team could never get things rolling. Getting off to a fast start this year is imperative, as the fanbase is all in on Klein as the coach.

Outlook

The Green Wave are coming off a historic season last year, and have been on the best stretch in school history. They have won at least nine games in each season since 2022, and will look to continue that with Hall as the coach. There is still a lot of talent in the program, and the team figures to once again be among the top contenders in the American Conference.

This is the final non-conference game for the Wildcats before opening up the Big 12 season on the road at Cincinnati. Optimism is extremely high with Klein as the coach, and getting off to a 3-0 start would only raise the expectations for the Wildcats.

Game Info

Date: Saturday, September 19
Time: 11 a.m.
TV: ESPN 2
Location: Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Series history: Tulane leads 2-1, with K-State winning the last matchup in 2024

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