Former Tulane Green Wave Football Star Considered Among Top Impact Players

A former Tulane Green Wave star has a chance to make an impact on a bigger stage this year.

Nov 4, 2023; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) hands the ball off to running back Makhi Hughes (21) against the East Carolina Pirates during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Tulane Green Wave are going to have their work cut out for them to replicate the level of success they experienced in 2024 in 2025.

They won at least nine games for the third consecutive campaign, a successful first year under new head coach Jon Sumrall despite a sour finish to the year.

After ripping off an eight-game winning streak that had them in the driver’s seat for the AAC title and in a position to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, they finished the season on a three-game losing streak.

Their bowl game against the Florida Gators was especially difficult with several key contributors not in the lineup, opting to enter the transfer portal instead.

One of the players who participated in the game but won’t be returning to the squad in 2025 was running back Makhi Hughes.

Amongst the most productive offensive players in the country, Hughes decided to enter the transfer portal and landed with Big Ten powerhouse, the Oregon Ducks.

With their star running back and starting quarterback Darian Mensah both transferring, multiple wide receivers turning pro and tight end Alex Bauman transferring as well, the Green Wave will have virtually an entirely new offense.

Replacing all of those players will be a tall task.

Quarterback is the most important position in the game, but Tulane at least hit the transfer portal and brought in some options to replace Mensah. Finding someone to take over for Hughes will be a bigger challenge.

That is because he is one of the most impactful players in college football.

“He’s a workhorse between the tackles and capable of taking over (or closing out) games with his ability to pick up yards and burst through the lines for long runs. He’ll have an excellent offensive line to run behind in Eugene, Ore., and can also impact games as an impressive threat out of the backfield on passing downs,” wrote Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated.

The Ducks are getting quite the player.

Hughes carried the ball 523 times through two seasons, gaining 2,779 yards with 22 rushing touchdowns. He added 30 receptions for 243 yards and two more scores as a versatile weapon to deploy offensively.