Tulane Football Coach Highlights Athletic Traits in Strong Defensive Line Room
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NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Tulane Green Wave football team has a level of depth at defensive line that head coach Jon Sumrall sees as a new strength for the unit.
As Tulane football heads into its second scrimmage on Saturday, it will be an important evaluation for the trenches.
It stuck out that Sumrall pointed to the group as a stronger one than last season following the first session of training camp in March.
“The additions we've had to our defensive line room have made us deeper there,” Sumrall said at the time. “We're probably better there than I would have anticipated if you'd asked me last December what we are going to look like there.”
It’s challenging to assess defensive line play in a practice setting, but Sumrall expanded on the promise he sees following the team’s session on Thursday.
“It’s their athletic traits and movement pattern,” Sumrall said. “You can tell that in the offseason. I felt like last year, the D-line room was top-heavy. You knew what you had in Pat Jenkins, right? But the depth was just okay. Right now, I think that positions 7, 8, 9, and 10 are really good players, and that’s a group where you want to be deep.”
The Green Wave employed a heavy rotation strategy on the D-line but struggled to get production out of some of the second and third-string guys.
Several players were moved to new positions, including returner Kam Hamilton, who worked out at the edge to close the season.
Tulane’s haul of defensive linemen in this transfer portal cycle changes that outlook. Sumrall told his staff he would be fine with grabbing an extra lineman on either side of the ball due to the development and physicality.
“Defensive line is a physical aspect of the game where you want guys to be able to roll guys through and then play fresh,” Sumrall said. “I think that group you can just feel has twitch. I think Santana Hopper’s flashed a lot, and [Tre’Von] McAlpine has looked good. You just feel a lot of guys different parts of practice for sure.”
The incoming transfers include Maurice Westmoreland, Hopper, McAlpine, Harvey Dyson, Eliyt Nairne, and Derrick Shepard.
The returnees all played strong roles on the team last year. Hamilton became a starter, and nose tackles Adonis Friloux and Elijah Champaigne bring valuable experience over the last several seasons. Deshaun Batiste was a freshman who made the most of his snaps.
A defense can be as strong or weak as its defensive line, and traits and depth bode well for a strong pass rush in the 2025 college football season.
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Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com