Tulane Football Lands Three-Star Running Back in Remarkable Recruiting Haul
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The Tulane Green Wave football team continues adding to a star-studded 2026 recruiting class as they make the most of the college football offseason.
It’s an important time for coaching staffs—one of the few quiet periods free of the transfer portal—to be able to build the foundation of their program.
The Green Wave previously struggled to bring in ranked recruits out of high school. With their success over the last three seasons, that’s flipped entirely.
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Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall and the recruiting staff have been hosting dozens of prospects over the last few weeks, hoping to secure commitments before they leave their official visits.
On Saturday, that paid off when they landed yet another pickup in their class of 2026.
Three-star running back Lawrence Autry announced his commitment to the Green Wave on Saturday on X, landing the program one of the best running backs in the state of Tennessee.
UPTOWN IM COMING TO YA CITY
— Lawrence Autry (@lawrence_autry) June 21, 2025
ROLL WAVE 🌊 @CoachJonSumrall @coachbhays @CoachCraddock @GreenWaveFB @EvanMckissack @KananRay @74logan74 @CoachSchexTU @ColeHeard_GM @CoachDomino_1 @RollDatWave @Coach_TKelley @CHSDragonFB @CoachJoeRocconi pic.twitter.com/siORUP889g
Autry is the No. 67 prospect in Tennessee per 247Sports and the No. 7 running back in the state.
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While he didn’t pick up any Power Four offers, he chose Tulane over nine offers, including UNLV, Southern Miss, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Georgia State, and Middle Tennessee.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Autry is coming off a strong junior season for Collierville High. He’s had a considerable workload over the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Autry has a career 391 rush attempts for 2,452 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns, and eight receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2024, Autry rushed 199 times for 1,354 yards and 15 touchdowns and had six receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown.
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It’s a position that makes it easy to see why recruits want to come play for the Green Wave, with the legacy at the position that includes Matt Forte and Tyjae Spears.
Tulane will look to replace Spears’ replacement, Makhi Hughes, this upcoming season after he transferred to the Oregon Ducks.
That position group will be as critical to their success next season as the team’s next starting quarterback, with how much offensive coordinator Joe Craddock employs the run game.
But the position is also evolving to require receiving abilities, something the incoming running back transfers and current high school recruits all possess. Despite the limited sample size, Autry demonstrates this ability.
In a time where it would be easy to look forward to fall camp, which kicks off in about a month’s time, the Green Wave has put in a stunning amount of time to land their 2026 class, which now includes Autry.
For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.
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