Tulane Football Loses Star Punter in Surprising Transfer Portal Entry

The Tulane Green Wave football team will have to likely look for a starting punter after an unexpected loss in transfer portal.

Credit: Parker Waters - Tulane Athletics

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Tulane Green Wave conducted their 12th session of spring practice Thursday in preparation for the 2025 college football season, and the special teams unit looked a bit different.

After practice, Tulane football head coach Jon Sumrall disclosed that the absence of punter Will Karoll was due to him entering the transfer portal earlier this week. 

It was a surprising thing to learn after Karoll participated and performed well in the scrimmage on Saturday. 

"He's leaving,” Sumrall said. “He's decided to move on. It's the world we live in. We talked, and I'm not going to say everything that was said. You never know who's been talking to him. I think he probably already knows his destination. I'll just say that."

Reading between the lines of Sumrall’s comments, that seems like a clear case of tampering in the transfer portal.

Karoll is from Australia and was with a group that places Australian punters with certain colleges. Sumrall divulged that he’s with a different agency heading to his new destination. 

"He's sort of changed the group he's with," Sumrall said. "He's not with the group he came over with. It's one of those things. I'm for Will. I like Will. I hate that he's gone. We have to go get a punter now, probably. It was very out of the blue. Everything was fine until it wasn't. I'm not really smart, but I've been doing this long enough to know there's some foul play. There are some backdoor things that are outside of our control. I wish him well and hope it goes well wherever he ends up."

It's unfortunate news, particularly as unexpected as it clearly was to the head coach. That marks the third departure of notable players in the portal since spring camp began: defensive back Rayshawn Pleasant, linebacker Jesus Machado, and now Karoll. 

It’s unclear what Karoll’s reasoning is, as international players aren’t exactly eligible for NIL, which usually would explain such a sudden loss — and his former head coach hinting at knowledge of a destination.

While third-party NIL deals are violations of international student visas, that changes with upcoming revenue sharing. 

It’s possible that Karoll was lured somewhere where they look to be bigger players in direct NIL payments once the House settlement is implemented.

It’s certainly not because of playing time or opportunity, and it’s an unanticipated need in the portal for a coach already looking to fill several needs.

However, as a former special teams coordinator himself, Sumrall knows the hidden yardage and value of special teams and will look to recoup a starter at the end of spring camp.