Tulane Football Special Teams Could Benefit from Offseason Turnover

With two kickers and the starting punter leaving, the Tulane Green Wave had to adjust.

Tulane Green Wave place kicker Patrick Durkin (91) reacts to missing a field goal during the first half at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Friday, December 20, 2024 in the 2024 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While special teams is often overlooked it is a critical element in deciding who wins and losses. An effective field goal kicker is the difference between three points and an empty drive. A great punter can consistently put the opposing team at a disadvantage with poor field position.

So if Tulane wants to succeed this season, they need a good special teams unit.

Unfortunately, the Green Wave lost their starting punter from a season ago, Will Karoll, to UCLA. Kicker Jacob Barnes also has moved on, and kicker Ethan Head transferred to West Virginia. These losses necessitated that Tulane make major offseason moves, and the Green Wave did just that.

Utilizing the transfer portal, Tulane brought in Alec Clark from Southern Miss. Clark will be a sophomore this season and had an impressive freshman year with the Golden Eagles.

Clark proved he has significant power in his leg with a 67-yard punt as his longest of the 2024 season. Clark also has holding experience, which will help Tulane's kicker this season, Patrick Durkin.

With the departure of Barnes and Head, Durkin will take the mantle of kicker for the Green Wave.

In his freshman season, Durkin made all of his extra point attempts, going 16-for-16. He attempted four field goals, making two of them. Durkin proved that he had promising range as he made a 44-yarder in his only attempt that exceeded 40 yards.

Where Durkin struggled a season ago was in the 30-39 yard range, going 0-for-2 from that distance. Durkin will find himself with a lot more opportunities in his sophomore season, and he is certainly capable of making the most of them.

Durkin and Clark have proven to have power. Consistency will be the question, but both players, heading into their sophomore seasons, can rise to the occasion. With these two young talents, the future of Tulane special teams is in good hands.