ICYMI, TU DBs A-OK
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Over the last month and a half, On SI Tulane has taken a look at the Tulane quarterbacking situation, the Green Wave running back room, Wave receivers, the offensive front, the defensive line and the linebacking corps going into 2026. This week, we check out a defensive secondary that has made some strides for the first season of Hall Ball.
Returnees Strong
For a defense to succeed, it must be built on athletes who can make a difference. The guys coming back for 2026 have proven that.
A redshirt junior transfer from Troy, Jack Tchienchou made his presence known throughout the 2025 season, piling up 83-tackles, but the Atlanta native truly showed his abilities in the American Conference championship game, where Tchienchou had 9-tackles, forced a fumble, recovered another and had an interception earning him Most Valuable Player in the trophy contest, only the second time that has happened in conference history. The only other time that happened was when Tulane played SMU in the title game in 2023. The Mustangs' safety Isaiah Nwokobia earned the award that year.
Still learning and young, redshirt sophomore E'zaiah Shine was able to account for seven pass breakups from the cornerback slot, most of those in the East Carolina game. However, coaches are extremely high on the upside of the redshirt sophomore from Daytona Beach. His long reach and good size (6' 1", 196) make him an ideal candidate to cover the opposing team's best receiver.
After leading Destrehan to an undefeated state title in 2022, safety Kevin Adams III played little in his first year at Tulane, redshirting. In his redshirt freshman year, the 5' 10", 196-pounder saw action in every game of 2024, piling up 40-tackles, 3.5-TFL, a fumble recovery, then an interception against Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl. He improved as a sophomore, garnering 53-tackles, one TFL, and two interceptions.
Transfer with Size, Speed: Stevenson & Banks
After three seasons in Lubbock, Marquez "Macho" Stevenson decided to come closer to home. At Captain Shreve, he was considered one of the elite players in the Shreveport area. He was an LHSAA state champion in the 400-meter run.
The long, lanky transfer redshirted in 2023 after signing with Texas Tech. In his redshirt-freshman year, he appeared in a dozen of the 13-games the Red Raiders played, making three starts at cornerback. As a sophomore, Stevenson only missed the season opener in 2025, then getting on the field in 13 of the 14 games for Tech, mostly on special teams.
In case you're wondering, Macho is the nickname his mother gave him when he was born, because he was so big: 10-pounds at birth.
Spending two seasons at mostly nickel back at South Carolina, Kajuan Banks transferred to South Florida in 2024, making 30-tackles and sacking opposing QBs twice. He saw limited playing time in 2025, only in enough games to make eight tackles. He transferred to Tulane in January, 2026 and is expected to play the Spear position for the Green Wave in this, his redshirt senior year.
Others of Note
Some names to look for this Fall:
- Dorion Jackson (6' 2", 212) Redshirt junior transferred from Troy, seeing limited action for Tulane. His size and length make him an excellent slot cover.
- LJ Green (5' 10", 174) Another Troy transfer, the Alabama native is expected to see extended playing time at the cornerback position.
- Armani Cargo (5' 10", 184) The John Ehret alum shows good quickness and recovery as he vies for playing time.
Tulane Stadium: A Century-Old Look Back
In celebration of this year being the 100th anniversary of the opening of old Tulane Stadium on the Uptown campus, we are looking back at the greatest athletes to grace the old field and beyond. A little over a month ago, we chose what we think was the greatest quarterback in Tulane history, the next week, who the most outstanding running back was, then our selection of the greatest Tulane wide receiver, followed by our pick for the greatest TU D-lineman, then our choice for who we thought was the greatest linebacker. Since On Si Tulane looked at this season's defensive backs this week, on Wednesday we take a stab at who we think was the best cornerback/safety in the 100-plus years of Green Wave football.
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Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.