New Tulane Offensive Line Coach Will Be Critical in Quarterback Competition
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As the departure of offensive line coach Dan Roushar to the Chicago Bears gains traction, the Tulane Green Wave football team is left with a major hole to fill.
One of the better developers in college football leaves a void that will be essential in head coach Jon Sumrall's search for the team's next starting quarterback.
Roushar is set to coach that unit for the Bears, though it was a move the Green Wave seemingly anticipated in their promotion of co-offensive line coach Evan McKissack to assume Roushar's role. The team quickly hired Kanan Ray back from the LSU Tigers to assist McKissack, who started his coaching career under Roushar at Tulane.
A team can have the best offensive scheme under a rising coordinator and all the skill players in place, but they'll go absolutely nowhere without a strong line of scrimmage.
A rushing attack that supports Sumrall's blue-collar mentality will help Tulane, regardless of who ends up under center.
The team will be tasked with replacing Makhi Hughes as well, who left for the Oregon Ducks a few weeks after Darian Mensah transferred to the Duke Blue Devils.
However, the running back room has more continuity with the return of Arnold Barnes and Jamari McClure and has several incoming transfers to work with.
No matter what traits the competing three quarterbacks — Kadin Semonza, TJ Finley, and Donovan Leary — display throughout camp, it will all come down to the protection by the offensive line when the 2025 season starts.
In order for them to be at their best, they need to feel comfortable in the pocket to have any hopes at a College Football Playoff run.
The coaching at the line of scrimmage has significantly contributed to the football team's success since the 2-10 season they had in 2021. Tulane made a change following that finish, and that coach's departure led to Roushar's arrival on the staff.
Roushar led the team through a lot of offensive changes, with the departure of Willie Fritz to the Houston Cougars and the stability that remained on the offensive line. No starters left to follow Fritz or the departing position coach. That foundation was crucial in the team's discovery of Mensah.
While it won't show until the season kicks off, that position group's development will be essential to watch alongside the quarterback competition.
Although there are player positions to fill, McKissack will play a crucial role in the Green Wave offense's success next year.
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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