Second Day of Fall Practice Sees Better Play All Around

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It was a bit warmer today at Yulman than it was yesterday. Of course, it was as humid as a sauna, but that never stops the Greenies from getting to work.

The heat wasn’t the only thing turning up either. With pads just one day away, the intensity of practice could be felt through both the players and coaches. Whether it was Head Coach Will Hall getting players hyped up during team stretches, or it was Jack Tchienchou getting excited with his guys after practice, the energy was high and you could feel it.

The QB Decision Won’t Get Any Easier

We at On SI Tulane mentioned that Kadin Semonza had looked just a tad off yesterday. He was a bit inaccurate, and his timing was off. Well Semonza shut us right up this morning by looking much sharper with a bit more confidence in his throws.

Semonza was hitting guys in stride, including a beautiful back shoulder throw to Destyn “Fat” Hill in the back-right corner of the end zone that would end in a touchdown.

You could just tell Semonza was feeling better today, but he wasn’t the only one. Zeon Chriss-Gremillion made several connections to senior wide out, Anthony Brown-Stephens throughout today’s practice. Hill and AB seem to be WR1 and WR2, respectively, and their connection continues to build with their QBs.

The Zeon-to-Fat connection is absolutely real, as Chris-Gremillion would throw a beautiful over-the-shoulder pass on an intermediate crosser, that he floated over the left side of the field that dropped perfectly into Hill’s bucket.

Freshman QB, Trace Johnson, continues to ooze confidence. As he continues to get ahold of this West Coast system, his throws are becoming quicker and even more decisive than they already were. Unfortunately, his WRs couldn’t back him up, as they’d drop a few passes that’d hit them right in the hands.

His most impressive play, however, came in 11-on-11, when he rolled to his left and threw a beautiful spiral over the top of the safety and into Seth Gale’s hands. We were impressed by Gale's abilities yesterday.

Dagan Bruno had a bit of a quiet day. He wasn't performing poorly, not even close, but he wasn't doing standing out either, like he did at the end of Spring. All in all, though, he was solid.

Using the New Toys On the O-Line

Tulane had one of the smaller transfer signing lists, but it doesn’t mean that these guys won’t make a difference. One of those guys, Ryan Mickow from Boston College, received high praise from, what seems to be, the leader of the offensive line, John Bock II.

”Smartest guy I’ve ever met on the offensive line,” Bock praised.

When comparing this year’s line to last year, Bock said, “Coach Kennedy has really built this room, and if you thought we were close last year, [well] we’re ten times as close this year. I’m not trying to compare, but it’s the truth.”

Bock continued by saying that he and the offensive line are “very close,” and that they “know each other very well.”

Mickow isn’t the only transfer addition to the line, as the second team center, Gavin Marks, joined TU from Mercer.

”I think there was a little animosity at first, not anything serious you know, you’re just in a competition.” Bock continued, “I’ve really taken him under my wing, [and] I think he’s going to be a great player… He has so much room to grow, and so much potential.”

The Wildly Entertaining 1-on-1’s

What planted itself right in the middle of Tulane’s practice time was an extremely entertaining 10 minutes of one-on-one’s. All QBs threw, and all played exceptional, but the stars were shining at the DB and WR position.

Gale continued his eye-popping routines, as he’d haul in a few more catches after beating his man. We also feel it’s worth mentioning that Gale was also returning punts alongside Jaylin Lucas today, but back to the one-on-one’s.

What followed was a rep between E’zaiah Shine and AB, one that concluded with a great PBU from Shine. Shine was a key player that the Wave maintained from last year, and he’s continuing to make his value known on the field.

Two other reps that were fun to watch were between Garrett Mmahat and Anthony Rogers along with Macho Stevenson and Hill. The first of which was a complete jam at the line, as Rogers would practically drive Mmahat into the sidelines, forcing the rep to end before Mmahat could even run his route.

After those two were done, Stevenson practically ran Fat’s route, breaking it up at the top of the route for an incompletion.

The Other New Guys

At the tight end position, we’ve noticed that two particular players have been getting a lot of reps, and they’re both transfers. First, Dawson Johnson, who TU picked up from Old Dominion, and Vance Bolyard from Duke. We did not see Ty Thompson get meaningful reps today. He was suited up, but he didn’t have a helmet on.

It’s promising to see TU put their new guys to use. And it’s not just the transfers, as true freshman Colby Simpson has been getting in on the fun too.

As of right now, it looks like Johnson might get the TE1 nod, but it’s also important to remember that Coach Hall will likely use the entire TE room to his advantage. He’ll likely use each TE to their own skills, taking advantage of whatever tight end does best, whether it be blocking or creating mismatches in the slot.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Dickson Agu, has been powering through his rehab and recovery.

"(Dickson) is a Tulane guy all the way, but (I'm) not surprised by the way he attacked rehab, (because) that's just how he attacks life. Everyday he wakes up, you want to be like him" head coach Will Hall said about Agu's recovery.

Agu is a promising talent that's been making plays during practice, and he seems to be another essential piece of the Greenie puzzle.

The Old Guys Are Important Too

“We have sixty-eight scholarship returners that know they’re really good football players… All of them had lots of options in December, [but] they didn’t just fall into Tulane, they chose Tulane” is what Hall had to say in response to whether or not there was a chip on his shoulder due to how low Tulane had been picked in the American (7th).

"It really doesn't matter," Hall had said before.

Shine, Kevin Adams III, and Tchienchou are all returning players for this secondary, and when you address other positions like D-line or the linebacking spot, you get studs like Reshad Sterling, Ed Smith IV, and Dalton Hughes.

Another player who's a notable mention is a guy who has somehow made the running back room even deeper.

Walk-on Gave Mocek is the newest name in the running back room to earn some praise. His shifty cuts and burst of speed make him a real danger when navigating blockers, as he can hit holes and make guys miss in the blink of an eye.

Mocek adds coninued depth to an already strong running back room. "I don't even care who's back there," is what Bock had to say about his running backs.

He continued, "You see them fly past you and say 'Okay, let's do it'... You've got Jamauri (McClure), Johnnie (Daniels), DJ Dugar... I mean Gabe Mocek... I think everybody in the running back room can play at any level."

Tulane continues with their fall practices tomorrow at 7:45am once again. Our update on Friday will come your way at 4:00 p.m.

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