This is What Makes Us Confident about 2026 Tulane Football

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Fresh off their first ever appearance in the College Football Playoffs, the 2026 version of Tulane football finds itself in a unique position: only filling about 20-slots on its roster from that history-making team, yet picked by many to not appear in the CFP field again. In fact, most prognosticators are not choosing the Wave to even win the American Conference. We have our own thoughts that you can find here.

As the countdown to the first season of Hall Ball rolls on, last week, we took a look at what has us a little worried about the upcoming season. However, we believe there is plenty to look forward to in the 2026 football season.

The Tulane Defense

Led by one of the youngest defensive coordinator in college football, the Green Wave defense is built on a number of foundations:
- Consistent rotation throughout the defensive lineup, especially in the front. Throughout every game, Tulane would move people in and out, both situationally and to give players a break. That cycle gave an inordinate amount of experience to each, especially making the front four/five deep.
- Bringing in just enough players to take a step up. Ed Smith IV and Macho Stevenson, just to name two, bring in high-motor athleticism that bumps up the defense one more notch.

One of our concerns after the 2025 season was creating a more physical presence on defense, especially in the secondary. Bringing in Smith and Stevenson has helped. However, in the Spring, we noticed cornerbacks and safeties playing much tighter on the Tulane receivers and running backs. So much so, Wave quarterbacks were forced to go deeper in their progressions. We did not see that too often in the College Football Playoff game against Ole Miss.

Truth be told, we did see quite a few times where there was a way-too-long tug on a receiver's jersey and an arm or two wrapped around the offensive player during Spring practice. That is a two-edged sword: - the grabbing would probably be called during a game, so TU defenders need to learn not to do that on a regular basis, - however, it definitely helps Wave receivers learn to muscle their way through this kind of contact, something that didn't happen as often as we would like vs. the Rebels.

Continuity

There are enough people outside of New Orleans who were not in favor of the choice of Will Hall as the new head coach to succeed Jon Sumrall in Uptown, that the ripple effect has prognosticators picking Tulane to win as few as eight games this season. Some Wave fans as well are expressing disillusionment at Hall as the choice as head coach after his results at Southern Miss just a couple of years ago. We even mentioned it in last week's column about what has us a little concerned.

However, there is something to said about having a succession plan. The other way of looking at the appointment of Hall as the next head coach, is that it is seamless. He knows Tulane as well as any of the assistant coaches serving under Jon Sumrall and Willie Fritz, the two who put the Wave back on the map in the collegiate football world. Sumrall was quick to pile on the Will Hall band wagon, expressing complete confidence in Hall's abilities as a head coach.

Hall was THE choice to be the next head coach by Tulane players. Hands down. Hall is the reason players like Dickson Agu, Jamauri McClure, Jack Tchienchou, Chris Rodgers and many more, all of whom could have moved to a different destination, decided to stay in Uptown (and three of those we listed don't even play offense, Hall's specialty). He's the reason Destyn "Fat" Hill and Jaylin Lucas came back to New Orleans. Heck, Tulane only had to bring in 20-players in the transfer portal to replace those who left the 2025 College Football Playoff team. That's compared to the 60 who were brought in before that historic season began.

The coaching staff was on board with the Hall choice as well, which is why so many of them stuck around the Uptown campus.

There's something to be said about keeping as much continuity from a team that made history in 2025.

A Less-Than-Difficult Schedule

Though the Green Wave is on the road to visit Duke, Kansas State, and South Florida, Tulane's football schedule is not that arduous.

Home games against South Alabama, Southern Miss, Memphis, UTSA, Tulsa, and North Texas are very doable.

Besides the aforementioned games away, there is also Army (a weakened opponent from the past), Charlotte (last year's worst team in the American), Rice (who won only two conference games all of 2025).

Let's harken back to those games on the road:
- The betting line for Duke for the 2026 season is 6.5-wins. Some are thinking the Blue Devils could get nine victories, but that's a stretch. Losing their quarterback and two top receivers in the transfer portal (yes, Darian Mensah is on the road again) leaves them hurting.
- K-State is projected to win around seven wins by most, six by others. This is not going to be an vastly improved team after winning six in 2025.
- South Florida, on the other hand, is being picked as an early favorite in the American Conference in 2026, and rightfully so. The Bulls will be trouble for a lot of teams this year.

Add to that the Green Wave will not be playing Navy this year (the Midshipmen are projected as a favorite in the American), and you've got a schedule that is extremely favorable for Tulane.

For these reasons, we have confidence Hall Ball will have a successful debut in 2026.

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