Tulane Football Leads Conference With Selections to Preseason All-AAC Team
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Plenty of anticipation is building for the Tulane Green Wave football team ahead of the 2025 college football season.
While preseason rankings are not a predictive metric, they help generate buzz for programs on the rise, much like the Green Wave continues to be under head coach Jon Sumrall in his second season.
Tulane had a lot of turnover this offseason between graduation and the transfer portal, but they retained a core of veterans while bolstering the roster with strong transfers.
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That was reflected in the Athlon Sports' 2025 Preseason All-AAC team selection, as the Green Wave led the American Conference with 15 players.
Seven players made the First Team selections: running back Maurice Turner, offensive tackle Derrick Graham, offensive guard Shadre Hurst, edge rusher Mo Westmoreland, linebacker Sam Howard, and safety Bailey Despanie.
That's a strong group of both veteran and transfer players.
Turner and Westmoreland represent the new group of transfers, while Graham, Hurst, Howard and Despanie all return as key leaders in critical roles.
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Tulane is set to have massive changes on the offensive line, and the only stability they have returns with Graham and Hurst on the left side of the line.
The duo was part of a line that ranked among the top five in the AAC in several categories, including third down conversions, completion percentage, scoring offense, passing efficiency, rushing, and time of possession.
Howard made an immediate impact as a leader last season as well as on the field with a school-record five fumble recoveries.
Despanie has been with the Green Wave since the 2022 season, when they won the Cotton Bowl, and is an invaluable secondary member.
Turner joins a solid running back room and showed burst and fluidity throughout spring camp. He ran for a career-high 314 yards in 2022 for the Louisville Cardinals.
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Westmoreland joins a ferocious defensive line as a transfer from UTEP, where he ranked No. 23 in the nation with eight sacks and had 46 total tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss.
The defensive line is touted by Sumrall as one of the best he's been around, and that's a unit that will be critical to the team's success this year.
Defensive tackle Santana Hopper and wide receiver and punt returner Omari Hayes made the second team selection for his special teams play.
His receiving abilities landed him on the third team alongside center Jack Hollifield, while defensive lineman Tre'Von McAlpine, defensive back LJ Green, and safety Jack Tchienchou were fourth-team selections.
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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