Tulane Football Linked to Sean Payton Coaching Tree With New Chicago Bears Hire
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Longtime NFL coach Dan Roushar is returning to the league on the Chicago Bears staff and links Tulane Green Wave football to a legendary head coach.
Chicago's new offensive line coach has experience in both college and professional football, having spent time at Tulane between two stints in the NFL.
Head coach Jon Sumrall and the Green Wave will look to replace a coach who falls under former New Orleans Saints and now Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s coaching tree.
Should Roushar find success with the Bears offensive line, he’ll be another impressive disciple under Payton. His pathway may illuminate a path back to the pros for position group coaches.
Roushar was renowned for his ability to teach and how seamlessly it translated when he moved back to the college level. He found a home at Tulane after losing his job with New Orleans but developed a remarkable group of linemen in his 10-year stint.
Saints guards Larry Warford and Andrus Peat and tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk had three Pro Bowl selections, and center Max Unger was selected once.
Roushar joins a staff filled with fellow Payton disciples, many of whom are advancing as rising assistants across the league. He will coach under offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who was tight ends coach for the Broncos after following Payton from New Orleans.
While he failed at his second stint as head coach with the Saints, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is back in the role he excelled at on the other side of the ball.
Several of his assistants, including Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, are considered head coach candidates but have declined the current openings. Denver’s defensive back coach had coordinator offers but elected to remain under Payton.
Broncos passing game coordinator John Morton is now the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator under head coach Dan Campbell, one of two head coaches in the league under Payton’s tree.
The other was hired by the New York Jets, Aaron Glenn, the home of former Tulane safety Jarius Monroe.
Payton is under Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells’ coaching tree himself but continues to build an impressive one in the NFL that stands alone. Roushar was able to find his way back to the league after a decade with Payton and a few seasons with the Green Wave.
It says a lot about the status of Tulane football as a Group of Five program included in the legacy of Payton’s coaching tree and how valuable Roushar was to the team. They have already promoted Roushar's replacement, Evan McKissack.
McKissack spent one season coaching alongside Roushar and will use that crucial experience under the strong talent developer as the new coach of the Green Wave's offensive line and run game coordinator.
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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