Tulane Football Poised for Strong Season in Second Year of Strength Program

Tulane Green Wave football team is seeing the payoff of the second year under a strength and conditioning program.

Credit: Tulane Athletics / Football

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Tulane Green Wave football team finished their seventh session of spring practice on Tuesday in preparation for the college football season.

One of the things that’s stuck out the most at the halfway point of spring ball is the size and strength of the Tulane football players who were on the roster last season.

As the Green Wave were acclimating to a new head coach in Jon Sumrall, they were also getting used to a new strength and conditioning regime.

While the benefits of continuity on the coaching staff have been discussed, the second year under Tulane football director of strength and conditioning Rusty Whitt may be the largest competitive advantage that sets this year’s team apart. 

Sumrall told reporters Tuesday of the benefits that consistency bring the Green Wave, not only physically, but in setting the tone on the field. 

“The continuity staff-wise is huge,” Sumrall said. “Whitt, I love him dearly. He's such a great culture setter, a tone setter for us. Whitt and his staff, Colin, Nick, Steve, and Jonathan, all the guys—we have a great strength staff. I'd be shocked if there's a better strength staff at our level of football. I think they do a phenomenal job. Whitt and Colin are really good with the return-to-play stuff with guys that have been injured.”

Sumrall brought over Whitt from the Troy Trojans, including associate director of football strength and conditioning, Colin Kenyon, who has played a critical role in rehabbing injured guys back to full strength.

He took it a step further to name members of the sports medicine staff and how grateful he is for all the trainers and therapists that take care of the players’ health and well-being.

The biggest advantage, according to Sumrall, lies in the team culture.

“I think the culture of your program is set in the weight room,” Sumrall continued. “I'm a staunch believer in that—that's where teams are hardworking and tough and blue-collar. That's where it starts.”

Authentic culture translates to practice having as much intensity as in a game setting. 

It was something the newer team struggled with last year under a new head coach and strength staff, with Sumrall calling out the poor efforts post-practice. The difference in energy this spring at each session is palpable. 

“I think they bring a huge part of our practice energy,” Sumrall said. “We had several head coaches here today that I'm good friends with locally, and everybody who comes to practice is like, man, your guys run on and off the field; they do such a good job with this. I'm like, well, that's the strength staff."

"Whitt’s in charge of the defense running off the field," Sumrall continued. "If they don't run off the field, they're going to have to do up-downs. They train them all the time, not just in the weight room. Those guys are a huge advantage for us.”

As the practice ramps up the physicality as well, the plain benefits of a stronger team have shown consistently through the first half of spring ball.

However, the culture that Whitt and his strength began instilling last January has translated into a notable player-led team.