Tulane Football Releases Spring Schedule for Important Evaluation by Head Coach

Tulane Green Wave football will begin spring practice in March as the team and Jon Sumrall look for their next starting quarterback.

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Springtime will be an important evaluation period for the Tulane Green Wave as the football team looks to the 2025 college football season.

Head coach Jon Sumrall will be searching for his next starting quarterback in consecutive competitions.

As announced by the program on X, spring practice for the Green Wave will kick off on Tuesday, March 18, and will run through the 2025 spring game on Saturday, April 19.

Sumrall will assess competitors Kadin Semonza, TJ Finley, and Donovan Leary as Darian Mensah's successors over the course of 14 practice sessions—six in March, eight in April—and the spring game.

Spring practice was where Darian Mensah first showed signs of traits that could surpass Ty Thompson and Kai Horton, though he was largely not considered to be in the race until August.

It will be curious to watch Sumrall's process unfold this time around with insight and lessons learned from his first quarterback competition.

Will he look to name a starter earlier than the opening game of the 2025 season? Or will he mirror his initial approach?

Between Semonza and Finley, Sumrall has more experience in his incoming quarterbacks, with Semonza starting as a freshman all season for Ball State. Leary has not played much but is a redshirt junior who has developed longer than Mensah.

In contrast, Horton, Thompson, and Mensah amassed three collegiate starts prior to last season, all by Horton.

The lack of time on task was apparent. Horton and Thompson struggled with consistency throughout spring workouts, leaving a lane for the young redshirt freshman to eventually debut.

While Sumrall closed the competition off from Mensah to simplify fall camp, he quickly reversed that decision. He let the race play out in full and ultimately made the tough call in his first season leading the Green Wave as head coach.

The call will be easier regardless of how the competitors fare this year with the credibility gained from starting Mensah. Should the competition require similar patience, Sumrall has already displayed a great ability.

Sumrall and his coaching staff will look to fill one of the biggest roster holes this spring. There are also about 30 incoming players from the transfer portal and half as many from the high school recruiting class.

Spring practices might not illuminate much for the running back room, but the skill position coaches will learn a lot about their players.

Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock and wide receiver coach Carter Sheridan will learn which receivers have chemistry with certain quarterbacks and how much that varies depending on the competing signal caller.

Tulane will need tight ends to step up as both blockers and pass catchers. The defense has fewer holes, but it requires a lot of retooling on the defensive line, in particular to replace departing starters.

By April 19, Sumrall should know a lot more about the foundation of his team and what they still need to compete for the College Football Playoff spot in the 2025 season.