Tulane Football Shows Valuable Retention in Preseason All-AAC Selections
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As important as additional talent is in college football, the ability to develop and retain stars is valuable.
The Tulane Green Wave football team recently had a league-best 15 players selected to the Athlon Sports’ 2025 Preseason All-AAC Team.
It was a mix of veterans and incoming transfer portal players who made the list from First Team to Fourth Team selections.
Transfer running back Maurice Turner and edge rusher Mo Westmoreland made the First Team list.
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In addition, returning offensive tackle Derrick Graham, offensive guard Shadre Hurst, defensive lineman Kameron Hamilton, linebacker Sam Howard, and safety Bailey Despanie rounded out the selections for First Team.
It marks a consecutive season under head coach Jon Sumrall in which the Green Wave led the American Conference with selections to this preseason list.
They led the league with 18 selections last year. What sticks out is the carryover from those who received honors last season—who all landed on the First Team ahead of 2025.
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Graham and Hurst return as First Team selections, Howard and Despanie made Second Team, and Hamilton made Third Team.
It’s nearly impossible to retain a significant enough portion of the roster in today’s era of college football and the transfer portal.
Despite appearing in three consecutive AAC Championship Games, the Green Wave couldn’t retain starting quarterback Darian Mensah, running back Makhi Hughes, tight end Alex Bauman, nose tackle Parker Petersen, punter Will Karoll, and more critical starters from last season.
But within those they were able to retain, Coach Sumrall and his staff have shown a considerable ability to develop players.
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Under defensive line coach Landius Wilkerson, Hamilton moved to the exterior and flourished last season. Howard transferred in from the FCS program Austin Peay and became a starter immediately with a massive impact.
Graham transferred in last season as well after initially being under Sumrall with the Troy Trojans.
Sumrall inherited Hurst and Despanie in addition to Hamilton. Hurst and Graham are arguably some of the most critical returnees, particularly to the quarterback competition.
Despanie is a glue that holds together a formidable secondary.
Preseason rankings only go so far. However, leading the league two seasons in a row with the same group of players rising to the top is worth taking note of as the team gets closer to fall camp in preparation for the 2025 college football season.
For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.
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