Tulane Football Transfer Portal Review: Part One

Tulane’s opening game is a month and a half away Here's a look at Tulane’s acquisitions, this time through the lens of the Transfer Portal

AP / Rogelio V. Solis

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To begin, we’ll list each transfer on offense and defense, then discuss who we believe will be the most important and key transfers. If you wish to discover more about the transfers we didn’t discuss, you can see them here.

Enter, the Transfers

Player Name	Position	Former School
DJ Dugar Jr.	RB	Oklahoma State
Johnnie Daniels	RB	Mississippi State
Destyn "Fat" Hill	WR	LSU
Ed Smith IV	DL	University of South Alabama
Jordan McAllister	DE	New Hampshire
Vance Bolyard	TE	Duke
Dalton Hughes	LB	University of South Alabama
Macho Stevenson	DB	Texas Tech
Ryan Mickow	OL	Boston College
Dawson Johnson	TE	Old Dominion
Zeon Chriss-Gremillion	QB	Houston
Jaylin Lucas	RB	Florida State
Reshad Sterling	DE	Houston
Gabe Daniels	WR	Syracuse
Kajuan Banks	DB	South Florida
Justin Agu	DB	Louisville
Bredell Richardson	WR	UCF

The total transfer number sits at 17, and TU managed to pull quite the haul. They addressed several positions of need like the O-line and the linebacker spot, and they also bolstered every other part of their game while they were at it.

Offensive Weapons and Wildcards

QB Zeon Chriss-Gremillion kicks us off as the only QB transfer this year. After Jake Retzlaff's departure, Tulane has been scrambling to find their new QB1. Even though Spring practice is said and done, TU hasn't managed to close the gap on any starter, in fact the gap got wider.

Among the QBs in the battle is Houston transfer, Zeon Chriss-Gremillion. He's a fifth year senior who didn't see much time on the field aside from his sophomore campaign at Louisiana-Lafayette. In that year, Zeon tossed 102 completions in 153 attempts, and he completed 66.7% of his passes, threw 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He'd finish the year with a 150.9 rating while also rushing for another 492-yards and 6 rushing touchdowns.

In this era of college football, a mobile quarterback is almost a must have and Zeon fits the bill. Having the arm and legs threat on a wider college football field give teams a solid advantage if they're to have a mobile quarterback. We could just look at Retzlaff's performance last year to back that up.

It's a nice transfer, sure, but what about the tools he'll use to spread the offense? There's no lack of that of course with guys like Destyn "Fat" Hill and Jaylin Lucas.

Fat Hill looks like he'll be the reliable, go-to receiver and Lucas looks like he can make anything happen with the ball in his hands; a true wildcard. Fat and Zeon seemed to build a connection especially as Spring progressed. Zeon might have a tendency to stare down his receivers, but his connection with Fat was undeniable. They even connected for the final play of the Spring Showcase that Tulane hosted for fans three months ago.

Lucas will be an extremely versatile weapon for the Wave to use. Listed as a running back on the depth chart, Lucas can also return kicks and line up out wide. Despite being a short 5'9", Lucas can make anyone miss with his quick feet and great speed, and he's a true danger in special teams.

Lucas returned a lot of kickoffs at Indiana, earning All-American honors for the Hoosiers, before transferring to Florida State. He totaled 1,163 return yards and 3 touchdowns in two years. Lucas has been compared to a Darren Sproles archetype. And for those worried about a little guy and what they can or can't do, just watch this Facebook reel. We think you'll feel better once you have.

Defense is Strong, Make it Stronger

Beginning the defensive segment is Texas Tech transfer, Macho Stevenson. Stevenson turned our head when he announced his transfer from Texas Tech, one of the most dominant defensive schools in the country. However, he turned more heads as Spring practice began. He might've not seen the field a ton during his time at Texas Tech, but the name is always nice and when your play backs it up, it's even better.

What excites us even more, though, is Lutcher native and Houston transfer, Reshad Sterling. Sterling was listed as a four-star prospect on Rivals coming out of his senior season. After red-shirting last year at Houston, Sterling decided to bring his talents back to the boot at Tulane.

Sterling's high school tape is nice, and with a year of developement in technique and physique, Sterling should be a candidate to have a break out year.

Last but certainly not least, we have one of two South Alabama transfers, Ed Smith IV. Smith is a fifth year senior after red shirting his freshman year, and he was a solid lineman for USA. He totaled 72 tackles, 33 solo, 3.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and blocked a kick.

Smith didn't see the field much during his first three years, as he'd suffer a season-ending injury during his third year before earning starting rights the following season. He made sure to take advantage of the time he was given, and he turned enough heads over here in NOLA to get Tulane's attention.