Tulane Green Wave Coach Points to New Leader in Strong Receiver Group

Tulane Green Wave football team is gearing up for spring camp, and head coach Jon Sumrall sees a valuable leader emerging from last season.

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Tulane Green Wave kicks off spring practice next Tuesday as the initial phase of the team’s push for the College Football Playoff.

When looking at what’s made previous Tulane football teams great, the consensus quality is player leadership.

It'll be a key trait to watch form in the practice sessions for the Green Wave beginning on March 14.

Despite not having an answer at starting quarterback, head coach Jon Sumrall sees critical leaders who were quieter and under the radar last season.

Sumrall sat down with Rene Nadeau from Crescent City Sports to preview spring practice for the Green Wave, breaking down every position group.

A veteran stood out in his assessment of the voices guiding the wide receiver room, as Sumrall revealed Bryce Bohanon is the one who has that presence.

“Bryce Bohannon is the leader of the room,” Sumrall stated. “He wasn’t the leading receiver last year, but he was the guy who led the group. Shazz has had a good offseason. Shaun Nicholas played a lot on special teams but is growing as a player.” 

They brought in several pass catchers in the transfer portal, including Anthony Brown-Stephens, Omari Hayes and Jimmy Calloway.

The speed of Brown-Stephens and the production of Hayes has caught their new head coach’s attention.

“Anthony Brown-Stephens is really fast—he has a chance to make a big impact. Omari Hayes was Florida Atlantic’s leading receiver (39 catches, 590 yards, three touchdowns) and one of the best punt returners in the AAC. He’ll have an opportunity to do big things. Sidney Mbanasor is a big, impressive-looking guy,” Sumrall added. “We’ll see who steps up—who catches, who blocks, and who earns the right to go out first.”

It’s a room that lost a lot of production after seniors Dontae Fleming, Mario Williams and Yulkeith Brown departed.

Williams and Fleming stepped up off the field, and that loss of guidance is magnified by losing Darian Mensah at quarterback.

Sumrall spoke of the reliability of a player like Bohanon after just a short time as head coach following last year’s spring game.

"I don't ever have to show up to practice and wonder, is Bryce going to practice hard today, is Bryce going to bring it today, is Bryce going to know what to do?” Sumrall said. “He is very dependable. He's a great teammate, too.”

While the team searches for that next leader under center, having a player like Bohanon make an impact before camp begins is extremely important.

Bohanon has been on the team since 2021, the year in which Tulane went 2-10.

He is one of the few remaining players who has experienced that level of adversity, and one who saw what player leadership could do in the greatest single-season turnaround in college football history.