Tulane Green Wave Coach Sees Value of Spring Game Despite Tampering Concerns

Tulane Green Wave coach shows support for spring game as college football programs cancel it to prevent tampering in the transfer portal.

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

As many Power Four programs throughout college football look to eliminate their spring game due to tampering causing an exodus in the transfer portal, the Tulane Green Wave is in favor of the valuable scrimmage.

Tulane football head coach Jon Sumrall is not one of the head coaches planning to cancel the program’s game scheduled for April 19.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule gave comments to CBS Sports about the rampant tampering that is all but accepted in college football, but one with a spotlight on the film from the spring game.

"The word 'tampering' no longer exists," Rhule said. "It's just absolute free, open, common market. So, I don't necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don't want these guys all being able to watch our guys and say 'Wow, he looks like a pretty good player. Let's go get him.'"

Sumrall showed his support on X as a stark contrast to the perspectives of coaches who see too much risk in showing off their squad.

As a matter of fact I do! @colecubelic https://t.co/5gBb8al8J6 pic.twitter.com/C89P1DMIAj

— Jon Sumrall (@CoachJonSumrall) February 26, 2025

In an interview earlier in Feb. on Josh Pate’s College Football Show, Sumrall shared how he embraces the need to adapt in today’s landscape and how his focus is on evaluating his roster.

“I’ve tweeted out a couple of times the Moneyball ‘Adapt or die’ GIF with Billy Bean, or Brad Pitt as the character, or whatever it’s called, because I could sit here and whine and complain about it all day,” Sumrall said. “It doesn’t help me. It doesn't help Tulane; it doesn't help our staff. It doesn't help our players. What I really try to spend most of my time on is focusing on how I continue to build the best roster I can. Then, how do we develop the guys that are here to be the best they can be? We create value for people in a lot of different ways.”

It's challenging to make predictions without a spring scrimmage, especially when a consecutive quarterback competition is imminent for the Green Wave.

While last year’s contest didn’t illuminate eventual starter Darian Mensah, it was still worthwhile. A lack of answers is often all one needs.

For Sumrall last season, that was a continuation of the quarterback competition in the fall, where Mensah emerged.

That would’ve been a critical lack of information for Sumrall as he pondered the race over the summer workout period.

While he initially hesitated to open it up to a three-man race, the spring game likely played a significant role in his focus shifting to Mensah, where he began to show a poise not displayed in that April's scrimmage.

Tampering and transfer portal movement are going to happen regardless of a two-hour scrimmage that only has one starting center to snap the ball and one that illuminates little outside of skill players.

Some players who shine in the spring game never flash again. But the head coach of that team knows the potential better than any outside party, and Sumrall is looking forward to the ability to assess the competitiveness of his team before the second portal window.