Tulane Green Wave Lands Official Visit With Coveted Lineman as Top Contender
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The Tulane Green Wave is looking beyond the 2025 college football season with a strong focus on developing and strengthening their recruiting class.
Tulane football head coach Jon Sumrall is competing with multiple Power 4 programs to land a strong offensive lineman from the 2026 class.
Local Baton Rouge, La., native Blaise Thomassie has lined up visits with seven programs per Sam Spiegelman of Rivals, and the Green Wave were the sole Group of Five team to make the list.
Tulane is considered one of the top contenders to land the prospect with an official visit scheduled for March 29.
Thomassie's first visit is to the school the Green Wave lost to in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl, the Florida Gators, followed by the Houston Cougars led by former head coach Willie Fritz.
Those precede his official visit to Tulane and ones with the Ole Miss Rebels, Kansas State Wildcats, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and TCU Horned Frogs.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound prospect is No. 16 in the state of Louisiana and No. 30 across the nation at his position, per Rivals.
As an anchor on the line at Catholic High and with the versatility to play offensive tackle or center, Thomassie's stock has increased, bolstering his coveted services and traits.
The Green Wave football team faces numerous unanswered questions in the immediate future. However, the long-term vision for the program is equally critical to their culture and success.
Moreover, the trenches are arguably the most crucial component to a team's ability to prosper. It simply doesn't matter who the starting quarterback is if the protection doesn't hold up for them to have a remote chance in the role.
If injuries take down starters, teams need to have depth pieces that are ready to play and, in an optimal world, can adapt across the offensive line.
Tulane had health issues on the line in the 2023 season, and current starting left guard Shadre Hurst was invaluable in his ability to play left and right guard as well as right tackle, all of which he slotted in at throughout the year.
Sumrall made a point of highlighting lineman Caleb Thomas, who had the ability to play tight end if necessary last season.
Offensive linemen are essential to his goal of a blue-collar mentality for his team and are the stability of a football program.
Many Group of Five teams wouldn't bother wasting time or resources for prospects who have the attention and desire of multiple Power Four programs, but Sumrall's aggressive philosophy is a competitive edge that will be a difference-maker.
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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