Tulane Green Wave Offensive Line Could Be Best Program Has Had, With One Caveat
The Tulane Green Wave has a lot of new faces on the offensive side of the ball. 2023 AAC Player of the Year, quarterback Michael Pratt, is now with the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. The skill position group is vastly changed as well.
At wide receiver, a ton of production walked out the door with Lawrence Keys and Jha’Quan Jackson graduating and Chris Brazzell transferring to Tennessee. Tulane did a good job of replacing that talent in the transfer portal, but questions remain about how the passing game will look.
For starters, no one knows who will be the starting quarterback in the season opener on Thursday against Southeastern Louisiana. But, there is one thing for certain about this offense; they are talented in the trenches.
Regardless of who is under center, they will be playing behind a very experienced offensive line. The Green Wave hit home runs in the transfer portal, landing left tackle Derrick Graham and center Vincent Murphy.
Graham played for new head coach Jon Sumrall at Troy. Their reunion was unlikely, but both are thrilled to continue their partnership on the field. Vincent saw what Sumrall built at Troy first-hand, playing against the Trojans as a member of Western Kentucky.
Rounding out the starting group is Shadre Hurst at left guard, Josh Remetich at right guard and Rashad Green at right tackle. The top interior backup is Caleb Thomas. It is a group that Sumrall is very confident in.
“I like our O-line. Somebody showed me a stat where the O-line is top 10 in the country in starts for a college career," Sumrall said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com.
Experience will be one of their biggest advantages. Smith com shared, the top six offensive linemen on the depth chart have 132 combined starts in college and five of them are in at least their fifth season as a collegiate athlete.
The Green Wave has grown men taking the field in the trenches, potentially matching up with players five or six years younger. Guerry believes that this could be the best offensive line group in a long time, but there is one caveat to that. Things will be perilous is an injury or two occur, as their experience edge goes right out the window.
“If the group remains healthy, this should be Tulane’s best blocking unit in a long time…The picture will change quickly if either starting tackle gets hurt or there are multiple injuries. Other than Thomas, all eight scholarship backups are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. The coaches love their potential, but they need time to mature,” Smith wrote.
If an injury occurs along the offensive line, and it isn’t to a player on the interior, Sumrall’s offensive game plan could have to be adjusted. Throwing a freshman or redshirt freshman into the mix who isn’t ready would be a disastrous turn of events.
For now, expect them to lean on their strength in the trenches and star running back Makhi Hughes, until the quarterback situation shakes itself out and the passing game gets going.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.