Tulane Kicking Game Loses Two, Gains More
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Over the last month and a half, On SI Tulane has taken a look at the Tulane quarterbacking situation, the Green Wave running back room, Wave receivers, the offensive front, the defensive line, the linebacking corps and the defensive backfield going into 2026. This week, a preview of the first edition of Hall Ball is checking out the kicking game.
You Lose 'Em...So What...
You go to the playoffs. Your coach leaves. Your all-league kicker and your reliable Aussie punter follow said coach to Gainesville. If you're Tulane, you're doomed.
Nope.
Though place kicker Patrick Durkin and punter Alec Clark left for Gatorland, the Green Wave cupboard was not left bare.
Long Snapper: Jason Arredondo
Some may think that starting with the deep snapper is lame. If that includes you, then you really don't know how good Tulane's long snapper is.
Considered one of the top long snappers coming out of high school Jason Arredondo did not disappoint in his true freshman season. His quick snaps and tight spirals helped him gain attention across the college football world, enough to secure NIL monies at Tulane. You can count on exactly zero fingers how many times Arredondo misfired on a deep snap as a true frosh.
He has earned preseason All-Conference honors from major publications across the nation. Yeah, he's that good.
Not Just One Punter...
The Green Wave went out and found a pair of high school punters who can make a difference on special teams.
One of the Top Coming Out of High School: Brooks Moore
You're going to like Brooks Moore for something besides his strong leg. Besides booming punts and kicks, the Adel, Georgia native graduated with a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.
And yeah, he can absolutely obliterate the ball.
Southpaw Punter & Kicker: John Allen
Long and lanky, freshman punter John Allen hails from Columbus High School in Miami. This kid can absolutely hammer a football, punting AND kicking in the prep ranks. The 6' 4", 180 pounder has shown he can flip a field with just a flick of his left leg. Check out these highlights from Allen's reels.
The Method and "The Leg"
Getting a reliable kicker these days at any level of football seems almost impossible. Tulane grabbed one out of the portal to strengthen its already deep kicking game.
Step-by-Step Solid: Jackson Courville
Right footed Jackson Courville spent two years at Ball State improving his accuracy, going from 71% on field goals as a freshman to almost 85% as a sophomore. In 2025, the Ohio native came back home, hoping to make a splash at Ohio State. Instead, he was used in a pair of games for extra points.
Transferring to Tulane this season, the redshirt junior showed off his prowess in Spring training. Though we didn't see every kick Courville put up, we saw almost all of them, and the ones we did see were absolutely machine-like. From our vantage point, Courville did not miss a field goal from 45-yards in. He was like clockwork.
B-O-O-M: Cooper Helmke
His nickname is The Leg, and for good reason. St. Martin's and Christian Brothers School product Cooper Helmke can absolutely scorch a football. The above video from the leading kicking camp in America, Kohl's, shows him during challenges at the camp.
After sitting out almost all of the 2025 Tulane season due to some injuries, including one to his back, the New Orleans native came back with a vengeance in the Spring. Though still working through some discomfort, Helmke was hitting field goals in practice from 70-yards out regularly. During live practice, one of his 45-yarders didn't just split the uprights, it cleared the top of them right down the middle, drawing "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd of recruits and parents who were in attendance that day.
The redshirt freshman admits he's got to work on his consistency to improve, something the above-mentioned Courville will be able to help with. Let's hope Helmke can stay healthy.
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Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.