Tulane Offensive Line Rebuilds...or is it Reloads?
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Over the last three weeks, we have taken a look at the Tulane quarterback situation, the Green Wave running back room and Wave receivers going into 2026. This week, it's the offensive line for the Fall.
Is It Rebuild or Reload?
In the College Football Playoff game against Ole Miss the Tulane frontline looked like this: Jordan Hall, Shadre' Hurst, Jack Hollifield, Derrick Graham, and Reese Baker. Only Baker is returning for the 2026 season. Graham, Hall, and Hollifield all played their last year of college ball. Hurst joined another former Greenie, Makhi Hughes in Houston to play for their old coach Willie Fritz. So, four of the five starters in Tulane's appearance in the CFP are no longer wearing the Olive Green and Blue.
So, Will Hall and his staff dipped into the transfer portal and dug out linemen with some size, speed, and experience, even bringing in a Division II lineman to shore up the trenches.
Returning Experience: Reese Baker
As a redshirt freshman in 2025, Reese Baker played in all fourteen games for the Green Wave, most important of which was his starting role against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff game. Baker played the tackle slot and showed his speed and strength all season long. His presence is crucial to the offensive line's cohesiveness this Fall. He was a three-star prospect coming out of Madison Academy in Alabama.
Huge, Mobile: Tackle Ryan Mickow
Size matters. For Boston College transfer Ryan Mickow, he's got it aplenty. The redshirt junior stands 6' 7", 311-pounds. He played mostly special teams the last two seasons for the Eagles, but subbed in for injured tackles both in his freshman and sophomore years and played the entire Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl against Nebraska in his freshman year. Mickow was an All-State selection his senior year at St. Thomas Aquinas in Broward County, Florida.
A Year in Uptown, Ready to Contribute: Mitch Hodnett
After not playing his freshman year at TCU, Mitch Hodnett transferred to Tulane, redshirting in 2025. The Monroe, Louisiana native who prepped at Sterlington High School, primarily played left tackle for the Panthers. He also participated in track and field, finishing in the top five in the state shot put finals with a 48-2 in May 2023. Hodnett is expected to vie for playing time in Fall practices.
Coming Back Home: Robbie Pizzolato
After playing two years down the bayou, Robbie Pizzolato comes back home to play his redshirt senior year for the Green Wave. The 6' 4", 307-pound offensive lineman has played tackle and guard. In his first year of playing at Nicholls, he made the Phil Steele FCS Freshman All-American Third Team
Pizzolato prepped at John Curtis Christian School.
Stepping Up to D-1: Riley Rushing
After two years at Division II's Mars Hill University, Riley Rushing makes the move up a notch to the Green Wave when he committed to Tulane in January after entering the portal in November, 2025. The 6' 3", 326-pound guard/tackle played in ten games for Mars Hill last season as a sophomore. He prepped at Milton High School in Georgia. Rushing has added some bulk since first entering college, putting another 30-pounds on his muscular frame in two years.
Getting a Lot of Action as a Frosh: Gavin Marks
As a true freshman last season, Gavin Marks participated in all eleven games for Mercer last year, starting in ten of them, not allowing a sack. The 6' 3", 297-pounder played across the front line but anchored the center spot. He has shown good speed and agility for a big man. He was named to the FCS All-Freshman Team after his one year at Mercer. Marks prepped at Rolesville High School in North Carolina.
Building the Foundation
The offensive line is one that is built over time, even with transfers.
In addition to last year's returnee Baker,
R-Soph, Elijah Baker, 6' 3", 289-lbs
R-Fr, Juelz Baptiste, 6' 5", 339-lbs
R-Soph, Tristen Fortenberry, 6' 6", 307-lbs
R-Soph, Colin O'Carroll, 6' 2", 291-lbs
R-Fr, Gresham Perry, 6' 4", 321-lbs
R-Jr, Darion Reed, 6' 7", 331-lbs
R-So, Dominic Steward, 6' 5", 280-lbs
R-So, Leo Wulffraat, 6' 2" 235-lbs
R-Sr, John Bock II, 6' 3", 306-lbs
R-So, Jaxon Ducre, 6' 3", 248-lbs
and the Wave has a number of freshmen coming to Uptown:
Andre Amos Jr, 6' 5", 338-lbs
Tylan George, 6' 3", 339-lbs
Aiden Martin, 6' 5", 295-lbs
Brady Wyatt, 6' 6", 330-lbs
Tulane Stadium: A Century-Old Look Back
In celebration of this year being the 100th anniversary of the opening of old Tulane Stadium on the Uptown campus, we are looking back at the greatest athletes to grace the old field and beyond. Click on the links to see the On SI Tulane choices for the greatest quarterback, top running back, and top of the mountain wide receiver in the 100-plus years of Green Wave football.
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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.