Tulane Seeks A/C Refuge at Saints Facility

The Green Wave football team moved its Monday practice to Metairie.

Green Wave prepare to practice at the Saints Metairie facility | On SI Tulane - Doug Joubert

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After almost a week of solid outdoor practice (except for that thunderstorm that chased the team into the Claiborne Bubble), head coach Will Hall moved today's football practice to Metairie to the indoor Saints Practice facility. This day was supposed to be held on Thursday, but Hall wanted to give his squad a respite from the 90-degree plus days they have been experiencing. The team responded in full pads with one of its more spirited practices.

Hall Likes the Progress of his Team

"A lot of juice, a lot of energy," Hall said with a smile. "Like the great Willie Fritz said, 'You never have a bad practice when you go to the Saints (facility).' It stands true. You go over there and the kids can feel the opportunity there. You've got all the players walking through there, their staff walking through. It was good to get out of the heat."

Hall continues to keep a close watch on his quarterback competition (our thoughts in a bit).

"I thought the quarterbacks eyes were really good again today," Hall said. He is referring to where his QBs focus when the ball is snapped in live play, as he talked about last Friday. "I thought our pass rush continues to show up. I thought our quarterback run game looked good. I thought they made some good cuts.

A Tulane DB tradition during stretching exercises | On SI Tulane - Doug Joubert

"(Cornerback) E'zaiah Shine continues to impress. I am most proud of his ability to move on to the next snap," Hall continued. "He's a perfectionist. When something bad happened, he would dwell on it. He's learning to live life and play football one play at a time, a testament to (defensive backs coach) JJ McCleskey and our staff. You can see his growth and development."

What We Saw Today in Metairie

Just as Hall said, there seemed to be a bit more pep in the step for the Wave holding its first full practice indoors. Besides having Saints personnel popping in and out at random times, a little air conditioning can go a long way to helping out how you feel at an intense practice.

The Tulane offensive front looked like this when we were observing.
- First team: Dominic Steward, Elijah Baker, John Bock II, Reese Baker, and Ryan Mickow
- Second team: Tristen Fortenberry, Gresham Perry, Gavin Marks, Riley Rushing, and Darion Reed.
Others would substitute at various times during offensive drills and against the Wave defense.

1-on-1 Drills

- Joshua Moore got a pick on a misread out route off the arm of Trace Johnson.
- Johnson got it back quickly, though, hitting Cash Semonza for a touchdown on a deep route.
- We noticed a bevy of comeback passes for the Tulane offense. Timing is really picking up well for the O.
- Keyshawn Coleman had an impressive in-then-out move for a catch that left the defender flat footed.
- With Ty Thompson not at practice and Gabe Lovorn in a jersey and shorts, there was more tight end action from the new guys: Old Dominion transfer Dawson Johnson, redshirt freshman Cam Roberts, true frosh Colby Simpson, and Duke transfer Vance Bolyard.

Update on TEs Thompson and Lovorn

We asked Hall how graduate student Thompson and redshirt freshman Lovorn are doing. He said he expected both to be back soon. When pushed further about Thompson, Hall grew more pensive.

"If Ty is healthy, he will be a really good football player and an integral part of our offense," Hall said. "Nobody deserves to be healthy more than him. We don't always deserve what we get in life, but he has done everything in his power to put himself in position of having a big year...I'm praying that he gets it, because he does deserve it. He's been through so much. It would be an unbelievable success story, for everything that young man has been through, to have a big year. He's got all the ability to do it, and the (offensive) system is built for him to have a big year."

Quarterback Competition Starting to Settle In

What has been a tight race through Spring practice and the first day or two of Fall has started to find a possible starter.

- Kaden Semonza has gotten better and better literally every day of Fall camp. His timing with his receivers isn't off as much as the Spring or the first day of practice. He has an incredible pocket presence, able to sense the pressure, move away from it while still looking downfield, and throw the pass on the move. His 31-yard post touchdown to Fat Hill was a thing of beauty. In the 7-on-7 drills, he looked middle, then left, then quickly to the right to find a wide open Anthony Brown-Stephens wide open in the short flat. AB turned on the jets for a 15-yard TD.
- Zeon Chriss-Gremillion seemed a little off today, overthrowing or underthrowing his receivers, not being able to find his receivers, tucking and running often. This is a story of one day Zeon's is a world beater. The next he just can't find his rhythm.
- Freshman Trace Johnson continues to impress. His pass to a well-covered Bredell Richardson over the middle was pin-point. He still makes freshman mistakes, but there is no mistaking his football acumen.
- Redshirt sophomore Dagan Bruno was the talk of Spring football. This Fall, though, the John Curtis product doesn't seem to be in the same spot as he was in April, tucking and running with the ball much more often that he would probably like. There is no doubt Bruno has the talent and intelligence. During a designed roll out run, Bruno cut it up field, only to toss a backwards pass to a trailing Jake Randle who took it 12-yards downfield. But right now, it's not clicking for Dagan the way it was in the Spring.

The more we watch practices, the more we think Semonza is setting himself up to be the starter come September at Duke.

11-on 11 Drills

Tulane defensive backs continue to shine against the Wave offense. The DBs are like an extra coat of paint on the receivers and running backs out of the backfield. They continue to impress.

- Some impressive catches, nonetheless by some of the younger receivers for Tulane: the redshirt freshman Semonza, redshirt sophomore Seth Gale, the 6' 6" R-soph Kellen Tasby, and redshirt frosh Antwaun Parham all made some impressive catches. Semonza won a tip drill over the middle with three defenders, somehow scooping the ball before it hit the turf and scooting into the end zone untouched.

Emptying Out the Notebook

- Mo Turner is back. That incredible quickness and his decisive cuts that set him apart at last season's starter are back.
- Hall promised physical practices. He has done just that. During the "Vice" drill, three players line up at the thirty yard line: one has a football, the other two are defending. A tackling dummy stands at the ten. The objective is for the ball carrier to make it to the tackling dummy. The defenders don't want him to. Sometimes it's a wide receiver and a defensive back playing defender against a DB. It's always a mix. The intensity of this drill is off the charts, as the other players cheer all of them on. The physicality is almost off the charts.

Practices continue at Yulman Tuesday through Saturday. Thursday's practice, originally scheduled for the Saints facility, is back in Uptown. Saturday's practice will be more of a "soft scrimmage" as told to us by Hall.