College Football Playoff team losing all-conference player to transfer portal

Tulane is coming off one of the best seasons in program history, capturing the American Athletic Conference championship and securing the program’s first College Football Playoff berth with an 11–2 overall record (7–1 AAC).

The Green Wave averaged 29.1 points per game on offense, while the defense allowed 22.6 points per contest, posting signature wins over Duke, Memphis, and North Texas.

The AAC title victory over North Texas and Tulane’s CFP qualification underscore the program’s rapid ascent under second-year head coach Jon Sumrall.

Sumrall has since accepted the Florida job and is expected to remain with Tulane through the postseason.

However, the program is also facing potential roster turnover, as first-team all-conference defensive lineman Santana Hopper was reported Tuesday to be planning to test the transfer portal.

Tulane first-team all-conference d-lineman Santana Hopper plans to enter the portal, sources tell @mzenitz and me for @CBSSports.

He's posted 100 tackles, 25.5 TFLs and 13 sacks over the last three seasons. https://t.co/nqiywWsps9 pic.twitter.com/FQ7mlLbX08
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) December 16, 2025

Hopper, a former three-star recruit and No. 73 DT in the 2022 cycle per 247Sports, signed and played at Appalachian State from 2022 to 2024, recording 71 combined tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles across 26 games.

Hopper then transferred to Tulane in spring 2025 and posted one of his more productive seasons to date.

In 2025, with the Green Wave, he compiled 30 tackles, 9.5 TFLs (career-high) and 4.5 sacks, earned All-AAC first-team honors, and was named a PFSN Third Team All-American.

Those numbers and achievements immediately make Hopper one of the more intriguing interior pass-rush options available in this cycle.

Tulane Green Wave defensive lineman Santana Hopper. — New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Preston Stone (8) has to scramble out the pocket but is sacked by Tulane Green Wave defensive lineman Santana Hopper (29) during the second half at Yulman Stadium. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

This marks Tulane’s first outgoing transfer of the 2026 roster cycle.

During the 2025 cycle, the program experienced significant turnover, with 27 departures, including quarterbacks Darian Mensah (Duke) and TJ Finley (Georgia State).

However, the loss of a first-team all-conference interior rusher strains depth and continuity along the defensive front, particularly with a head coaching transition also underway, increasing the program’s reliance on the transfer portal and the high school ranks to replace both veteran production and institutional continuity.

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