Tulane QB Michael Pratt a Heisman Candidate Next Year
When Michael Pratt sent a 30-yard touchdown pass to Deuce Watts with five minutes left in Tulane’s season-finale contest against Cincinnati, it changed everything.
That drive that started from the 25 in which Pratt connected on all three of his passing attempts in just over one minute would ultimately be what secured the 27-24 victory over the Bearcats and allowed Tulane to host the AAC Championship for the first time in program history.
It marked the end of the regular season on the highest note, the beginning of the dawn of a new era for a Tulane team that looks to have continued success for years to come with strengthened recruiting power and a key piece of what’s been a rewritten narrative for Pratt.
It’s easy to think of how different things could have looked in just about every aspect for Tulane moving forward if Pratt had not connected in a short time period with his wideouts to drive down the field.
It sent Tulane to its first AAC Championship Game it hosted in program history in what seems to be only the tip of the iceberg for a program on the rise.
Pratt finished out the 2021 season in passing efficiency behind only Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Bryce Young of Alabama in passing efficiency rating at 161.79 after completing 63.6% of his passes for 3,010 yards with 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions on 338 passing attempts.
Michael Pratt has always been a talented passer, but it didn’t fully show through until he had the proper offensive line and supporting cast around him. Thus was supported by both the stat line and improved film that came through in 2022.
ECU was one of the most prevalent parts of that as the signal-caller reset his single-game career passing record yet another time.
Pratt finished that game 27-of-34 passing for 326 yards with two touchdowns on an interception-free outing. A lot of that came down to holding back with running the ball when it was reckless, and rather using mobility in a responsible manner.
“I’ve definitely had to emphasize a little more discipline of first down, get down,” Pratt said. “Not trying to do too much on the ground, but taking what was there. Not taking any unnecessary hits has been a big emphasis.”
Despite not running the ball as much, toughness has always been a part of Pratt’s game in multiple attributes. That has shown through in a number of ways, as it did in the victory over ECU and others.
“I think playing under pressure has been one of my best attributes. Personally, I think I’ve made some pretty good throws under pressure, with pressure in my face. That’s something you’ve got to do as a quarterback… That’s something that comes with confidence, knowing that you’ve got to stand in there and make a throw. You might get hit in the face, but to make the play you’ve got to stand in there and deliver a good ball.”
Pratt said in early December that he had only been to Texas a couple of times and that he was excited to come back.
And that third visit could hardly have been a better one.
Pratt became a nationally known name when he outperformed projected No. 1 overall pick Spencer Rattler as Tulane nearly defeated No. 2-ranked Oklahoma at the beginning of the 2022 season.
“I think it was a really good opportunity getting to play in Norman, especially after my first year of not having fans in the stands and getting to open up against the No. 2 team in the country and playing in front of 45,000 people and then the game kind of took care of itself. I think the whole team executed offensively and defensively and (we came) close to coming out with a win.”
In the biggest game of his career to this point, Pratt faced a similar situation – a Lincoln Riley-coached team with a projected future No. 1 overall pick in Caleb Williams at the helm with a chance to compete with a Heisman Trophy winner.
Williams had plenty of an impressive outing on the stat sheet as he completed 37-of-52 passes for 462 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.
But this time against Riley’s passer, the Boca Raton native got the outcome he was after in a game that once again came down to the final moments. He was one of the most important parts of a turnaround that marked the most incredible in the history of college sports.
“It’s awesome to be able to play against top performers like him and it definitely puts a little chip on your shoulder. Definitely gives you more motivation to go out there and do what you can. Definitely excited to get another shot at Lincoln Riley.”
It was the perfect setting to cap off what’s been nothing short of an underrated, yet meteoric rise for Pratt in 2022, as he’s been a key player to Tulane accomplishing what can only be described as one of the best stories of all time in the history of college football.
That’s something Pratt took pride in before the Cotton Bowl ever began.
“To be able to play against top performers like (Caleb Williams) and some guys that we’ve gone against this year puts a chip on your shoulder and definitely gives you a little bit of extra motivation… definitely excited to get another shot at Lincoln Riley.”
There were a lot of things that played a role into Pratt’s jump that caught national attention in 2022. One of those was the switch in offensive coordinator from Chip Long to Jim Svoboda.
It’s something he spoke to ahead of the season.
“I think the film shows for itself,” Pratt said before 2022 kicked off. “Statistics can sometimes be varied by different circumstances. But that’s something we’re definitely looking to get up. The system we’re in that Coach Svoboda brings I think it’s going to be a lot of high percentage passes. We’re going to take what’s there, we’re not going to try to do too much with the ball… being able to effectively run the ball is going to open up our passing game and vice versa.”
And it continued as the team rolled through the schedule.
“I think (Coach Svoboda) has been awesome in the way he explains things. I think one of the biggest things I can say about him as a quarterback is that he doesn’t try to overcoach things. A lot of the times you have specific reads and get a lot of different looks. Some quarterback coaches aren’t very consistent. You get a look and your read is still the same but then they say “oh, this, this, this.” But Svoboda does a really good job of not trying to overreach things and sometimes the defense just covers you up. He does a really good job and that helps a lot with confidence.”
Confidence is something that is easy to be assured Pratt has heading into 2023.
The Heisman Trophy defines its ideal award winner in its mission statement that describes the candidate it is awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the country whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance and hard work.
“The Heisman Trophy Trust's mission is to grow the legacy and preserve the integrity of the Heisman Memorial Trophy, which is annually awarded to the outstanding college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. Beyond awarding the trophy, the Trust has a charitable mission to support and fund both youth development programs in underserved communities and the Heisman high school scholarship program which recognizes community-minded scholar athletes. Additionally, the Trust annually presents the Heisman Humanitarian Award to outstanding individuals in the sports world who further the Heisman vision. Our goal is to harness the power of the Heisman Trophy's legacy of athletic excellence to positively impact our nation's youth and provide more equitable opportunities for underserved communities.”
And that is everything that is the essence of Michael Pratt.
