Green Wave players took control early as conditioning work showed up in physical camp battles.
New Orleans, La. – It’s hard to tell much without pads, and it’s hard to say that the Tulane Green Wave were the only team in the country to have an energetic first day of camp.
But the level of intensity and athleticism stood out in the Green Wave’s Day 1 of fall camp under new head coach Will Hall.
For one, he has a defensive coordinator in coach Tayler Polk who is lined up there taking hits in drills with more enthusiasm than probably any coordinator in FBS.
But as much as the coaches can bring the heat, these players have to take control of the team and be player-led.
An important part of that is taking the offseason conditioning program seriously. The August heat and humidity in New Orleans is no joke.
They still have the cooling trucks that they went to about halfway through practice to get some juice back for a two-plus hourlong session.
But from punter to linebacker to the offensive line, the noticeable growth in player muscle translated to some hard hits on the first day.
A strength and conditioning coach can make or break a program. Most who were around the Cotton Bowl team will point to the late and great Kurt Hester as the primary reason for the greatest single-season turnaround in college football history.
That’s where culture is built and sustained.
Getting that hire right may have been Hall’s most critical task this offseason in promoting Colin Kenyon to director of strength and conditioning.
It was notable that there weren’t many non-participants and those who were rehabbing back in spring were healthy and out there playing hard.
As Hall explained to media members post-practice, that comes from trust and love but knowing that he’s their coach and not their friend.
Another important thing Hall explained was his ability to connect with players in today’s age.
The term “players coach” really matters now. A connection and understanding of what makes those guys tick will go further than the most fastidious workout program.
“He’s elite, he really is,” Hall said of Kenyon. “He's a star. He's an unbelievable communicator. He's great at explaining the why of why we're doing something to the young man, which is something with this new age of player that I think is so important that gets overlooked. He has a unique way of motivating them, but yet they still love him.”
It explained why the punts by veteran William Hudlow would’ve taken off a roof if there was one over the field, or how true freshman quarterback Trace Johnson suddenly looked like less of an early enrollee and more of a competitor.
It explained why there was no slack off, no huddles or whistles blown by Hall to either corral the players or get them motivated.
That’ll all show up – or not – once the pads come on.
But in terms of first impressions, they were nailed across the board.
