The Tulane Green Wave hired their new chief of staff with 25 years of valuable head coaching experience.
A head coach is the most important hire for a college football program, but the ones hired in close positions around him are arguably as important to that person’s success. As new Tulane Green Wave head coach Will Hall takes over the continually rising team from former coach Jon Sumrall, he had to put those people in place. According to Football Scoop, Hall has hired his new chief of staff – aka his right-hand man. The chief of staff is often an "air traffic controller" for the program between departments, and the one who handles all the non-football related things so the coach can focus on developing players, recruiting, and winning games. That hire is reportedly former Samford head coach Chris Hatcher, who has 25 years of head coaching experience himself.
Per Football Scoop, Hatcher has been on the ground on campus working for the Green Wave as they wrap up their portal season during their coaching transition. While Hall and Hatcher haven’t worked together, they reportedly run in the same circles. Additionally, while Tulane hasn’t officially announced the hire, it has been reported that Russ Callaway will be Hall’s offensive coordinator, and he's quite familiar with Hatcher.
Hatcher and Callaway worked together when Callaway coached under Hatcher at Murray State and Samford from 2013-19. Hatcher was the head coach of Valdosta State from 2000 to 2006, Georgia Southern from 2007 to 2009, Murray State from 2010 to 2014, and Samford from 2015 to 2025. That’s a lot of head coaching experience. In the role of chief of staff, knowing what the head coach truly needs to operate a football program is an invaluable asset.
Hatcher, like Hall, was also the Harlon Hill award winner, considered the Division II equivalent of the Heisman. Hatcher quarterbacked at Valdosta State, eventually coaching his alma mater, while Hall played at North Alabama. That should all certainly help with Tulane's quarterback competition. Hatcher’s last coaching stint was at Samford, where he led the Bulldogs to the FCS quarterfinals in 2022, and became the winningest coach in Samford history over his eleven seasons with the program.
In addition, Samford knows how to develop talent, as he produced three players selected in the NFL draft while at Samford: Pro Bowler cornerback James Bradberry, wide receiver Montrell Washington, and defensive back Christian Matthew. He also produced nose tackle Michael Pierce, who became the Ravens’ starting nose tackle in 2023 after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
It’s a critical hire for Hall to make, and it’s one who brings an impressive coaching pedigree to the chief of staff role for Tulane.