Tulane Football Hit by Injury Bug as Depth Gets Tested Early in Fall Camp

New Orleans, La. – Just as health and conditioning marked the tone for Day 1 of training camp, the Tulane Green Wave football team felt the other side of that coin as they got into Day 6 of training camp Uptown.

There were a notable number of bumps and bruises to be had. The team is already down Ty Thompson at tight end, though Gabe Lovorn did return to practice today.

The headliner was running back Jamauri McClure coming out on a scooter with a soft wrapping on his left foot, and head coach Will Hall noted that he would be back early but not necessarily in the season opener.

That’s a definitive blow but will be a testament to what has looked like the Green Wave’s strongest position all through camp dating back to the spring.

That room will now have to shuffle a bit and likely see returner Maurice Turner headline the group and the team will test what they have in Jaylin Lucas, Johnnie Daniels, and DJ Dugar sooner rather than later.

Left guard Elijah Baker and bandit Warren Roberts also left Tuesday’s practice with undisclosed injuries, while defensive lineman Geordan Guidry was held out.

It shows how quickly things can change in college football and most of all, the importance of real depth on a roster.

The timing of things also saw the uptick in injury after an off day and two practices indoors, at least ending that way last Saturday in the bubble and then heading to the New Orleans Saints’ indoor facility in Metairie on Monday.

It was notable hot, humid and suffocatingly so on Tuesday, and came a day after they ran really hard inside.

Injuries are also just unavoidable in the sport. It’s a physical one by nature.

So, that dwindles things down a little but also will allow the team to test out a few more contributors at each spot.

No position might illustrate the importance of depth and development better than the defensive line, which has a small number of upperclassmen returning for this season.

The majority of guys who will make up that rotation are underclassmen who haven’t had much time on task.

But Tulane could have easily re-loaded in the portal at defensive line if they were worried about their development of the guys on that line.

Saturday will be the real glimpse at the quarterback room, but it’ll also be a test for those guys especially to make them feel real discomfort and hopefully produce a diamond out of some pressure.