The Tulane Green Wave football team kicked off the Will Hall era in a spirited, competitive first day of spring practice.
New Orleans, La. -- Day 1 of spring practice in college football is always a jolt of energy and effort, and new Tulane Green Wave head coach Will Hall acknowledged that after their first practice session on Monday, March 9 to kick off the 15 practices over the next two months. For reporters, especially in today’s age, it’s as much about finding out who is who between an onslaught of newcomers and several returnees who made a number change over the offseason.
And with no pads, it’s easy to look explosive and shifty. But the offense was one of the more exciting ones to watch in the last several seasons from a practice perspective, and looked like it could be quite electric under Hall and new offensive coordinator Russ Callaway.
This quarterback competition felt a bit more like a well-oiled machine, which makes sense with actual returnees playing a role in the competition this time. It was clear that the competitors in last spring’s battle, at minimum, needed more time to acclimate in the system, current competitor Kadin Semonza included in that. The other returnees were Cade Scott, Jay Beamon, and Dagan Bruno. Rounding out the competitors are incoming transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion and early enrollee Trace Johnson.
The wide receiver group, quite honestly, looked surprisingly better than expected – a lot of that had to do with LSU Tigers transfer Destyn Hill, who was a focal point of the two-and-a-half-hour practice. His playmaking demanded attention and immediately seemed to fill that star player void left by Shazz Preston. It was also clear how much players from last season had developed since December. Sophomore Oliver Mitchell Jr. put on considerable muscle and looked like he could take a jump this year. Returning pass catchers Anthony Brown-Stephens and Zycarl Lewis Jr. both round out the strong group of returnees that form a solid core there.
Intriguingly, what stood out was the running back group, one that suddenly seems to have grown in size and evolved in scheme. It’s without superstar Jamauri McClure for now, who is healing from some offseason procedures, as is safety Jack Tchienchou. Now is the time to get those fixes done. But that allowed the running back group to shine a bit. Several of the plays run were with two backs in the backfield, with a lot of shifty motion. Others saw two backs on the field, but one lined up as a pass catcher – notably, the smaller Jaylin Lucas who was twitchy and showed good burst. DJ Dugar, Johnnie Daniels, and returnee Maurice Turner all showed some solid pass catching abilities. Turner looks a lot healthier and quicker than he did last season.
There weren’t any shocking revelations or massive performances to report out of the first day of spring. But it felt like things were running like a well-oiled machine in the first day – publicly speaking – of the Will Hall era. And it was an offense that commanded attention and intrigued for the majority of the opening practice.