The Tulane Green Wave retained a considerable number their football coaching staff, and that was an asset as the team worked to complete their offseason conditioning program.
Observing the Tulane Green Wave football team on Friday morning offered a lot of insight into the state of the team under new head coach Will Hall, and how the players are all coming together as they attempted to beat their offseason conditioning program, the Gauntlet. It also offered an important glimpse into Hall’s coaching staff as they handled each drill station during the hour-long exercise. It also included the recruiting staff, operations, equipment, and medical, all of which saw little turnover despite entering a new era with the Green Wave’s next head coach.
What stuck out more than anything was the sense of normalcy and yes, the buzzword of continuity. It’s a word that can cover up things, and it’s almost a laughable phrase to use in today’s age of college football. However, there was a credible number of recognizable faces in both the competitors and the staff conducting the Gauntlet, starting with the new director of strength and conditioning, Colin Kenyon, who had a different level of authority and command to him in the elevated role.
Defensive coordinator Tayler Polk showed up with his same endless energy, alongside safeties coach Bryan Berezowitz and spears coach Brayden Berezowitz. Defensive line coach Landius Wilkerson and cornerbacks coach J.J. McCleskey filled out the returning defensive staff. Running backs coach Brock Hays, quarterbacks coach Collin D’Angelo, wide receivers coach Carter Sheridan, tight ends coach Tyler Spotts-Orgeron, assistant offensive line coach Kanan Ray, and tight ends graduate assistant Justin Ibieta rounded out the returning offensive staff. They were also joined by assistant general manager Kyle Schexnayder, director of player acquisition and retention Keith Domino, and director of scouting Colton Leggett.
While vision was limited by being out of the way on the sidelines from the start and end points of each drill, there may have been other new coaches out there, but co-defensive coordinator and bandits Nate Fuqua and offensive coordinator Russ Callway were spotted, with Callaway having a booming command to him as he conducted the three-cone drill station with D’Angelo. A new but familiar face was wide receivers graduate assistant Bryce Bohanon, who was in charge of calling out the winner of the drill being led by Hays.
It, for lack of a better description, felt like just another day at Yulman Stadium. And that speaks to the continuation of the culture that has been built over the last four seasons of success. When the staff is able to have that level of retention, it truly does offer a continuity opportunity if able to capitalize on it. The first impression of the new age of Tulane football felt like it was seizing it.