The Tulane Green Wave found their replacement for their defensive line coach.
The Tulane Green Wave football unexpectedly lost an important position coach ahead of spring practice beginning on March 9 when former defensive line coach Landius Wilkerson left to take the same role with the Arkansas Razorbacks. It left new Green Wave head coach Will Hall in a bit of a bind ahead of the first session of practices at an incredibly important defensive position, one that had a considerable amount of turnover for the Wave in the transfer portal. Hall didn’t waste much time before finding Wilkerson’s replacement, and it looks like he worked with his predecessor to get it done, former coach Jon Sumrall. Football Scoop reported that Hall is hiring Florida Gators assistant defensive line coach Eric McDaniel to coach the defensive line at Tulane.
It’s someone who was important to Sumrall’s staff, as he reunited with McDaniel from their time together on the Troy Trojans. McDaniel was on Sumrall’s staff that helped them win back-to-back Sun Belt championships in 2022 and 2023. McDaniel came to the Gators from App State, where he was the d-line coach. But at Troy, the defensive line under McDaniel set a conference record with 47 sacks in the 2023 season, which was good for No. 2 in the nation. The unit was headlined by defensive end Javon Solomon, who led all FBS college football players with 16 sacks, earning All-American honors. The unit was part of a defense that ranked top 10 in the nation in points allowed, sacks, and tackles for loss per game. They went on to finish with an 11-3 record and an eventual Sun Belt championship win over his future team, App State.
Prior to that, McDaniel was at Louisville and Army where he worked his way up. While at Army, the team set a school record with 30 sacks, and were No. 17 in the nation in holding opponents to 328.4 yards per game and in rush yards allowed (117.2).The defense was one of the best in the country in getting off the field, limiting opposing offenses to an average 24:28 time of possession each game, which tied for lowest in the country. He joined the Black Knights after spending time as a quality control coach at Louisville for two seasons under Scott Satterfield.
It seems like a great hire considering the timing and lack of options for Hall, and shows a strong relationship that continues with Sumrall and serves to help his former program.