The Tulane Green Wave are running it back with some starters from last season.
Games in college football are won or lost in the trenches more often than not. A team can have the most talented quarterback in the nation, and it only will go as far as the protection in front of him. Same goes with a star running back that doesn’t have the gaps to run through. There will be a lot of rebuilding necessary on the Tulane Green Wave offense, as well as their defense, but that foundation will start up front on the line of scrimmage.
The Green Wave will need a new quarterback. Knowing who will be protecting him upfront certainly helps with that. Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the nation last season, which was impressive when they had to replace three starters on the o-line and the team’s o-line coach. That same thing will repeat this season to a greater degree. The Green Wave will lose graduating seniors Derrick Graham, Jack Hollifield, and Jordan Hall on the o-line. Guard Shadre Hurst is transferring. That leaves star right tackle Reese Baker, who announced on Friday that he is returning to the Green Wave for the 2026 season under new offensive line coach Cody Kennedy and new head coach Will Hall.
The 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman played in four games in 2024, preserving his redshirt. He then started all 14 games for Tulane and showed versatility while doing it. To start the year, it wasn’t clear if the better rotation was Baker at guard and Darion Reed at tackle, or Baker at tackle with Hall at guard. That latter combo was what the Green Wave eventually decided on, and it really helped the offense take off.
It's one that will need a lot of attention paid to open roles next year. But the team will return Baker as a crucial piece on offense. In addition, John Bock announced his return and will look to compete at center and guard, and Elijah Baker announced he’s coming back as well. Elijah Baker was an important depth piece for the Green Wave.
But nothing is more important than running back starters, and that is more important at the tackle roles than a lot of spots on the field. It now brings the returnees on that side of the ball to include Reese Baker, Elijah Baker, John Bock, wide receiver Oliver Mitchell, and running back Jamauri McClure. That’s an important core the team can build a foundation off of.