According to Pete Thamel, the Green Wave will promote assistant QBs coach Collin D'Angelo to the lead role.
The Tulane Green Wave's coaching staff heading into the 2026 season is beginning to take shape.
According to insider Pete Thamel, the Green Wave is promoting Collin D'Angelo to quarterbacks coach. D'Angelo has spent the past three seasons as the assistant quarterbacks coach, and has seen plenty of players thrive under his leadership.
Prior to his time at Tulane, D'Angelo held a pair of Power Four jobs. He was a quality control staffer with the Baylor Bears, and was on the staff for the LSU Tigers for a period of time -- including with the 2019 team that ultimately won the national title with Joe Burrow behind center.
D'Angelo played a key role in leading veteran quarterback Jake Retzlaff in the 2025 season. Despite joining the program a bit later than most, the BYU transfer earned the starting spot and made his mark as a dual-threat signal-caller. Retzlaff finished in the top 25 of all QBs with 3,168 total passing yards to go along with 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 61.9-percent completion percentage. Additionally, he led the team on the ground with 129 carries for 634 yards and 16 touchdowns. With Retzlaff leading the charge, the team notched a victory over the North Texas Mean Green in the American Conference Championship Game and made history with its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
However, D'Angelo's success goes much further back than Retzlaff. He played a key role in the development and success of both Michael Pratt and Darian Mensah.
Mensah spent the 2024 season in Uptown before choosing to join the Duke Blue Devils in the offseason. In his lone season with the Green Wave, the then-freshman went 189-for-287 passing for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Mensah helped lead the team to an appearance in the conference's championship game.
Pratt is largely regarded as one of the program's most successful quarterbacks. Through his four seasons with the program, he threw for a grand total of 9,603 yards and 90 touchdowns to 26 interceptions. Pratt's college career was highlighted by a stellar 2022 campaign in which he finished with 3,010 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Tulane took down the USC Trojans in a shocking Cotton Bowl upset to cap off the historic season.
Those are just a few of the top quarterbacks that D'Angelo has had a hand in coaching during his time with the Green Wave, and all found immense success during their times with the program. The quarterbacks coach can be expected to continue to recruit and train impressive talent as he steps into his new role.