Jon Sumrall takes the head coaching baton from Willie Fritz, who molded a Tulane football program that produced one winning campaign from 2003-17 into a program that won 23 games combined the past two seasons. That is the same number of wins Troy produced under Sumrall over the same time frame.
While Sumrall had his own roster construction to complete in his first offseason as Tulane head coach, he inherited a number of existing pieces that should keep the Green Wave a contender in the AAC.
Who are the Tulane Green Wave’s top returning players?
Tulane Green Wave Top 10 Returning Players In 2024
10) Shazz Preston, WR
A former five-star recruit who spent two seasons at Alabama, Shazz Preston has the talent to make an immediate impact at Tulane. He is 6’0″ and 206 pounds and has a strong build.
Preston flashed good instincts as a high school prospect and is likely hungry to prove he can contribute at the collegiate level.
9) Alex Bauman, TE
Alex Bauman was named to the 2024 John Mackey Award Watch List, one of three tight ends from the AAC to earn that honor. He played in all 14 games with 10 starts as he ranked second on the squad with 35 catches and five receiving touchdowns.
Bauman totaled 286 receiving yards and had a long of 39 yards.
8) Mario Williams, WR
Similar to Preston, Mario Williams makes his way to New Orleans as a former top high school recruit at wide receiver. Tulane is actually his third college stop after starting his career at Oklahoma before spending the last two seasons at USC.
The 5’9″, 186-pound receiver has 104 career catches for 1,316 yards and 11 touchdowns. While he does not have the build to be physically imposing, Williams does have the speed to create separation before or after the catch.
7) Bailey Despanie, S
After recording 12 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2022, Bailey Despanie ranked third on the team with 67 tackles last season and even added 5.5 tackles for loss, two passes defensed, and a fumble recovery.
Nicknamed “Slim” when he first arrived on campus because he weighed 160 pounds, Despanie might ask his teammates to finally reconsider after he now tips the scales at over 200 pounds.
6) Caleb Ransaw, CB
A natural flex defender capable of playing corner or safety, Caleb Ransaw is a transfer who arrives in New Orleans on the same path his head coach paved from Troy. In his three seasons with the Trojans, Ransaw posted 81 total tackles and one interception.
5) Rashad Green, OT
Green has re-made himself from a seldom-used guard into a more-than-capable tackle on the Tulane offensive line, having appeared in 36 games over the past three seasons. At 6’4″ and 300 pounds, Green has the requisite size to go along with excellent footwork to eventually play at the next level.
4) Tyler Grubbs, LB
Tyler Grubbs ranked second on the team with 85 total tackles while adding 7.5 tackles for loss as well.
While it came in a loss against Virginia Tech in last season’s Military Bowl, Grubbs’ 21-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown on the opening possession of the game certainly turned some heads.
3) Jesus Machado, LB
Another tackling machine at the linebacker spot like Grubbs, Jesus Machado led the Green Wave with 98 total tackles last season. He played and started all 14 games for Tulane in 2023 while totaling three tackles for loss, an interception, and a pass defense.
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Machado was named a second-team All-AAC selection by the conference.
2) Makhi Hughes, RB
Makhi Hughes led the team and conference in rushing with 1,378 yards in 2023 on his way to earning first-team All-AAC and being named the AAC’s Rookie of the Year. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and totaled seven rushing scores.
For whatever it is worth, Tulane was 7-0 when Hughes ran for over 100 yards and was limited to 15 or fewer rushing attempts in two of their three losses last season. He was a central figure when Tulane needed him the most, all as a redshirt freshman, no less.
1) Patrick Jenkins, DT
Jenkins was named a CFN Preseason first-team All-American and the AAC Player of the Year.
Jenkins played and started all 14 games on the defensive line for Tulane last season, totaling 35 tackles, a team-leading 11.5 stops for loss, and 5.5 sacks as he was named to the first-team All-AAC by the conference.
Impossible not to notice at 6’2″ and 293 pounds while wearing No. 0 for the Green Wave, Jenkins will always be remembered for the game-altering safety he made that led to Tulane’s Cotton Bowl victory over USC to end the 2022 season.
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