A college football fairytale story in 2022, Willie Fritz returns as head coach of the Tulane Green Wave as they look to build on that success. Who makes up the rest of the Tulane coaching staff?
Tulane Green Wave Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Willie Fritz
The man with the Midas touch. Whichever program Fritz lays his hands on, will eventually turn to gold. Such was the case with Tulane in 2022, where after seven seasons in charge, Fritz led the Green Wave to a 12-win season, an AAC Championship, and a famous Cotton Bowl victory over the USC Trojans.
As a result of Tulane’s success in 2022, Fritz was named the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, the AAC Coach of the Year, and took home the George Munger Award as the college coach of the year. That was just the latest silverware in Fritz’s cabinet, having earned multiple honors while coaching at Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern.
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Prior to arriving in Tulane in 2016, Fritz led the Bearkats to consecutive national title games in 2011 and 2012. In his first season at Georgia Southern, he engineered an 8-0 Sun Belt record, entering the record books as the first team to go undefeated in conference play during their inaugural season at the FBS level.
In addition to his FCS and FBS success, Fritz is the winningest coach in Central Missouri history, a DII program that he guided to the 2003 MIAA title. Meanwhile, the head of the Tulane coaching staff was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame after leasing Blinn to consecutive NJCAA national titles in 1995-1996.
Offensive Coordinator, Slade Nagle
After serving as the tight ends coach for seven seasons since his arrival at Tulane in 2016, Slade Nagle was promoted to offensive coordinator for the Green Wave ahead of the 2023 college football season. The former Clemson and McNeese State QB will also act as the quarterbacks coach this year.
“Slade did a fabulous job last season, and I’m happy that he will lead our offense,” Fritz said of Nagle’s promotion. “He was extremely instrumental in our historic success last season, and our offensive production was a big part of that.”
Coaching since 2002, whose full résumé you can find below, Nagle has been instrumental to a number of high-powered offenses and standout special-teams units at programs ranging from the SEC level, through the FCS, to junior college.
- Northwestern State (graduate assistant, 2002-2003)
- Dodge City CC, Kansas (QBs coach, 2004-2005)
- Northwestern State (QBs/WRs coach, 2006-2009)
- LSU (special teams coach, 2009)
- Texas State (OC/QBs coach, 2010)
- Central Arkansas (RBs coach/assistant HC, 2011)
- McNeese State (RBs/ST coach, 2012-2015)
- Tulane (TEs, 2016-2022; OC/QBs coach, 2023)
Defensive Coordinator, Shiel Wood
Shiel Wood joined Tulane’s coaching staff in early 2023, replacing the outgoing Chris Hampton as the Green Wave’s defensive coordinator. Wood arrives from Troy after engineering one of the most dominant defenses in the nation during a 2022 campaign that resulted in a Sun Belt title.
Under Wood — a former wide receiver at Wofford, who led the team in yards during the 2003 season — the Trojans ranked 20th nationally for total defense and eighth in scoring defense. Troy held opposing offenses to just 17.1 points per game.
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While Wood served as defensive coordinator for the Trojans in 2022 and Wofford in 2017, he has extensive experience coaching safeties and special teams. Meanwhile, he worked with the inside linebackers during spells at Army and Georgia State. Woods’ full college football coaching résumé is as follows.
- Wofford (WRs coach, 2007-2010; safeties coach, 2011-2012, 2016-2017; recruiting coordinator, 2016-2017; DC, 2017)
- Georgia Tech (safeties coach, 2018)
- Georgia State (ILBs coach, special teams coordinator, 2019)
- Army (co-DC, 2020-2021; ILBs coach 2020; safeties coach, 2021)
- Troy (DC, 2022)
- Tulane (DC, 2023)
Outside Linebackers Coach, Joshua Christian-Young
A strong safety who played under Fritz at Central Missouri, Joshua Christian-Young joined the Tulane coaching staff in 2020 when he was named as defensive backs coach. Christian-Young also served under Fritz at Georgia Southern and as an assistant at his alma mater. He also spent time at Army in various roles, including cornerbacks coach (2017-2018).
Wide Receivers Coach, John McMenamin
Another coach with ties to Central Missouri on Tulane’s coaching staff, John McMenamin, was hired as the Green Wave WRs coach in 2022. The program had three 500-plus-yard wide receivers in his first season. Previously, McMenamin led high-powered offenses as offensive coordinator at Central Missouri for five seasons before becoming Wayne State College head coach in 2019.
Running Backs Coach, Derrick Sherman
A former offensive analyst with the Green Wave, Derrick Sherman returned to Tulane in 2022 as the running backs coach. Sherman’s also had two stints at Georgia Southern, held various roles at Samford (WR/RB/OC), and spent a season at both Southwest Baptist and West Virginia State.
Defensive Line Coach, Travian Robertson
A four-year NFL player across the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Commanders, Travian Robertson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia State. He returned to the Panthers after a year with Albany State, coaching their defensive line before being hired to the Tulane coaching stand as defensive line coach in 2022.
Offensive Line Coach, Dan Roushar
While he began his coaching career at Northern Illinois in 1984 — and has an extensive college résumé — Dan Roushar joins the Tulane coaching staff for the 2023 season after a successful stint in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. While he’s coached the Saints’ TE and RB groups at different points, Roushar led the team’s offensive line between 2016 and 2020.
