Back from Break: Tulane resumes spring practice
The Green Wave held their 6th, 7th and 8th practices, last week, and FTW is here to break them down.
After a 12 day hiatus over spring break, the Green Wave returned to the field on April 2 and 4, ahead of a scrimmage day on Saturday April 6. John Burrows attended every session, and provides his Burrows Report, below, followed by some notes of my own, from Saturday’s session.
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The Burrows Report: Scrimmage Week
Welcome back to week three of the Burrows Report! This was by far the most exciting week of practices as the team prepared for their Saturday scrimmage. I learned a lot about the quarterback competition and even had the opportunity to catch up with star running back Makhi Hughes after the scrimmage. As always, here is everything you need to know:
Quarterback Competition
Now that Ty Thompson is fully healthy again, the battle between him and Kai Horton for the starting quarterback position is starting to heat up. So far, Horton looks to be the more accurate of the two while Thompson has the stronger arm.
Horton’s first drive of the day was capped off with a 25-yard rushing touchdown by Arnold Barnes, who broke multiple tackles on the play. However, what stood out most on this play was the crucial downfield block by Horton, who always seems to be going the extra mile on the field. The fact that Horton was even downfield in position to throw the block is impressive, but his willingness to put his body on the line, even in a scrimmage, is just another example of the kind of competitor he is.
While Horton’s block may have been my favorite play of the day from him, he also made plays through the air. I loved the offense’s tempo under Horton, as both of his touchdown drives lasted no longer than two minutes. This came from how quickly the offense got lined up again after each play as well as Horton’s ability to create chunk plays pretty consistently. He finished the day with one touchdown pass as well as one interception on a pass that got jumped.
While it’s clear that Ty Thompson has elite arm strength, it’s different when you see it in person. It looks effortless, like an NFL quarterback. My only concern throughout the week was his accuracy, which he cleaned up during the scrimmage. My guess is that Thompson was still knocking off some natural rust from his injury, but I was impressed by his scrimmage performance. Like Horton, Thompson’s first drive of the day ended in a touchdown, this time through the air. You would have no idea that this is Thompson’s first semester on campus based on his play and command of the offense. The offense’s tempo was exactly what you would want and Thompson was surgical with his reads. His day ended on an interception that was batted up in the air, but the pass was a little behind the target.
If anything, this scrimmage showed that the quarterback competition is far from over. Neither quarterback was perfect, but each showed reasons for fans to be optimistic. If I had to guess, I would say that Tulane will have the right guy leading the offense by the start of the season.
Catching Up with Makhi Hughes
After this weekend’s scrimmage, I caught up with Makhi Hughes, the reigning AAC rookie of the year and Tulane’s leading rusher from last season. Hughes burst onto the scene last year, having the most productive rushing season by a freshman in program history, quickly becoming a fan favorite. I asked Hughes what he was doing to improve before next season, and he highlighted two traits: First, he mentioned working to become a better pass blocker. While this ability is one of a running back’s most important qualities, you rarely see younger running backs emphasizing that kind of growth. As we all saw last season, however, Hughes is far from your average freshman running back. Hughes also mentioned that he thinks he’s gotten a lot faster since last season, something opposing AAC linebackers can only pray is untrue.
Jake’s notes from Saturday’s scrimmage:
For my money, Ty Thompson was electric on Saturday. He was the first quarterback to take reps with the first-team. He didn’t go coast-to-coast with his reads, and instead was decisive, accurate, and played with good rhythm and timing. He delivered a number of accurate first-and-second reads with such pace that the receivers were in a position to gain yards after the catch most every time. Thompson’s footwork is textbook, and he did a good job of keeping his eyes down field on the occasions when the pocket collapsed.
Dominic Steward and Trey Tuggle took the first-team reps at right and left tackle, Saturday. The former has continued to add pounds, muscle and confidence as he tries to earn playing time as a true freshman, this fall.
This could be the deepest safety room that the Wave have had in recent memory. Veterans Jalen Geiger and Bailey Despanie took the first batch of reps, but Jack Tchienchou and Kevin Adams III have both impressed and are going to be very, very difficult to keep off the field.
Caleb Ransaw continues to look every bit of the elite slot corner that the Wave are hoping he will be, as he was at Troy.
Shaun Nicholas and Dontae Fleming continue to have strong springs, along with Shazz Preston, Mario Williams, and Yulkeith Brown, of course.
After outside corners Jarius Monroe, Lance Robinson, and AJ Hampton all used the last of their eligibility in 2023, the door remains open for others to step up. Jai Eugene and Lu Tillery handled the first team reps, on Saturday, as Micah Robinson, the commit from Furman, waits to join the squad.
Vincent Murphy continues to look like a fine reinforcement at center, in the wake of Sincere Haynesworth’s departure. He was flanked by returning starters Shadre Hurst and Josh Remetich, of course.
Coach Sumrall invited Tulane alum and former Green Wave game-wrecker Tanzel Smart (2013-2016) to address the team. Smart was one of Sumrall’s first commits at Tulane, having come to New Orleans for his first stint uptown a year earlier.
After practice, a huge number of the players attended Hogs for the Cause, in support of their mission and their work, raising money to combat pediatric brain cancer.