Spring Practice: In the Books
Tulane has concluded its spring session; turns attention to summer workouts, 2024 season
Good morning, Tulane fans,
For those who missed it, Jimmy Ordeneaux and I broke down Tulane’s spring game over the weekend:
Our ace John Burrows attended every single practice this spring, and we’re proud to provide you with the final spring 2024 installment of the Burrows Report. John and I will get together for a conversation this weekend, which will hit Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts on Sunday. Please be sure to be on the lookout, for that.
As always, Roll Wave, and thank you for your support of FTW!
-Jake
The Burrows Report: Spring Game and Portal Season
Welcome to a special edition of the Burrows Report! There's a lot to talk about this week, including the conclusion of spring practices, the spring game results, and the transfer portal opening! While I could write essays about everything that has happened in the last week, this is my best effort to condense the information and present it in a more digestible manner. For those who crave more Tulane football as I do, I encourage you to follow the collective on Instagram (@ftwcollectivegroup) and Twitter/X (@FTWCollective) for breaking news throughout the week as the transfer portal fireworks begin. As always, here's everything you need to know:
Spring Game
I love a good spring game. It's the first time of the year that fans see the new portal acquisitions and an excellent opportunity for the players to show coaches and fans how they've improved throughout camp. Given that Crawfest, a celebration popular amongst Tulane students, was happening on the same day as the spring game, I was not expecting much attendance. I was incorrect.
Tulane students, fans, and families are just as excited about the program's direction under new head coach Jon Sumrall as I am. The energy at the event was electric, and I was impressed by the product on the field. Most of all, I am impressed with how the team has come together. In this new era of NIL and transferring, it's easy for players to focus on their individual success. If anything, I would even expect it. That is not the case with this group. They've bought into the staff and genuinely fight for the men next to them. You can't help but smile when you see the entire team celebrating when one guy makes a play.
The defense dominated the first half of the day, which is something you would expect in a spring game when the offense is running its most basic plays. That is a good thing. You don't want to put anything fancy on tape for rival programs to study.
Coach Sumrall mentioned that the battle between Ty Thompson and Kai Horton is still neck and neck and that he does not plan on naming a starter this spring. Thompson's arm is likely the strongest in the conference, but for him to win the job, he needs to become more vocal. While Kai may be unable to match Thompson's arm strength, he's a natural leader and still has a very good arm. Of course, I will keep our Fear the Wave readers updated as the battle for the starting spot continues.
Spring Portal Update
Pretty quickly after the spring game, a handful of guys announced their plans to enter the portal, most of which were expected. It's easy for fans to freak out when they see a large number of players enter the portal at once, but this is normal. Spring practices and the spring game give most guys an idea of where they may fall on the depth chart, so it's natural that some players will leave in search of more playing time. Transfer-outs are also important because coaches need the open roster spots to add new players from the transfer portal.
Additionally, some players enter the portal because they aren't great culture fits. It's important to recognize that the players are much more than just athletes but also human beings. I never want to talk about character concerns that I have with certain players because, at the end of the day, they're just young men trying to find their way like the rest of us. On the opposite side, I want to shout Jaylon Griffin. Jaylon transferred to Tulane after spending the last few seasons with UCF but entered his name into the transfer portal after the conclusion of spring practices. Jaylon is one of the nicest, hardest working, genuine people I have met at Tulane, and while I am sad to see him leave Tulane, I am excited to see what the future has in store for him.
I say all of this to remind fans that the portal can be exciting, and I can't wait to welcome a new wave of athletes to the Green Wave family. I expect some fireworks in the near future and for the team to improve significantly at positions of need. But whenever Tulane loses a player to the portal, please remember that they put everything they had into our team and that the program is better off because of them, even if it's disappointing to see them leave. I encourage you to express your gratitude and well wishes exclusively to anybody leaving the program, as I know you will. That said, now would be a great time to start getting excited. Let the portal madness begin.