Projecting the Offense's Two-Deep Depth Chart, Before Training Camp Opens

BY JAKE WEINSTOCK

It's pretty difficult to talk strictly about football, or sports at all, today, given the unspeakably tragic news that we learned yesterday, regarding Gregg Glenn III. The thoughts and prayers of everyone who volunteers with Fear The Wave are with Gregg's friends and family, and he will be greatly missed. The forthcoming basketball season will be a difficult and constant reminder of what we've lost. I have debated whether to post some of this pre-written and pre-recorded content, and have come to the conclusion that as we grieve, we could all use the occasional 10-20 minute distraction. We have promised you, our subscribers, more content now that fall camp is set to get underway tomorrow, and we intend to deliver on that. And so, I continue below, with a piece I wrote this past weekend. I hope you enjoy.

As a fan of the NFL, and of one team in particular, I enjoy reading the 53-man roster predictions of some of my favorite beat writers, each July. At the NFL level, each team opens training camp with 90 players and must, regretfully, by Labor Day, cut it down to just 53. It's always fun to look back and see who was right, who was wrong, where the surprises came from, and where the massive disappointments were. At the risk of winding up on Old Takes Exposed, I will do my best to predict how Tulane's Two-Deep Depth Chart will look heading into the season opener against Northwestern on August 30. Here is Part 1 of the Two-Part Series, where I take a stab at the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback: Jake Retzlaff, followed by Kadin Semonza

I toyed with flipping this one for quite a while, given that Retzlaff has quite the wordy and complicated playbook to learn on a very compressed timeline, while simultaneously having to compete with three talented veterans (Kadin Semonza, Brandon Sullivan, and Donovan Leary) for the job. Jimmy Ordeneaux predicted on our subscriber-only FTW Cast that it would be Semonza taking the first snaps against Northwestern, but Retzlaff would wind up in the lineup as the season progresses, and he gets more comfortable in the offense. As a small caveat, here, I do fully expect that Joe Craddock will create and use packages for Brandon Sullivan, given his tremendous speed and running ability (at the P4 level, even).

Running Back: Maurice Turner, followed by Arnold Barnes

I am more confident in my first pick, here, than the second. While I fully expect to see much more of a true rotation and timeshare at running back than anything fans have seen since 2021, when Tyjae Spears had 129 carries and Cam Carroll had 112, I do feel good about projecting Turner to lead this backfield in snaps, attempts, and yards. He was one of the more impressive performers in the spring practices that I was able to observe. And that, of course, leads me to Barnes. I am sure Zuberi Mobley will play, I would be shocked if Jamari McClure and Javin Gordon don't get their chances in camp, but Barnes just seems impossible to keep off his feet, at times. It's easy to forget that across 112 career carries (2023-2024) he has averaged 4.9 yards per carry and 2.6 yards per carry after contact.

Wide Receiver: Shazz Preston, Omari Hayes, and Jimmy Calloway, followed by Zycarl Lewis, Jr., Bryce Bohanon and Anthony Brown-Stephens

Kelly Comarda said it best on our special edition of the FTW Cast -- this position is going to be littered with competition for every spot, for every rep, and no one has the benefit of being a returner that has played a large number of snaps, here at Tulane. I have high expectations for Preston, whose 2024 season was derailed by that hamstring injury, and Omari Hayes has already shown he can be a weapon in the slot, in this very league. Calloway and Brown-Stephens have clear tools, clear ability, and will need to show they can put it all together and stay healthy (as will Preston, for that matter). Bohanon is "Mr. Reliable." Always where he's supposed to be, when he's supposed to be there. He may not be capable of slipping 4 tackles en route to a 70 yard touchdown with 63 of those coming after the catch, but he sure won't make a mistake on an option route that leads to a back-breaking pick six, either. Lewis, a redshirt-freshman, has had a really nice offseason, and while he only saw 53 snaps on offense, last season, traveled with the team and has started to demonstrate that he's ready for a real role.

Tight End: Johnny Pascuzzi, followed by Justyn Reid

Honestly you could throw two darts at about six names here and end up being more accurate than I may be, but I'm betting on experience, years in college weight rooms, and players who have the ability to bring multiple different things to the table. Pascuzzi joins the Green Wave from Iowa, while Reid has transferred in from Southern Miss. I was tempted to include LeRon Husbands, a transfer from Maryland, but opted with Reid who is a bit more experienced at the FBS level. While they may not see much time, the staff is clearly excited about true freshmen Cameron Roberts and Gabe Lorvon.

Offensive Line: Derrick Graham (LT), Shadre Hurst (LG), Jack Hollifield (C), Reese Baker (RG), Elijah Baker (RT), followed by Jordan Hall (LT), Mitch Hodnett (LG), John Bock (C), Landry Cannon (RG), Dominic Steward (RT)

Tulane is expected to have potentially the best left tackle-guard duo in the conference, at least by me, with the returning combination of Derrick Graham and Shadre Hurst. But after establishing that, the conversation gets interesting, as the remaining three 2024 starters (Murphy, Remetich and Green) have all graduated, as has super-swing man Caleb Thomas. Jack Hollified was brought in from App State, and feels like a lock to start at center. He was graded very favorably by ProFootballFocus as a pass-blocker and run-blocker across his 814 snaps and 11 starts for the Mountaineers in 2024. John Bock on the other hand should be involved in the competition at right guard, and of course has plenty of experience playing center at the FBS level, too, having played a total of over 1,500 snaps at FIU. Reese Baker, Elijah Baker, and Dominic Steward, three second-year players, all have a chance to earn significant playing time. Of the three, Reese Baker seems the likeliest to earn a starting position, either at right guard or right tackle, depending on how things shake out elsewhere. It would not be hard to envision any one of these three being the day one starter at right tackle, come August 30. Jordan Hall, a transfer from Liberty, brings some experience and figures to be a swing tackle. Watching how the right side of this offensive line takes shape throughout August will be almost as interesting as the quarterback battle. Almost.