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Tulane Football December Transfer Portal Roundup: Running Backs



BY JAKE WEINSTOCK


Welcome to Part 2 of our 10-part series recapping the additions and subtractions to Tulane football's roster, now that the December transfer portal has closed and the spring semester uptown has begun. If you missed our articles breaking down the December signees from the high school class of 2025, or Part 1 of our series, scroll back through our Blog section and check that out. Be on the lookout for the forthcoming installments to this series, as detailed, below:


Part 1: Quarterbacks (released on January 16, 2025)


Part 3: Wide Receivers

Part 4: Tight Ends

Part 5: Offensive Line

Part 6: Defensive Line

Part 7: Linebackers

Part 8: Cornerbacks

Part 9: Safeties

Part 10: Specialists


WHO'S OUT?


Three (3): Makhi Hughes, Trey Cornist, Shaadie Clayton-Johnson


The headline here is that Makhi Hughes, an All-AAC First-Team selection in both 2023 and 2024, has departed for Oregon. Hughes has somewhat perfect for the 2023-2024 Tulane teams inside of league play, in that he is so consistent, he so rarely gets taken down for a loss, he so frequently churns out positive yards, and he never fumbles (literally 0 fumbles on 263 carries in 2024). Against certain opponents, he provided such high-floor level of play that Tulane was almost always able to win the turnover margin, and thus, not be susceptible to upsets by inferior opponents. Have the past 2 seasons been perfect? No, but you can't say that any of Tulane's 8 losses against 20 wins came at the hands of an objectively weaker opponent.


While no one that is associated with or supports the Tulane program can reasonably or honestly celebrate Hughes' departure, perhaps there is an opportunity in the vacancy he created to generate a ground game that is (A) more explosive and/or (B) more formidable against the stronger teams on the schedule. From our December 27, 2024 piece, in reaction to Hughes entering the portal, we noted the following:

In 2024, he again averaged 5.3 yards per carry, but in Norman, against the Sooners, he ran for 71 yards on 19 attempts (3.7 yards per). Against Memphis, he mustered 15 yards on 9 attempts (1.7 yards per) and against Florida he ran for 29 yards on 8 attempts (3.6 yards per). Even against Navy and USF, games in which he scored two touchdowns in, each, he did not exceed 3.7 yards per carry. He did not top 65 yards in either the 2023 Conference Championship Game or the 2024 Conference Championship Game.


Now, getting more explosive and improving upon the play of a departing back-to-back First-Team all-conference player is easier said than done, but Tulane will certainly seek to do just that, if not with one individual, with a committee, to either replace him or improve upon him "in the aggregate," to steal a line from Brad Pitt's Billy Beane in the 2011 adaptation of Moneyball.


Along with Arnold Barnes, Trey Cornist was a member of the class of 2023, and entered as 247's 22nd highest ranked player in the state of Ohio, within that class. He chose Tulane over Georgia Tech and Kentucky, among others. In two seasons uptown, he did not truly crack the rotation. He didn't play a snap in 2023, but did see more time in 2024. He was given 22 carries across appearances in 6 games, and turned those opportunities in 147 yards (6.7 yards per attempt), 1 touchdown and 1 fumble. Seeking a greater opportunity, in 2025 Trey entered the portal and has enrolled at Central Michigan.


Another veteran departure from the running back room was Shaadie Clayton-Johnson, who walked with the seniors, prior to the home-finale against Memphis. Clayton-Johnson spent three seasons at Tulane (2022-2024) after spending two at Colorado (2020-2021), and will now spend his sixth and final year of eligibility at North Texas. During Shaadie's three seasons with the Wave, he toted the ball 55, 40 and 34 times, respectively. Always an effective receiver, Clayton-Johnson was effective when healthy, but often struggled to stay on the field, dealing with some injuries over the years.


As a note, returners Arnold Barnes and Jamari McClure remain, and as our readers of our early signing day recap know, Tulane flipped running back Javin Gordon from Duke, who has already enrolled and will participate in spring practices.


WHO'S IN?


Two: Zuberi Mobley, Maurice Turner


Very early on in the December portal cycle, Tulane received a commitment from Zuberi Mobley, a transfer from Florida Atlantic. Mobley turned 92 carries in 2024 into 490 yards (an impressive 5.3 yards per attempt) and 4 touchdowns. Perhaps most notably, 10 of those 92 carries went for 10 yards or more, and despite being 5'10", 196 pounds, he posted a season-long average of 2.96 yards gained after first contact. He has caught 21 of 24 career targets, turning those into 86 yards (7.8 yards per reception). Mobley targeted Tulane very early on, as the next place he wanted to be, even before Hughes' departure.



An underrated part of his game is that he has shown the ability to make plays when used as a matchup problem in the slot or out wide -- he spent 16.5% of his snaps in 2024 lined up as a receiver. In the Memphis game, we all saw how impactful certain running backs can be, when isolated on linebackers or safeties in man coverage in space. Look to see more of that from Tulane's offense in 2025.


Later in the cycle, on January 4, 2025, Louisville running back Maurice Turner also announced that he would be transferring to Tulane. In 152 career carries at Louisville, Turner has amassed 730 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 3.08 yards per carry after initial contact. Furthermore, Turner has corralled 24 of his 30 career targets, for a total of 167 yards (7.0 yards per reception). Fascinatingly, Turner was recruited out of high school (class of 2022) as a receiver, and yet has only lined up as a receiver on 5.6% of his career snaps. Turner has two years of eligibility remaining, entering this 2025 season. In the end, Turner chose Tulane over fellow G5 power Liberty.


I would not be surprised, despite by obvious excitement over these additions, if Tulane adds another back in the spring (late April) portal, pending the results of the spring game.


Be on the lookout later this week for Part 3 in our series, the Wide Receivers.


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21 ene
Obtuvo 5 de 5 estrellas.

Good.

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21 ene
Obtuvo 5 de 5 estrellas.

McClure will be the one to watch imo. The read I get is every position has comp and Hughes knew he would have to step up to keep getting the reps he was accustomed to..

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20 ene
Obtuvo 5 de 5 estrellas.

Well done, thank you.

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