No one ever said it would be easy to replace a four-year starter well on his way to carving out an NFL career. Since the day Michael Pratt declared for the NFL Draft, opting to forego a fifth and final season of eligibility in 2024, Tulane has had an open quarterback competition. Jon Sumrall's arrival was followed swiftly by that of Oregon transfer Ty Thompson, who spent the last two years as the primary backup to Bo Nix (who was selected 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and former Saints head coach Sean Payton). Thompson joined a quarterback room that was occupied by returners Kai Horton and Darian Mensah.
It seemed like a rather straightforward proposition: Thompson would compete with Horton, who had served as the primary backup to Pratt ever since Justin Ibieta's season-ending injury in week five of the 2022 season. What followed, however was a rather interesting series of events that has now spanned almost eight months. When spring practice began and ended, Head Coach Jon Sumrall was adamant that this was three-horse race at the quarterback position, not two, with Mensah being in the mix. The consensus from outside of the building was that in truth, this was a competition of two, not three, between Thompson and Horton. No one denied Mensah's talent, ability and athleticism, but it stood to reason that as he was only a second year player who has never taken a collegiate snap, that (1) he would need more time to grow and develop and (2) he would stand little-to-no chance of unseating either Horton, who has started four games for the Green Wave going back to 2021, or Thompson, a 4th-year college player who was one of the highest ranked quarterbacks nationwide, in the class of 2021. Indications from camp, however, are that Mensah is on track to earn the first snaps next Thursday night against Southeastern, when the Green Wave open their 2024 campaign at Yulman Stadium. Let's dive into all three, as at least three quarterbacks have seen action for Tulane in each of the last three seasons.
Darian Mensah:
Mensah checks in at 6'3", 200 pounds, but looks physically mature on the field. While he is only a redshirt freshman and as noted above, didn't take any snaps last season, he is in his fourth semester with the program, having enrolled in June of 2023 and participated in summer workouts for two years in a row, now. He hails from Saint Joseph High School in San Luis Obispo, California. Amazingly, according to 247, he maintained just two offers out of high school; (1) Tulane and (2) Idaho State. 247 seemed to show him little respect out of high school, ranking 111 quarterbacks ahead of him in the class of 2023, alone. And yet, here he is. While he continues to improve his footwork, accuracy, timing and rhythm, it's obvious why teammates are drawn to his energy, enthusiasm, work-ethic and leadership. He is clearly a P2 athlete and has the ability to make plays on the move and with his legs that even Michael Pratt would be envious of.
Ty Thompson:
Thompson was a four-star recruit in the class of 2021, joining the Oregon Ducks program out of high school. He was ranked by 247 as the 9th best quarterback and 81st best player in that class of 2021, nationwide. After redshirting in 2021 he spent each of 2022 and 2023 as the backup to future-first round draft pick Bo Nix. When it was clear that Oregon would pursue (and eventually commit) Oklahoma starter Dillion Gabriel (who was once the starter at UCF), Thompson decided a change was needed. Out of high school, he selected Oregon over LSU, Washington, NC State, Utah, Iowa, Michigan State, Miami, Wisconsin and others. As a transfer, in December of 2023, Thompson selected Tulane over Kansas State and TCU. In limited action, his numbers were impressive with the Ducks. For example, on throws traveling 10-19 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, his adjusted completion percentage was 77.8% and he maintained a 12.6 yards per attempt average. Thompson was and still is the highest ranked quarterback commit in Tulane's history. Don't be surprised if he is called on at some point(s) this season, even if Mensah draws the start next week.
Kai Horton:
Horton, a redshirt-junior, has made four starts in his career, and played the entirety of the 2022 road win at Houston after Ibieta was injured on the game's opening possession. After making one start in 2021 (in a home loss to CFP-bound Cincinnati), he also made three starts in 2023; Ole Miss, Southern Miss, and the Military Bowl against Virginia Tech. Horton made notable strides in 2023, especially off of play action. He was 11 of 13 off of play action for 197 yards, for an average 15.2 of yards per attempt. The locker room has always seemed to respond to Horton's infectious energy and enthusiasm, and there's no reason to believe that would change if called upon in 2024.
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