Photo Credit: Parker Waters
After Corey Platt, Jr. suffered a season-ending injury in the 2023 season opener against South Alabama, this position group was immediately on its heels and under the microscope. Mind you, both Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson, two of the best defenders in Tulane football's history, had left for professional football after the 2022 season. The Green Wave of last season relied primarily on Jesus Machado, newcomer Tyler Grubbs, and graduate transfer Jared Smalls, from some SEC school up the river. The three performed mightily admirably, and the now (mostly) departed defensive staff did a nice job of highlighting the respective strengths of each player and hiding the weaknesses, wherever possible.
Tyler Grubbs, #13
Grubbs was one of the first players to come out publicly and announce his intention to remain at Tulane, during the incredibly stressful and uncertain transition period from the departing staff to Jon Sumrall's hire. It may have only been 5 days between the prior coach resigning and Sumrall being hired, but it certainly felt like an eternity. Grubbs came a long way as a leader, last season, joining a mostly established locker room, that had just won the Cotton Bowl. Now a senior, the Holy Cross alum will look to build of his strong 2023 season, wherein he racked up 64 tackles and 17 pressures in 13 starts (every single game after the opener against South Alabama).
Sam Howard, #15
Howard, a junior from Birmingham, Alabama, comes to Tulane after spending three seasons playing for FCS Austin Peay. He cracked the starting lineup in 2023 and did not disappoint in his 12 starts at off-ball linebacker. He proved to be an elite run defender, but still has some room for growth in coverage. On the whole, he generated 71 tackles and 18 pressures. My expectation is that he will open the season as a starter in Tulane's 4-2-5 defense, next to Tyler Grubbs. Notably, Howard made the move uptown during the spring portal, making it even more impressive that he has quickly gotten up-to-speed in the Green Wave defense, this month.
Chris Rodgers, #4
Rodgers was one of the handful of players who enjoyed playing for Sumrall and Gasparato enough in 2023 that he jumped at the opportunity to follow them to New Orleans, after their bowl game, of course. Rodgers is a sophomore from Corinth, Mississippi, and chose Troy in 2023 over Southern Miss. Rodgers is quite obviously athletically gifted, and could be utilized in some sub-packages, this fall, as he continues to refine his strength and footwork. Originally, he was recruited as a safety, before making the transition to off-ball linebacker. Rodgers only saw 181 snaps for Troy, as a true freshman, but his snap counts steadily ticked upwards as the season wore on -- hopefully a sign of his growth that continues, this fall.
Dickson Agu, #28
Agu, a second-year player from Dutchtown High School, is trying to find a steady role in 2024. A member of the class of 2023, Agu chose Tulane over offers from Purdue, Air Force, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, and Southern Miss, among others. He saw the field on 3 occasions in 2023, most significantly in the Military Bowl against Virginia Tech, wherein he earned a season-high 14 snaps. He did noticeably get a few reps with the second-team defense, this camp.
Makai Williams, #41
Williams is in his second year uptown, as well, having signed with Tulane in February of 2023 and enrolling later that summer. He spent almost all of 2023 in a reserve role, but like Agu, saw his reps increase with units not the scout team or third team, in spring practices. Williams ultimately selected the Wave over Navy and Sam Houston State.
Jesus Machado, #99
After the departures of Anderson and Williams, following 2022, Machado was ready for a larger role in 2023 and seized on the opportunity. He was the only Tulane linebacker to start all 14 games, last season, and showed continued progress through the season. PFF charted the UTSA and SMU games, at the end of the season, as two of his very best. His 685 snaps heading into the bowl game was one of the highest counts on the roster. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury early in the Virginia Tech game that has kept him out of full-team reps, to date. Hopefully he can return during conference play.
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