Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"
November 13, 2019
The Roll Wave Report
Pleasantville, New Jersey's own Rob Jennings was the first player to commit to the Tulane Recruiting Class of 2019 six weeks ago. Since then Coach Willingham has received commitments from 6 other players, including a few guys The Roll Wave Report previously mentioned.
Local talent reigns supreme
A few guys from the immediate vicinity are OLB Lance Avery, WR Anthony Thomas, FS Tim Dean. Avery originates from right here in Louisiana, and is a player Willingham feels will add depth to his linebacking rotation in the coming years.
The other player Coach mentioned in that quote was fellow OLB Billy Brittain, from Olympia Heights, FL. Brittain is a 3-star recruit not heavily recruited by other schools. Only Tulane & Alabama pursued him much. He chose New Orleans over Tuscaloosa due to nightlife, academics & Tulane's move the ACC for next season. He'd have to fight for playing time his freshman year, but Willingham loves his raw athleticism & punishing hit power. He could be a great blitzing linebacker down the road.
Anthony Thomas will have the chance to play right away as a true freshman, as both Chris Gandy & Jason Eaton graduate this spring. He doesn't have the greatest hands, but he's exactly what Coach covets in a slot receiver: speed, athleticism & running ability. Look for his opportunities to come in the form of jet sweeps, the Option game & some bubble screens. Tim Dean is a project player who needs development, but has great potential. He's a box safety at best right now, better at stopping the run than defending the pass. But with good coaching, he has the skills to anchor the secondary.
Recruiting the East Coast
Being a member of the American Athletic Conference since 2014 has allowed Tulane to recruit decently along the East Coast. It worked as long as Coach Willingham promised road trip games @ Temple, UConn & Cincinnati. Now with Tulane heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year, they'll be able to recruit the East Coast even better. What better a recruiting pitch than to promise games @ Boston College, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame & Florida State? Tulane's recruiting will likely change big-time with the ACC move, but expect Coach to stick to his principles.
Despite the roaring success Tulane has achieved over the past few years, Willingham has stuck to his guns on academics & no tolerance for mischief. He kicked four players off the team before this season due to violations of the team's Conduct Policy, following a brawl at a house party. He also removed two other players in 2016 due to the academic cheating scandal involving the men's basketball team. Willingham says he may even strenghten his rules with the ACC move, as that conference has stricter recruiting policies than most.
The new East Coast recruiting territories have helped Coach gain hard commitments from T Patrick Hines (Forestville, MD) and K Tyrone McFarland (Fairfax, VA), in addition to Rob Jennings.
Recruiting Insider
November 13, 2019
The Roll Wave Report
Pleasantville, New Jersey's own Rob Jennings was the first player to commit to the Tulane Recruiting Class of 2019 six weeks ago. Since then Coach Willingham has received commitments from 6 other players, including a few guys The Roll Wave Report previously mentioned.
| Tulane Green Wave Recruiting - 2019 | ||||||
| NAME | POS | CLASS | HOMETOWN | HT | WT | CALIBER |
| Rob Jennings | CB | HS | Pleasantville, NJ | 5'11" | 197 |  |
| Lance Avery | OLB | HS | Westwego, LA | 6'1" | 228 | |
| Patrick Hines | T | HS | Forestville, MD | 6'7" | 325 | |
| Anthony Thomas | WR | HS | Humble, TX | 5'11" | 200 | |
| Tyrone McFarland | K | HS | Fairfax, VA | 6'3" | 197 | |
| Tim Dean | FS | HS | Magnolia, AR | 6'0" | 204 | |
| Billy Brittain | OLB | HS | Olympis Heights, FL | 6'4" | 226 | |
Local talent reigns supreme
A few guys from the immediate vicinity are OLB Lance Avery, WR Anthony Thomas, FS Tim Dean. Avery originates from right here in Louisiana, and is a player Willingham feels will add depth to his linebacking rotation in the coming years.
Coach Willingham: "Lance is a guy we're really excited to add to our ranks. He's an instinctual linebacker who has a great eye for the field. We're glad to pair him with [Billy Brittain]."
The other player Coach mentioned in that quote was fellow OLB Billy Brittain, from Olympia Heights, FL. Brittain is a 3-star recruit not heavily recruited by other schools. Only Tulane & Alabama pursued him much. He chose New Orleans over Tuscaloosa due to nightlife, academics & Tulane's move the ACC for next season. He'd have to fight for playing time his freshman year, but Willingham loves his raw athleticism & punishing hit power. He could be a great blitzing linebacker down the road.
Anthony Thomas will have the chance to play right away as a true freshman, as both Chris Gandy & Jason Eaton graduate this spring. He doesn't have the greatest hands, but he's exactly what Coach covets in a slot receiver: speed, athleticism & running ability. Look for his opportunities to come in the form of jet sweeps, the Option game & some bubble screens. Tim Dean is a project player who needs development, but has great potential. He's a box safety at best right now, better at stopping the run than defending the pass. But with good coaching, he has the skills to anchor the secondary.
Recruiting the East Coast
Being a member of the American Athletic Conference since 2014 has allowed Tulane to recruit decently along the East Coast. It worked as long as Coach Willingham promised road trip games @ Temple, UConn & Cincinnati. Now with Tulane heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year, they'll be able to recruit the East Coast even better. What better a recruiting pitch than to promise games @ Boston College, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame & Florida State? Tulane's recruiting will likely change big-time with the ACC move, but expect Coach to stick to his principles.
Willingham: "I love the new recruiting territories the ACC move will afford us. We can now recruit Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. States we didn't have access to in the past, but now we will with the ACC move. Not many players will turn down a road trip to Notre Dame."
Despite the roaring success Tulane has achieved over the past few years, Willingham has stuck to his guns on academics & no tolerance for mischief. He kicked four players off the team before this season due to violations of the team's Conduct Policy, following a brawl at a house party. He also removed two other players in 2016 due to the academic cheating scandal involving the men's basketball team. Willingham says he may even strenghten his rules with the ACC move, as that conference has stricter recruiting policies than most.
Willingham: "It's got to be about academics, it's got to be about good behavior. These kids come to school for an education, and we want to give them that. But they've got to earn it. That includes playing football. You don't pass, you don't play. You don't follow the rules, you don't play."
The new East Coast recruiting territories have helped Coach gain hard commitments from T Patrick Hines (Forestville, MD) and K Tyrone McFarland (Fairfax, VA), in addition to Rob Jennings.
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