NEW ERA: 2016 Tulane Football Preview and Prediction
New Tulane head coach Willie Fritz (photo courtesy of sportsnola.com)
The Tulane Green Wave football program’s Fall Camp is underway, with 1st year head coach Willie Fritz leading the way into a new era starting with the upcoming 2016 season.
Tulane Athletic Director Troy Dannen had this to say about why the hiring of Fritz was vital:
“Given our moment in time, this is not a ‘learn how to be a head coach on the job’ position. I wanted somebody who’s been there, who knows it.
“To me, the important part of the search wasn’t to find somebody who ran a particular style. Styles come, styles go. Winning never changes.”
“The other coaches I talked to (during the coaching search) told me two things about Willie: They love him as a person. And they did not want to play him”.
Coach Fritz , who turned 56 in April has 33 years of coaching experience but has never coached at the major college level.
His coaching stops include Blinn Community College, Central Missouri, SamHouston State, and Georgia Southern. Coach Fritz led those teams to 193-74-1, six conference titles, and 1 Bowl win.
Coach Fritz is the Green Wave’s 39th Head Coach and 4th in the past 6 seasons. Tulane has gone 17-45 under the previous 3 Head Coaches. Fritz has led his teams to 16 winning seasons out of the past 17.
Fritz’s pistol offense is an adaptable scheme that fits his team strengths. Fritz’s offense is also one that is multi-faceted and keeps defenses off-balance and difficult to prepare for. Fritz was hired to bring confidence, continuity, and wins to Tulane.
Tulane has 11 returning starters this year, with 4 on offense, and 7 on defense. The lack of depth was so prominent for Tulane this spring that Fritz opted to end some practices early.
The Green Wave have been practicing hard at Yulman Stadium, in preparation for the 2016 campaign. The Green Wave will either be led by a redshirt sophomore (Glen Cuiellette) or a true freshman (Darius Bradwell), with the next few weeks of practice ultimately determining who will be the new starter after the departure of former QB Tanner Lee. That likely means that the running game will figure prominently in Tulane’s offense.
With the lack of depth and experience at key positions in the competitive American Athletic Conference, can the Wave still manage to become bowl eligible?
One thing to their advantage: the Green Wave starts the year with 3 out of their first 4 games at home in Yulman Stadium.
With that, let’s take a look into the crystal ball here at Big Easy Believer; and take a game-by-game look at how we think the Wave will perform in the win-loss column in 2016.
Starting with Week #1………..
Next: Demonic Debut