Tulane Green Wave College Football Media Day Quote, 08/04/2021

.On adding new coordinators on both sides of the ball:

Having two new coordinators, luckily we have some familiarity with both of them with our program. Chip Long, our new offensive coordinator, has a wealth of experience and was the offensive coordinator for three years at Notre Dame. He also called the offense when he was at Memphis and is best friends with Will Hall, who was our offensive coordinator the last two years. So, there are some similarities between what Chip runs and what Coach Hall did. Coach Chris Hampton left us for a year after four seasons at Tulane, went a year to Duke and is now back. He’s very familiar with the players and the structure of how I like to do things. It is new but it is a lot of experience that the two have had within the program and how we like to do things.

On his perspective on realignment as a head coach:

I am not really looking into that too much. Our athletic director Troy Dannen understands exactly what’s going on and is going to put Tulane in the best position possible. We also embrace the schedule that we have. One of the things our conference commissioner, when I first came into the league going on six years now, asked was for us to play a much more difficult schedule. Our guys are excited and pumped up to play a team that is one of the best teams in the country in preseason rankings in Oklahoma. And we get to do it at home, which doesn’t always occur, so we’re very excited about the schedule we have in front of us this season.

On Michael Pratt’s growth as the team’s starting quarterback:

Michael is a fantastic leader on and off the field and is very involved with everyone in our program, not just the offensive side of the ball. Last year he did get thrown in there week three and from that point forward he didn’t look back. There are so many things he does for us on the field but he is even more effective off the field helping the coaching staff build a team atmosphere and camaraderie that is so important.

QB Michael Pratt

On what the team needs to do to contend in The American:

We just have to finish when it comes down to the big-time games. We were in three of them last year with Navy, SMU and Tulsa, when we get to the fourth quarter we need to finish and execute.

On the competitiveness of The American:

The level of competition in this league, I feel any team in this league is capable of playing an SEC, an ACC school and having a good chance to come out with wins in those games. That competitive spirit going on each week and getting to play top teams is really exciting.

LB Nick Anderson

On the competitiveness of The American: The competitive spirit of this conference. I feel the teams in this conference can go in and compete against any team in the nation. To be able to play that level of talent week in and week out makes you a better football player. It is something that you strive to see, playing against players that are just as talented as you make you want to be better and complete the goal of being the best you want to be.