Jon Sumrall Has Cryptic Answer When Asked About Tulane Green Wave Starting QB
Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall gave nothing away when he was asked about who the team’s starting quarterback is.
Kenneth Teape | 11 Hours Ago
Sep 16, 2023; Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Kai Horton (12) looks to throw against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the second half at M.M. Roberts Stadium. / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
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The Tulane Green Wave will be starting their 2024 college football season next Thursday against Southeastern Louisiana. For the media and fans, the biggest question surrounding the team is who will be the starting quarterback in the opener?
Many people assumed it would be former five-star recruit Ty Thompson. After spending multiple seasons on the bench at Oregon, Thompson transferred looking for an opportunity for playing time after the Ducks brought in Dillon Gabriel.
He was thought to be competing with Kai Horton, who enters his fourth season at Tulane with 14 appearances across three seasons. One of those appearances was a start in the Military Bowl to cap off their 2023 campaign against Virginia Tech. He was who Tulane called upon whenever Michael Pratt was unable to play.
Alas, the leader in the clubhouse right now seems to be redshirt freshman Darian Mensah. He has taken the most snaps with the first team during fall camp and scrimmages, which would hint that he will be under center against Southeastern Louisana.
People want to know what the plan is, but head coach Jon Sumrall is playing things close to the vest. He gave a cryptic answer when asked, revealing nothing about what the team is planning for next week.
“You probably are going to find out officially when you show up to Thursday night’s game a week from now,” he said. “They all are going to have a role. I’m not going to sit here and project when they play and all that publicly, but there’s a situation where all three could play in game one.”
Meetings have been held with each quarterback so that they know where they stand. He wants them to be prepared for whenever their number is called, whether it is as a starter or a special package during the game.
Sumrall wants to ensure that everyone is on the same page and bought into the plan. Any disagreements that could fracture the team chemistry cannot be had.
“We may be in a position where every one of them has to win us a game at some point,” Sumrall said. “What does that look like? I don’t know. I can’t predict the future. They all need to be ready to have their number called. I’ve told all three I believe in them.”
There are certainly some risks to such a game plan. As the great John Madden once said, “If you’ve got two quarterbacks, you got none.”
Well, the Green Wave currently has three, so maybe the old adage won’t apply to them. It will be an interesting dynamic to keep an eye on as the season unfolds.
