NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Tulane Green Wave football team has several question marks ahead of the 2025 college football season as they rebuild the loss of productive players.
The top three receivers for Tulane football last season—Mario Williams, Dontae Fleming, and Yulkeith Brown—are preparing for the NFL draft, taking 126 of 209 receptions and 2,099 of 2,946 receiving yards with them.
Wide receivers Bryce Bohanon and Shazz Preston are returning for the team, and Preston boasts an impressive 24.75 yards per reception on his four last season.
Preston was limited for most of the year with a hamstring injury. Bohanon has always been steady for the program.
However, neither of them has been the No. 1 guy for their team yet in their careers, and that’s something the Green Wave will have to search for as much as their next starting quarterback.
Sumrall had pointed out the group as relatively unproven on the first day of spring practice. He expanded on that and provided an updated assessment with more tangible examples following Tuesday’s practice.
Unfortunately, the two most proven transfers from a production standpoint, Omari Hayes and Jimmy Calloway, have been out for most of spring.
He highlighted Calloway’s top-end speed, but he’s been limited due to having a procedure that the coaching staff was aware he’d need to have done when bringing him in. Sumrall also referred to Hayes as the best punt returner in the American conference last season.
“What I do know is that Bryce Bohannan is really steady,” Sumrall said. “I like what I know will be the same every day. You know what I mean? Whether it’s a player or what I’m going to eat for lunch, I want to know that it’s going to be what it is. I’m not going to have to hope it’s good. Bryce Bohanon, I don’t have to hope he’s going to practice good every day. He practices great every day. Shazz Preston is getting there. Shazz was not there anywhere near that a year ago. Shazz is trending in that direction, which is exciting.”
Both receivers have stood out through spring as they’ve helped the two quarterbacks find their footing. Ultimately, it may not be enough for Sumrall to feel confident in that production translating onto the field next season after losing a ton of star power.
“There’s been different moments where different guys have flashed,” Sumrall continued. “We still need to elevate maybe the top of that room. That’s probably a position where we’ll take one in the portal. I don’t know that we’ll have room to take more than one, but I would guess we probably try to add one that we think can add to the top of the room. Garrett Mmahat, I think, has been really consistent too.”
It sticks out that receiver may be a transfer portal need and colors the quarterback competition as one that is working with less receiver talent than it was a year ago, when the competitors weren’t showing command or poise in the same way Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary have.
Wide receiver will be a position to watch as the team finalizes its strengths and needs under Sumrall in his second season.
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