LSU expected to hire former Tulane offensive coordinator Slade Nagle as tight ends coach

Slade Nagle served as the offensive coordinator for Tulane this past season and was the interim coach for the Green Wave’s bowl game.

LSU has seemingly completed its on-field staff ahead of the 2024 season.

On Tuesday, the Tigers promoted interim co-offensive coordinators [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cortez Hantkon[/autotag] to the roles full-time, and on Wednesday, LSU found the final piece of the puzzle as it is reportedly hiring former Tulane offensive coordinator [autotag]Slade Nagle[/autotag] as the tight ends coach.

It’s a major pickup for Brian Kelly’s staff as Nagle was even considered a candidate for the offensive coordinator position. Instead, he’ll join the staff as a position coach after orchestrating one of the Group of Five’s best offenses last season.

The news of Nagle’s hiring was first reported by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Nagle is a Baton Rouge native who had been on staff at Tulane since 2016 in various capacities. He took over as the offensive play-caller this season and served as the interim head coach in the team’s 41-20 Military Bowl loss to Virginia Tech after Willie Fritz left for the Houston job.

Nagle has also previously been on staff at LSU, serving as a special teams analyst under [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] during the 2009 season.

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SKOL Search: Tulane QB Michael Pratt and South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler

Are Michael Pratt and Spencer Rattler worthwhile prospects for the Minnesota Vikings?

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

On today’s show, we are looking at two quarterbacks that will be playing at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Tulane’s Michael Pratt and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler.

These are two very different quarterback profiles but they each have talent that will translate to the National Football League.

  • Is Pratt’s arm talent enough for him to be a long-term starter in the NFL?
  • Will Rattler’s arm talent alone make him an appealing prospect?
  • How does Pratt attack the field as a runner and passer?
  • How concerned should we be about Rattler’s issues with processing and decision-making?

Join us throughout the offseason leading up to the NFL draft in April as we break down prospects with the smartest minds in the industry on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

Vikings 2024 NFL draft scouting report: Tulane QB Michael Pratt

Tulane QB Michael Pratt jumped onto the scene in 2022 leading them to a New Year’s Six bowl. How are is he as a 2024 NFL Draft prospect?

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at quarterback, running back, defensive line and edge rusher. We will also focus on wide receiver since it’s a loaded class and an increased chance to get a Stefon Diggs-type steal in the later rounds.

The Vikings are slated to have 9 picks going into the NFL draft and they need to make the most out of them.

Ty Thompson’s roster is adding some highly-rated players at Tulane

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Ty Thompson is seeing some nice additions via the transfer portal at Tulane.

The Tulane Green Wave has been seeing some great success over the past several years, and the fan base has been growing quickly.

An influx of fans came from the Pacific Northwest this offseason when former Oregon Ducks’ quarterback Ty Thompson announced his transfer to Tulane, giving a fan favorite a chance to show what he can do at long last.

It’s become pretty apparent that Tulane is doing a lot of work to build the roster around Thompson, making some major additions via the transfer portal. On Monday, the Green Wave got commitments from former USC WR Mario Williams, as well as former Alabama WR Shazz Preston.

Williams has 9 touchdowns over the last two seasons with USC. Preston was a 4-star recruit in the class of 2022, rated as the No. 56 player in the nation.

Tulane had a solid 2023 season, going 11-3 and 8-1 in the AAC. Assuming that Thompson — a former high-end 4-star recruit — can play to his expected ceiling, the Green Wave could be a very fun team to watch in the future.

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Tulane adds former USC and Alabama receivers in transfer portal

The Tulane Green Wave bolstered their offense Monday with two transfer portal additions. Former USC wide receiver Mario Williams and former Alabama wide out Shazz Preston, both former top 100 recruits, committed to Tulane.

The Tulane Green Wave bolstered their skill group Monday with the additions of former USC wide receiver Mario Williams and former Alabama wide receiver Shazz Preston.

The two receivers will join head coach Jon Sumrall, who was named the next head coach of the Green Wave after former head coach Willie Fritz left to fill the vacant role with the Houston Cougars.

Sumrall was 23-4 as the Troy head coach over the past two seasons, and he will look to keep Tulane in the mix as one of the top teams outside the Power 5 conferences.

Williams and Preston are both former top-75 recruits. Williams spent one season at Oklahoma before he transferred to the Trojans to join head coach Lincoln Riley.

In three college seasons, Williams caught 104 passes for 1,316 and added 11 receiving touchdowns. He racked up 29 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdown catches in the 2023 season at USC.

Preston featured primarily on special teams for the Crimson Tide and has yet to record a reception in college.

Williams and Preston are the latest transfers as Sumrall overhauls the Tulane offense. On Jan. 5, Tulane added former Oregon quarterback Ty Thompson to be the team’s new signal caller.

Thompson, a former top-50 recruit, spent two seasons with the Ducks. He’s thrown for 456 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions on a 64% completion percentage in limited action for Oregon.

With SMU leaving for the ACC, the path for Tulane to get back to the American Athletic Conference Championship and compete for a College Football Playoff spot has become more reasonable.

Former Oregon quarterback Ty Thompson commits to Tulane

Ty Thompson, a former four-star prospect from the class of 2021, will play for new Green Wave coach Jon Sumrall in his first season with Tulane.

Former Oregon quarterback Ty Thompson will join the Tulane Green Wave in 2024, according to a Friday report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The Ducks quarterback has spent the past three seasons in Eugene. He’s thrown 66 passes, completing 42 of them for 456 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions.

He threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns this past season, both the best single-season marks of his career. His best game came against Hawaii when he accumulated 85 yards and a touchdown on just six attempts.

Thompson was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, and 247Sports ranked him as the ninth-best quarterback in a class that included Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy. The Arizona native stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds.

Thompson will join first-year coach Jon Sumrall with the Green Wave. Sumrall spent the past two seasons as Troy’s coach and he led the Trojans to a 23-5 record and back-to-back Sun Belt titles.

The Green Wave won 23 games the past two seasons with head coach Willie Fritz, who left to be the head coach for Houston.

Transfer cornerback from Tulane plans to visit Florida Gators

A transfer cornerback from Tulane plans to visit the Florida Gators in January

Florida Gators football have the potential to land a cornerback from the transfer portal.

Tulane Green Wave redshirt senior [autotag]DJ Douglas[/autotag] entered the portal back in December and is wasting no time setting up visits to school campuses across the nation.

Douglas announced to Gators Online that he’ll be paying a visit to the University of Florida on Jan. 3.

This will be the second time Douglas utilizes the transfer portal in his collegiate career, transferring from the Alabama Crimson Tide to get more playing time with the Green Wave. He originally joined the Crimson Tide as a walk-on freshman.

The plan came to fruition, and Douglas suited up for three seasons with Tulane, collecting 39 tackles, four interceptions and deflecting seven passes. Three of those pickoffs occurred in the 2023 season.

Landing Douglas will be substantial as the Florida Gators try to rebuild its football program, who has been falling apart since the conclusion of the 2023 campaign.

According to On3, Douglas is predicted to make the move to either West Virginia or Texas A&M.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 schedule

Oklahoam received its first schedule as SEC members and here our five takeaways from the daunting slate.

It is here, and it is glorious. Wednesday was a busy day for Oklahoma as a program.

The Sooners landed a commitment from transfer running back Sam Franklin, prepping for the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag] began and recruiting high school and [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] players was in high gear.

To end the night, the Sooners received a look at what Oklahoma will be going up against in their first year as SEC members. ESPN released the schedules for SEC teams, and Oklahoma now knows when and where it will play in its first SEC season.

Here’s a full look at the 2024 schedule and now we’ve got five instant takeaways from Oklahoma’s first SEC schedule.

Oklahoma Sooners 2024 football schedule

A look at the Oklahoma Sooners full schedule for 2024, their first in the SEC.

The SEC unveiled its schedule for the 2024 season, so now we know when the Sooners will play their new conference foes next season.

The schedule was always going to be daunting. You don’t move to the SEC without an understanding that you’re playing the best of the best nearly every week. But there are some positives in the Sooners’ schedule, such as the bye week before the Red River Showdown and another before the closing two-game stretch against Alabama and LSU.

The Sooners start with four consecutive games at home before going on the road to Auburn, Alabama, for their first SEC road game in their new conference.

Here’s a look at the Oklahoma Sooners’ full 2024 football schedule.

Jalen Cook won’t make season debut for LSU vs. Alabama State despite ruling against NCAA

While Jalen Cook will likely be granted eligibility soon, he is still out despite the NCAA’s decision on Wednesday to allow two-time transfers to play.

After a federal court issued a temporary ruling against the NCAA’s two-time transfer waiver process on Wednesday, the association announced that it would no longer be enforcing its two-time transfer rules this season.

While the ruling and subsequent decision from the NCAA seemingly cleared the way for LSU’s [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] to play, he will not make his debut in his return to Baton Rouge on Wednesday night against Alabama State.

According to 247Sports’ Glen West, there are still some hangups at the SEC level that prevent Cook from suiting up for now, but in light of the ruling, it seems his return will be imminent.

Cook is a Walker, Louisiana, native who began his career at LSU before transferring to Tulane. A two-year starter for the Green Wave, he averaged a team-high 19.9 points and 4.9 assists last season.

With LSU’s struggles early in the season, Cook’s addition to the lineup could be just the boost Matt McMahon’s team needs.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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