The 2016 offseason that has been one of extreme diversity for the Tulane Green Wave football team may finally be subsiding, at least partially. Coaching carousels, to some degree, seem to rock a team more often than not during the summer months. The one that hit Tulane, however, seems to be over as new head coach Willie Fritz has finalized his 2016 coaching staff.
Slade Nagle, Tight Ends
Nagle will come over from McNeese State where he coached the running backs. While there, he and his alma mater found success, reaching the FCS playoffs twice and racking up a combined 33-13 wins.
Nagle’s offensive insight will transition from backs to tight ends with Tulane. He will look to improve a tight end receiving corps that totaled only 183 yards last year.
Jamaal Fobbs, Running Backs
The former special teams and running backs coach from Liberty will step up as the new backs coach for the Wave. While at Liberty, Fobbs helped lead the team to a Big South title in 2012 along with co-championships the following two seasons.
With Tulane he will keep his gig as a backs coach looking to lead a talented group. Guys like Sherman Badie and Dontrell Hilliard will be graced with the task of taking pressure off a young and inexperienced passing attack. With Fobbs at the helm, this job may be a bit easier.
Jeff Conway, Wide Receivers
Conway will be reuniting with Willie Fritz for the fifth time in his coaching career. Serving at Sam Houston State twice, Blinn Junior College, and Central Missouri, Conway and Fritz’s coaching careers will again cross in Tulane.
The Wave’s receiving corps will undoubtedly be riddled with growing pains after losing quarterback Tanner Lee earlier in the offseason along with many of their star receivers. Conway will try to provide stability to this inexperienced group.
Chris Hampton, Defensive Backs
Like Nagle, Hampton comes to Tulane from McNeese State where he oversaw the defensive backs. Unlike Nagle, Hampton’s chore at Tulane is a hefty challenge (not to say that Nagel’s job is easy).
Hampton will take over a secondary that was gashed for over 230 yards per game last season and was part of a defense that gave up nearly 37 points a game. If Hampton can fix the defensive backs, Tulane’s defense as a whole should see dramatic improvement.
Derrick Sherman, Offensive Assistant
Sherman joins Tulane after coaching the wide receivers at Pittsburgh State. He also has a shared history with Fritz as the two coached together at Georgia Southern before Sherman went to Pittsburgh State.
With his receiving coach’s knowledge, expect Sherman will work closely with Conway to help in the passing attack. However, he will also be a vital assistant to Fritz on the offensive side of the ball as a whole.
Chris Couch, Special Teams Assistant
Couch comes to New Orleans from Point University and brings with him the knowledge of a special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Before Point, Couch served at Georgia Southern and was a member of the staff that led the team to a drastically improved 10-5 record after a 5-6 season.
At Tulane, he will be assisting with a special teams unit that was lackluster a year ago. Couch’s insight should improve a squad that had no touchdowns in 2015.
The new-look Tulane coaching staff looks to be a promising one. A healthy mix of guys who have and haven’t worked with the head coach will be together in 2016. As with any fresh coaching staff, their work will be shown on the field via their players. Their performance will be a reflection on their coaches, and come fall, coach Fritz will know whether or not he made the right hires.
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