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American Conference Announces Tulane's Five Players to Watch This Season
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- American Conference Announces Tulane's Five Players to Watch This Season
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
With just one week to go until the beginning of college football season, the American Conference has highlighted a handful of Tulane Green Wave players to watch this year.
On the offensive side of the ball, the league recognizes offensive tackle Reese Baker, wide receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens and running back Jamauri McClure. Meanwhile, the defensive players to watch are safety Jack Tchienchou and linebacker Chris Rodgers. All of these student-athletes have received quite a bit of recognition in the preseason, and they're expected to be the biggest difference-makers as the Green Wave looks to repeat as American Conference Champions and return to the College Football Playoff.
Baker made his mark on the line as a redshirt freshman, and he'll look to continue that success as he enters his redshirt sophomore campaign. He started in all 14 games for the Olive Green and Sky Blue last season, so he brings valuable experience to a line that will look to bolster the program's rushing attack.
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Speaking of rushers... McClure is heading into 2026 as a First Team Preseason All-Conference selection by Athlon Sports. The redshirt sophomore came to life in the final half of 2025, garnering more than 80 yards in four of his last five contests and eclipsing the 120-yard mark twice in that stretch. Though he will likely miss the first game of the year due to a minor injury suffered in the preseason, he's expected to bounce back nicely.
Brown-Stephens has had a strong fall camp and is emerging as the leader of the wide receivers room. He finished his initial 2025 season in Uptown with 41 catches for 523 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he's expected to take another step forward this season.
Safety Tchienchou is arguably the Green Wave's best player heading into the new season. He recorded a team-high 83 tackles in 2025 to go along with two tackles-for-loss, one sack, two interceptions, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He's been named to preseason watch lists for a handful of prestigious national awards, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award and Chuck Bednarik Award.
Linebacker Rodgers rounds out this impressive list. The First Team Phil Steele Preseason All-Conference selection is coming off of an incredible season in which he recorded 80 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He's also a big name to watch for East-West Shrine Bowl and the 2027 Senior Bowl.
Tulane will start its 2026 campaign on the road as it takes on the Duke Blue Devils on September 5th at 2:30 p.m. CT.
