Tulane Football Defensive Stars Headline Preseason Honors

The Tulane Green Wave football team had a lot of roster turnover to account for ahead of the 2025 college football season.

As the team looks towards fall camp in preparation for the second year under head coach Jon Sumrall, they’ll have to do so with new leadership across the board.

Spring practice gave several newcomers an opportunity to make an impression alongside returning veterans that filled out the defensive side a bit stronger.

While the defense eventually became a strength to end the season, it was an incredibly new unit going into the start of 2024.

More News: Tulane Football Shows Valuable Retention in Preseason All-AAC Selections

It took the Green Wave a while to figure out the pass rush, which was unfortunate considering the challenging out-of-conference schedule they faced.

They’ll have a similar gauntlet this year against the Northwestern Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils and Ole Miss Rebels.

Tulane will need to figure out the starting quarterback situation and offensive line in front of him to have a chance.

Looking at the one Power Four regular season win against the Kansas State Wildcats in 2022, that 14-10 victory was defined by a pass rush.

The Green Wave will not have a starting quarterback named going into fall camp, and Sumrall may elect to wait again until the season opener.

Expecting to knock off Power Four programs offensively with so many unanswered questions is a riskier play than leaning on the now-solidified strength on the defensive side of the ball.

That was reflected with 15 players being highlighted as preseason 2025 All-AAC team members, with seven of making the First Team.

Of those seven, four are critical defenders to watch this year: edge rusher Mo Westmoreland, defensive lineman Kam Hamilton, linebacker Sam Howard and safety Bailey Despanie.

More News: Vanderbilt Coach Tim Corbin Endorses Tulane Baseball’s Recent Hire

Not only are the three returnees on that list definitive leaders, but all are playmakers on the field.

Howard and Despanie were second and third in total tackles last season, and Despanie led the team with 41 solo tackles.

Howard’s five fumble recoveries set a school record.

Hamilton led the team with four quarterback hits, was tied for a team-leading 4.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries and was tied for third-highest with six tackles for loss.

Westmoreland ranked No. 23 in the nation with a team-leading eight sacks for UTEP last year, and he led with six quarterback hits. His 9.5 tackles for loss were the second-highest on the team.

More News: Pittsburgh Steelers Give Current GM, Former Tulane Undergrad Assistant New Contract

Sumrall has gone so far as to compare Westmoreland to his former player Javon Solomon, who is currently a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills.

There is a lot of production Tulane has lost and must account for heading into the upcoming campaign. However, the core returnees on defense were top playmakers for the Green Wave last season.

They also hit all three levels of the defense, one that will be crucial to success in the team’s season hopes.

For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.