Tulane begins Week 2 of Spring Practice

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NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team rolled into Yulman Stadium on Monday morning for its fifth practice of spring camp.

After practicing at the New Orleans Saints Indoor Facility on Saturday, the Green Wave returned uptown to run through drills and work on fundamentals in preparation for the upcoming 2018 season.

Head coach Willie Fritz has seen the team take steps forward across the board through one week of spring practice, noting improvements on the defensive side of the football.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that are ready to step up into a starting role,” Fritz said. “We’re faster and quicker on defense. We got better up front with the addition of [Jeffery Johnson and Davon Wright]. We just have to keep working and getting better every single day to be a better ball club.”

Safety Tirise Barge has impressed this spring, receiving praise from Fritz about his development. Barge totaled five tackles – including one tackle for loss at SMU – and forced one fumble in 12 games last season.

“He loves football, and he loves to practice football,” Fritz said. “He really came on at the end of the year. We played him quite a bit against SMU, and he really had a good game against them. We should’ve probably tried to play him a little bit earlier, but he’s an explosive player and can make big plays for us.”

Tulane retakes the practice field on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., inside Yulman Stadium. Spring camp concludes Saturday, April 14 with the annual spring game at Yulman Stadium.

The Green Wave open the 2018 season on Thursday, August 30 at home against Wake Forest.

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Post Practice Interview

Head coach Willie Fritz
On the energy at practice

“We were alright. Sometimes when you take the weekend off, it’s harder to start back up. We’ll be better on Wednesday.”

On running back Darius Bradwell

“Great strength. He’s one of the strongest guys on the team. He’s a big dude, but the great thing about him is that he has great speed and very nimble feet.”

On safety Tirise Barge

“He loves football, he loves to practice football. He really came on at the end of the year. We played him quite a bit against SMU, and he really had a good game against them. We should’ve probably tried to play him a little bit earlier, but he’s an explosive player and can make big plays for us.”

On where Tulane football is now, compared to this time two years ago

“We’re a lot better. We know what our guys can and can’t do. I told the players: it’s our job as coaches to recruit over the top of you, and it’s your job not to let us do it. By developing [the players], by getting better, we’re starting to get some competition at different position groups.”

Listen to the complete interview from HC Willie Fritz

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REMAINING SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 21, 8:30 a.m.
Friday, March 23, 8:30 a.m.
Monday, April 2, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, April 3 (Pro Day), 1 p.m.
Wednesday, April 4, 8:30 a.m.
Friday, April 6, 8:30 a.m.
Saturday, April 7, 8:30 a.m.
Monday, April 9, 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, April 11, 8:30 a.m.
Friday, April 13, 8:30 a.m.

SPRING GAME
Date: Saturday, April 14
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Yulman Stadium