Head Coach: Kevin Wilson is entering his 2nd season as the head coach of the Golden Hurricane with a 4-8 record. It was a mostly up and down first year. Wilson is most known for long stints as the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma and Ohio State, he was also the head coach for Indiana which went ok for it being Indiana.
Program Outlook: Tulsa is really an interesting program. They have the smallest enrollment in FBS, and as a result a small donor base along with very limited resources. There’s very few football only facilities, not even an indoor practice facility, but somehow despite all of that more often than not the Golden Hurricane get it done. At a minimum, they typically expect to make bowl games and sometimes they win big. Even recently Tulsa finished ranked in the top 25 in 2020 and have 5 10+ win seasons since 2007.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Tulsa doesn’t have a ton of returning production, but they also brought in one of the best freshman classes in the AAC. The offense will need to sort itself out as it operated with startling inconsistency, they looked like world beaters some games and completely disappeared in others. They turned the ball over 20 times in a 7 game stretch! Fortunately Tulsa got an absolute blessing this spring when Cooper Legas made a sudden and at the time surprise transfer into Tulsa from Utah State (now of course we know why.) Provided he gets a good grasp of the playbook after coming in late, he could solidify the QB position. There’s some good pieces to work around in the pass game led by Kamden Benjamin who’s one of the stars of this team, they added some transfers to help out. They have some solid backs who can eat if…the offensive line gets sorted out. It’s not the unit you want to have questions about but it’s really uncertain how the Oline will come together but finding the right combo will be a huge key for the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa’s defense was a tad more consistent than the offense, there were still good and bad games. The bad games were really bad against Oklahoma, Washington, SMU and Rice, the Owls being the only outlier in that group. They performed really well against Northern Illinois and Tulane, but weren’t great against the rest. There’s some returning starters up front but it’s going to take some time to really build it into a formidable unit, but there’s some interesting transfers that can help at linebacker at least, especially rooting for former Kansas linebacker Gavin Potter who was a stud there before some injuries buried him on the depth chart. The secondary is a bit of a mystery in a few spots. Overall don’t be surprised to see a few freshmen make an impact right away, they signed a great class and having some of those guys step up right away would be huge.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule is pretty tough but not the worst. They open with Northwestern State who’s starting over after their season abruptly ended last season, and then have a road test with Arkansas State which is tough but not impossible. Their biggest challenge is Oklahoma State but fortunately that is at home, I’m glad these two are playing love a good in-state battle. The game at Louisiana Tech will be winnable too. They face 2 of the top AAC favorites in UTSA and South Florida, and Army at home will be tough. Outside of that they face a lot of fellow AAC teams that are trying to figure things out. If the Golden Hurricane can find answers first they will go bowling.
Vegas Projection: Tulsa’s win total is set at 4.5 with the odds geared slightly toward the under. Vegas mostly expects them to remain the same with perhaps a slight improvement.
2024 Best Case: The Golden Hurricane found their QB in Legas, a lot of freshman make an immediate impact and they’re ready for take off. Tulsa opens with 2 dominating wins to set up a showdown with their in-state foe Oklahoma State. The Golden Hurricane force turnovers early to give themselves an early advantage that they never relinquish despite a late Oklahoma State rally, it’s a massive victory that will be celebrated for a long time for this program. Tulsa does eventually slip up in one of the next 3, but a 5-1 start is already better than imagined. They mostly stick the finish too, ending with an 8-4 record. Tulsa reaches and wins their bowl game making it apparent that the future is very bright for their program. It’s even better when Oklahoma has a rough first year in the SEC and doesn’t make a bowl game.
2024 Worst Case: This might take a while. Tulsa wins the opener but things immediately get rough after that. The Golden Hurricane are blown out by Arkansas State and Oklahoma State. Overall they’re seldom competitive only winning one more game down the stretch on their way to a 2-10 record. Much of the incoming freshman class gets frustrated and transfers out. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma both make the playoff semifinals.
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