For the first time in his four years as a head coach, Jon Sumrall does not have a bell cow running back.

Still, he sees it as a potential strength rather than a weakness.

Gone is Makhi Hughes , who transferred to Oregon after backing up his 1,378-yard breakout season under former coach Willie Fritz in 2023 with 1,401 yards on 265 carries in Sumrall’s Tulane debut.

No one on the roster resembles Kimani Vidal , a 5-foot-8, 215-pound tank who rushed for 1,132 yards at Troy in 2022 and followed with 1,661 yards on an FBS-leading 297 carries in 2023.

In their place are five scholarship backs with different skill sets. At least four figure to get early playing time as the Wave looks for order in the jumble.

“It’s a competitive room for sure,” Sumrall said. “Top to bottom it is probably

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