Football Has a Pair Named As Freshman All-Americans By The Athletic

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane football's Makhi Hughes and Shadre Hurst were recently named as 2023 Freshman All-Americans by The Athletic, the national publication announced.

Hughes, a running back, leads the conference in rushing this season with 1,290 yards while also scoring seven rushing touchdowns in 13 games. He was previously named All-AAC First Team, the league's Rookie of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American by the College Football Network (CFN). Hughes ran for 100 or more yards in seven games including a career-high 166 yards against UTSA. Hughes' 1,290 yards places him fourth all-time at Tulane in a single season and is a school freshman record.

Hurst has played in all 13 games with nine starts at guard this season. Hurst has helped paved the way for a Tulane offense that is averaging 26.8 points a game. The team is putting up 156.8 yards rushing and 222.4 passing yards a contest. Tulane has topped the 20-point barrier in 11 of the team's 13 games with a high of 37 points against South Alabama.

Tulane's football team (11-2) will face off against Virginia Tech (6-6) in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27 in Annapolis, Maryland at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m. Tulane will play against Virginia Tech for the first time since 1989. The program is 4-5 all-time against the Hokies since the first game in 1956. This is the fifth time in the last six years that Tulane has been selected to play in a bowl game (2018 – Cure Bowl, 2019 – Armed Forces Bowl, 2020 – Famous Idaho Bowl, 2022 – Cotton Bowl). Overall, this will be Tulane's 16th bowl appearance (1932 – Rose Bowl, 1935 – Sugar Bowl, 1939 – Sugar Bowl, 1970 – Liberty Bowl, 1973 – Astro Bluebonnet Bowl, 1979 – Liberty Bowl, 1980 – Hall of Fame Bowl, 1987 – Independence Bowl, 1998 – Liberty Bowl, 2002 – Hawaii Bowl, 2013 – New Orleans, 2018 – Cure Bowl, 2019 – Armed Forces Bowl, 2020 -Famous Idaho Bowl, 2022 – Cotton Bowl) with the program sporting an all-time record of 7-8 in bowl games.

Tulane enters the bowl game having gone 23-4 the last two seasons including a historic 46-45 victory over USC in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2, 2023. The team won at least a share of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season title the last two seasons and became only the third team in conference history to host the AAC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons. The Green Wave defense leads the conference is placed seventh nationally in rushing yards allowed at 93.5. The squad also ranks third in the conference and 26th in the country in sacks at 2.62 per game. The program leads the conference and ranks second nationally in turnovers gained at 25. The team leads the league and ranks third nationally in interceptions with 17. Tulane leads the league in kickoff returns at 26.08. Individually, Lance Robinson leads the conference and is placed 16th in the country with his four interceptions. Darius Hodges and Patrick Jenkins are ranked fourth and eighth in the conference in sacks, respectfully. Valentino Ambrosio is placed third in the conference with his 1.46 field goals per game and total points (97). He also ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage (79.2). Lawrence Keys III is placed second in yards per catch at 18.15. Keys is also 11th in the league with his seven touchdowns scored. Jha'Quan Jackson is seventh in the conference in yards per reception at 16.88. Chris Brazzell II is placed 10th in the league in yards per catch (16.06). Makhi Hughes leads the conference in rushing with 1,290 yards. He is sixth in the league with seven rushing touchdowns. Michael Pratt is third in the league in passing yards a completion at 13.01. Shedro Louis leads the league and ranks seventh in the country with his kick return average of 28.6. Tulane has won a school-record 10 straight road games.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2023 bowl game, the men's and women's basketball teams games and the upcoming 2024 baseball season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.

Football Has a Pair Named As Freshman All-Americans By The Athletic

Players Mentioned

Valentino Ambrosio

Chris Brazzell II

Darius Hodges

Makhi Hughes

Shadre Hurst

Jha'Quan Jackson

Patrick Jenkins

Lawrence Keys III

Shedro Louis

Michael Pratt

Lance Robinson

Footer

Tulane University Athletics