AAC Announces Roster and Fan Engagement Opportunities for 2024 Media Days at the American Football Kickoff

IRVING, Texas (reprinted with permission) – Some of the nation's top college football players and coaches including Tulane's head coach Jon Sumrall, defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins and offensive lineman Vincent Murphy will convene in Arlington, Texas, for the 2024 American Athletic Conference Kickoff, which will be held Monday and Tuesday, July 22-23 at Loews Arlington.

And for the first time, The American is inviting fans to participate in the annual event to start the college football season.

Twenty-eight student-athletes are scheduled to attend this year's Kickoff, which will be held in Arlington for the second consecutive year. Media sessions will begin at 2 p.m. CT on Monday and will continue Tuesday morning with press conferences with the 14 head coaches. The results of The American's preseason media poll will be announced at 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET) and Commissioner Tim Pernetti will deliver his remarks Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. CT (9:15 a.m. ET).

In addition to the Tuesday press conferences, student-athletes and coaches will be available for breakout sessions during specified times on Tuesday and upon request during their scheduled Monday-afternoon block.

A limited number of fans will be able to experience the 2024 Kickoff in-person to gain unprecedented access to players and coaches. Fans will have the opportunity to sit in on press conferences, take part in photo opportunities and enjoy meet-and-greets with the student-athletes and coaches.

Fans who wish to attend the 2024 Kickoff can register at www.TheAmerican.org/AACKickoff

Eight of the 28 attending student-athletes attending this year's Kickoff earned all-conference honors last season, including Memphis linebacker Chandler Martin, Navy linebacker Colin Ramos and Tulane defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins, who were first-team all-conference picks in 2023.

Five of The American's 14 teams will have their projected starting quarterbacks in attendance. Memphis senior Seth Henigan, a Denton, Texas, native, is expected to be the only fourth-year player nationally to start at quarterback for the same team in all four years. UAB's Jacob Zeno returns after a 2023 season in which he ranked second nationally in completion percentage (73.6%) and thew for 3,126 yards and 20 touchdowns. South Florida's Byrum Brown will be in attendance following a 2023 season in which he was one of two players nationally to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 800 last year (Heisman Trophy-winner Jayden Daniels of LSU was the other). They will be joined by Army captain (and Abernathy, Texas, native) Bryson Daily and Charlotte sophomore Max Brown, who joins the 49ers after playing in six games for Florida last season.

The 2024 season will be the first for Army as an American Athletic Conference member. The Black Knights will have Daily and safety Max DiDomenico in attendance for the Kickoff. Navy, which has been in The American since 2015, will bring Ramos and fullback Daba Fofana.

Live coverage of The American Kickoff will air Tuesday, July 22, at 9 a.m. ET/8 a.m. CT as Morgan Uber, Rene Ingoglia, Taylor McHargue and Brooke Kirchhofer interview coaches and student-athletes from all 14 teams. ESPN+ will have that telecast, along with a second feed that will feature the full press conferences from the head coaches.

Loews Arlington is conveniently located approximately 20 minutes from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at Texas Live! situated between Globe Life Field and Choctaw Stadium and across from AT&T Stadium.

UAB
Head Coach Trent Dilfer
Michael Moore               LB
Jacob Zeno                     QB

Army
Head Coach Jeff Monken
Bryson Daily                   QB
Max DiDomenico            S

Charlotte
Head Coach Biff Poggi
Dontae Balfour               DB
Max Brown                     QB

East Carolina
Head Coach Mike Houston
Rahjai Harris                   RB
Shavon Revel                  CB

Florida Atlantic
Head Coach Tom Herman
Jackson Ambush            LB
Federico Maranges        OL

Memphis
Head Coach Ryan Silverfield
Seth Henigan                  QB
Chandler Martin             LB

Navy
Head Coach Brian Newberry
Daba Fofana                   FB
Colin Ramos                   LB

North Texas
Head Coach Eric Morris
Ridge Texada                 CB
Damon Ward Jr.              WR

Rice
Head Coach Mike Bloomgren
Dean Connors                 RB
Gabriel Taylor                 S

South Florida
Head Coach Alex Golesh
Byrum Brown                  QB
Ben Knox                        CB

Temple
Head Coach Stan Drayton
Demerick Morris            DT
Dante Wright                  WR

UTSA
Head Coach Jeff Traylor
Oscar Cardenas              TE
Jamal Ligon                    LB

Tulane
Head Coach Jon Sumrall
Vincent Murphy              OL
Patrick Jenkins              DL

Tulsa
Head Coach Kevin Wilson
Kamdyn Benjamin          WR
Owen Ostroski                DL

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Tulane finished the 2023 season with a mark of 11-3 and a perfect 8-0 record in the American Athletic Conference. The program concluded the campaign with the 16th bowl appearance at the GoBowling Military Bowl contest against Virginia Tech. It was the fifth time in the last six years that Tulane has appeared in a bowl game. The team is 23-5 over the last two seasons.

The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native was one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last two seasons. He guided Troy University to a 23-4 record, two Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor. Sumrall returns to Tulane after serving as the Green Wave's Co-Defensive Coordinator for three years (2012-14). In 2013, he was a crucial part of Tulane's run to the New Orleans Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 2002 and third since 1988. Sumrall also was named a finalist for FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year.

Tulane's football team will start the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29, with a home contest against Southeastern Louisiana at Yulman Stadium. The program has home games against Kansas State (September 7), South Florida (September 28), Rice (October 19), Temple (November 9) and Memphis (November 28). The road games for the 2024 season include trips to Oklahoma (September 14), Louisiana (September 21), UAB (October 5), North Texas (October 26), Charlotte (October 31) and Navy (November 16).

TICKETS
Tickets for the upcoming football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball seasons 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.

    - TulaneGreenWave -

AAC Announces Roster and Fan Engagement Opportunities for 2024 Media Days at the American Football Kickoff

Players Mentioned

Patrick Jenkins

Vincent Murphy

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