Football’s Santana Hopper Named A PFSN Third Team All-American
Dec 10, 2025 | Football
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane defensive lineman Santana Hopper has been named a Third Team All-American by Pro Football & Sports Network, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Hopper, in his first year at Tulane, has played in all 13 games with 12 starts on the defensive line. On the season he has 30 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. His tackles for loss rank second on the team. He was previously named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29 and was a First Team American All-Conference selection.
After winning the American Conference Championship on Friday night, for the second time in four seasons, the No. 11 seeded Tulane football team (11-2) is playoff bound for the first time in school history as the program and will faceoff with No. 6 seed Ole Miss (11-1) in Oxford, Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 2:30 p.m. in a game that will be shown on TNT, the College Football Playoff Committee announced on Sunday morning.
Besides being the first-ever playoff appearance, the Green Wave are also the first team to ever make the playoffs from the state of Louisiana in the 12-team format.
The Green Wave qualified for the CFP by being the fourth-highest ranked conference champion. The winner will go on to face No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 at 7 p.m.
Ole Miss and Tulane met earlier this season with the Rebels earning the 45-10 victory on Sept. 20.
The Green Wave's 2025 season includes 11 wins in 13 games, featuring two victories over Power 4 opponents—the first time since 1988. The Dec. 5 win over North Texas (34-21) secured Tulane its second conference title in four years.
The team earned 13 American All-Conference selections plus the Special Teams Player of the Year in Patrick Durkin. The program's All-Conference selections this season are Shadre Hurst (offensive line – 1st team), Santana Hopper (defensive line – 1st team), Jack Tchienchou (safety – 1st team), Durkin (kicker – 1st team), Alec Clark (punter – 1st team), Tre'Von McAlpine (defensive line – 2nd team), Sam Howard (linebacker – 2nd team), Derrick Graham (offensive line – 3rd team), Harvey Dyson (linebacker – 3rd team), Javion White (cornerback – 3rd team), TJ Smith (return specialists – 3rd team), Jason Arredondo (designated snapper – 3rd team), and Jahiem Johnson (cornerback – Honorable Mention)
The program sports a 43-12 record over the last four seasons.
Head Coach Jon Sumrall has been one of the most successful coaches in the country over the last four seasons with a record of 43-11, two Sun Belt Conference championships, an American Conference title 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 returned 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.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football playoff game can be purchased by clicking on this link. Men's and women's basketball seasons and single game tickets 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 -
Hopper, in his first year at Tulane, has played in all 13 games with 12 starts on the defensive line. On the season he has 30 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. His tackles for loss rank second on the team. He was previously named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29 and was a First Team American All-Conference selection.
After winning the American Conference Championship on Friday night, for the second time in four seasons, the No. 11 seeded Tulane football team (11-2) is playoff bound for the first time in school history as the program and will faceoff with No. 6 seed Ole Miss (11-1) in Oxford, Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 2:30 p.m. in a game that will be shown on TNT, the College Football Playoff Committee announced on Sunday morning.
Besides being the first-ever playoff appearance, the Green Wave are also the first team to ever make the playoffs from the state of Louisiana in the 12-team format.
The Green Wave qualified for the CFP by being the fourth-highest ranked conference champion. The winner will go on to face No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 at 7 p.m.
Ole Miss and Tulane met earlier this season with the Rebels earning the 45-10 victory on Sept. 20.
The Green Wave's 2025 season includes 11 wins in 13 games, featuring two victories over Power 4 opponents—the first time since 1988. The Dec. 5 win over North Texas (34-21) secured Tulane its second conference title in four years.
The team earned 13 American All-Conference selections plus the Special Teams Player of the Year in Patrick Durkin. The program's All-Conference selections this season are Shadre Hurst (offensive line – 1st team), Santana Hopper (defensive line – 1st team), Jack Tchienchou (safety – 1st team), Durkin (kicker – 1st team), Alec Clark (punter – 1st team), Tre'Von McAlpine (defensive line – 2nd team), Sam Howard (linebacker – 2nd team), Derrick Graham (offensive line – 3rd team), Harvey Dyson (linebacker – 3rd team), Javion White (cornerback – 3rd team), TJ Smith (return specialists – 3rd team), Jason Arredondo (designated snapper – 3rd team), and Jahiem Johnson (cornerback – Honorable Mention)
The program sports a 43-12 record over the last four seasons.
Head Coach Jon Sumrall has been one of the most successful coaches in the country over the last four seasons with a record of 43-11, two Sun Belt Conference championships, an American Conference title 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 returned 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.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football playoff game can be purchased by clicking on this link. Men's and women's basketball seasons and single game tickets 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 -
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