Photo by: Parker Waters
Football Has Seven Named to PFSN American All-Conference Team
Dec 11, 2025 | Football
NEW ORLEANS –Tulane had seven player named to Pro Football & Sports Network's American All-Conference Team, the organization announced on Thursday.
Santana Hopper and Jahiem Johnson were selected for the First Team. Omari Hayes and Shadre Hurst were chosen for the Second Team with Kameron Hamilton, Javion White, and Patrick Durkin earning Third Team distinction.
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, was a First Team American All-Conference selection, and a PFSN Third Team All-American.
Johnson, in his second year at Tulane, has started all 13 games at cornerback. He has 38 tackles, a stop for loss, four interceptions, a team-high eight pass breakups, and a forced fumble. His four interceptions lead the team and are second in the conference. He was previously an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection by the American Conference.
Hayes, in his first year at Tulane, played in all 13 games with four starts at wide receiver. He has 35 catches for 463 yards and a touchdown with a long of 42 yards. He also has worked as the team's primary punt returner and has 12 returns for 58 yards.
Hurst, in his third year at the school, has started all 13 games for Tulane this season with 12 at left guard and one at left tackle. He has helped the offense rank in the top 10 nationally in sack allowed per game (6th - 0.77) and tackles for loss allowed per game (7th - 3.69). The Green Wave offense is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the ground with 2213 rushing yards. The passing game sports an average of 240.5 yards a contest with an impressive 12.92 yards per completion. The offense has scored 20+ points in 12 games including seven contests with 30+. He was previously a First Team American All-Conference selection.
Hamilton, in his fourth year at Tulane, played in all 13 games with 12 starts on the defensive line. He has 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and two pass breakups.
White, in his second year at Tulane, has played and started all 13 games at cornerback. He has totaled 46 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, six pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and three interceptions. His three interceptions are second on the team and sixth in the conference.
Durkin, in his second year at Tulane, was the team's primary kicker in all 13 games. On the season he is 24-for-27 on field goals and 40-for-41 on extra points. He is 7-for-9 from 40+ including four made kicks of 50+ with a long of 52. The 24 made field goals from Durkin this year are the most in school history for a single season and rank him sixth nationally. His 112 points leads the conference, is the most-ever for a kicker in school history, and is tied for the fifth-most for any player overall in the school record book. He also had 66 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs this season (85.7 percent). He was previously a First Team All-Conference selection for the first time in his career as well as being named the conference's Special Teams Player of the Year. Durkin also was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week three times throughout the campaign (Sept. 1, Oct. 13 and Nov. 24).
After winning the American Conference Championship on Friday night, Dec. 5, 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.
Will Hall, who returned to Tulane in 2025 as its Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, has been selected to be the program's new head coach, Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris announced on Monday, Dec. 8.
Hall, a highly accomplished head coach with 70 collegiate, rejoined Tulane in 2025 after serving as the program's Offensive Coordinator from 2019-2020, helping the Green Wave set offensive records and elevate the team's profile nationally. His offense in 2025 was a multi-threat unit, with four receivers catching 30 or more passes, led by Shazz Preston's four touchdowns, and quarterback Jake Retzlaff throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Prior to his current stint at Tulane, Hall spent three-plus seasons as head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, guiding the Golden Eagles through transitions in conference affiliation and a 38-24 victory in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl over Rice. Earlier that season, Hall's squad came into Yulman Stadium and knocked off the Cotton Bowl-bound Green Wave 27-24 in a year where Southern Miss faced three 10-win opponents.
A native of Amory, Mississippi, Hall made an immediate impact on the Tulane offense during his offensive coordinator stint, helping the Green Wave rewrite its offensive record books. The Green Wave finished the 2019 season ranked 11th in the nation in rushing offense (243.2), 22nd in total offense (449.3) and 30th in scoring offense (33.1). Tulane rushed for more than 200 yards in nine games and 300 or more four times. The Tulane offense set the program record in rushing yards at 3,162 yards in 2019 and ranked second in program history in rushing yards per game (243.2), rushing touchdowns (33) and rushing first downs (166).
In 2020, the Green Wave enjoyed more success offensively as it finished No. 17 nationally in rushing offense (217.1), 19th in first downs (258) and 22nd in scoring offense (34.7).
Hall joined the Green Wave coaching staff after he spent the 2018 campaign as the Associate Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach at the University of Memphis where he helped guide the Tigers to the American Athletic Conference Championship game for the second straight season and helped the Tigers to their fifth straight bowl appearance.
During his lone season at Memphis, Hall helped guide the Tigers to a school record 42 rushing touchdowns during the regular season. In addition, Memphis finished the regular season with 3,311 rushing yards, setting a new school record. Memphis' offense ranked in the nation's top 10 in rushing (No. 5, 275.9), scoring offense (No. 6, 43.8) and total offense (No. 6, 530.3) under Hall's assistance.
Hall joined the Memphis staff in January 2018 after spending the 2017 season as the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, where six offensive players received all-conference honors. The Cajuns ranked among the best in the nation in red zone offense and turnovers lost with just 16.
In his one season as offensive coordinator at Louisiana, the Ragin' Cajuns compiled the Sun Belt Conference's third-best rushing offense with 2,204 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. The Louisiana offense tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the Sun Belt during the 2017 season. The Cajuns were also efficient in the red zone, leading the Sun Belt by scoring on 92.9-percent of their red zone chances.
In his three-year head coaching stint at West Georgia (UWG), Hall led the Wolves to a 31-9 record, the first Gulf South Conference (GSC) title since 2000 and a pair of NCAA Division II semifinal appearances. His first two seasons at UWG produced a pair of 12-win seasons before he finished 7-4 in 2016. Hall was twice named GSC Coach of the Year and was the Super Region 2 Coach of the Year.
From 2011-13 as the head coach at West Alabama, his teams won two league titles and twice earned spots in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Prior to his six seasons at West Alabama, Hall enjoyed successful stints on the coaching staffs at Arkansas-Monticello, Southwest Baptist, Henderson State and Presbyterian. Hall's achievements in the coaching profession are a carryover from his illustrious career on the playing field at North Alabama.
Hall played for his father, Bobby Hall, at Amory High School leading the Panthers to the 1998 Mississippi High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Class 3A state title. From 1999-2000, he attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. In 2000, Hall set a NJCAA record for total offense in a season (4,075 yards) and added an NJCAA single-game record with nine touchdown passes.
Hall then moved to North Alabama, where he was a quarterback for the Lions from 2002-03. He won the Harlan Hill Trophy in 2003, emblematic of being America's top player in NCAA Division II. In 2003, Hall, who threw for 3,531 yards and 30 touchdowns, led the Lions to a 13-1 record and an NCAA Division II semifinals appearance.
In 2004, Hall signed a contract to play for the Tupelo FireAnts of the National Indoor Football League. Playing once again for his father, who was the head coach for the team, Hall passed for 2,046 yards and 44 touchdowns while rushing for 13 scores in the 14-game season.
A 2003 graduate of North Alabama, Hall, and wife Rebecca, have two sons – Tripp and Pete.
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 -
Santana Hopper and Jahiem Johnson were selected for the First Team. Omari Hayes and Shadre Hurst were chosen for the Second Team with Kameron Hamilton, Javion White, and Patrick Durkin earning Third Team distinction.
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, was a First Team American All-Conference selection, and a PFSN Third Team All-American.
Johnson, in his second year at Tulane, has started all 13 games at cornerback. He has 38 tackles, a stop for loss, four interceptions, a team-high eight pass breakups, and a forced fumble. His four interceptions lead the team and are second in the conference. He was previously an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection by the American Conference.
Hayes, in his first year at Tulane, played in all 13 games with four starts at wide receiver. He has 35 catches for 463 yards and a touchdown with a long of 42 yards. He also has worked as the team's primary punt returner and has 12 returns for 58 yards.
Hurst, in his third year at the school, has started all 13 games for Tulane this season with 12 at left guard and one at left tackle. He has helped the offense rank in the top 10 nationally in sack allowed per game (6th - 0.77) and tackles for loss allowed per game (7th - 3.69). The Green Wave offense is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the ground with 2213 rushing yards. The passing game sports an average of 240.5 yards a contest with an impressive 12.92 yards per completion. The offense has scored 20+ points in 12 games including seven contests with 30+. He was previously a First Team American All-Conference selection.
Hamilton, in his fourth year at Tulane, played in all 13 games with 12 starts on the defensive line. He has 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and two pass breakups.
White, in his second year at Tulane, has played and started all 13 games at cornerback. He has totaled 46 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, six pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and three interceptions. His three interceptions are second on the team and sixth in the conference.
Durkin, in his second year at Tulane, was the team's primary kicker in all 13 games. On the season he is 24-for-27 on field goals and 40-for-41 on extra points. He is 7-for-9 from 40+ including four made kicks of 50+ with a long of 52. The 24 made field goals from Durkin this year are the most in school history for a single season and rank him sixth nationally. His 112 points leads the conference, is the most-ever for a kicker in school history, and is tied for the fifth-most for any player overall in the school record book. He also had 66 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs this season (85.7 percent). He was previously a First Team All-Conference selection for the first time in his career as well as being named the conference's Special Teams Player of the Year. Durkin also was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week three times throughout the campaign (Sept. 1, Oct. 13 and Nov. 24).
After winning the American Conference Championship on Friday night, Dec. 5, 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.
Will Hall, who returned to Tulane in 2025 as its Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, has been selected to be the program's new head coach, Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris announced on Monday, Dec. 8.
Hall, a highly accomplished head coach with 70 collegiate, rejoined Tulane in 2025 after serving as the program's Offensive Coordinator from 2019-2020, helping the Green Wave set offensive records and elevate the team's profile nationally. His offense in 2025 was a multi-threat unit, with four receivers catching 30 or more passes, led by Shazz Preston's four touchdowns, and quarterback Jake Retzlaff throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Prior to his current stint at Tulane, Hall spent three-plus seasons as head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, guiding the Golden Eagles through transitions in conference affiliation and a 38-24 victory in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl over Rice. Earlier that season, Hall's squad came into Yulman Stadium and knocked off the Cotton Bowl-bound Green Wave 27-24 in a year where Southern Miss faced three 10-win opponents.
A native of Amory, Mississippi, Hall made an immediate impact on the Tulane offense during his offensive coordinator stint, helping the Green Wave rewrite its offensive record books. The Green Wave finished the 2019 season ranked 11th in the nation in rushing offense (243.2), 22nd in total offense (449.3) and 30th in scoring offense (33.1). Tulane rushed for more than 200 yards in nine games and 300 or more four times. The Tulane offense set the program record in rushing yards at 3,162 yards in 2019 and ranked second in program history in rushing yards per game (243.2), rushing touchdowns (33) and rushing first downs (166).
In 2020, the Green Wave enjoyed more success offensively as it finished No. 17 nationally in rushing offense (217.1), 19th in first downs (258) and 22nd in scoring offense (34.7).
Hall joined the Green Wave coaching staff after he spent the 2018 campaign as the Associate Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach at the University of Memphis where he helped guide the Tigers to the American Athletic Conference Championship game for the second straight season and helped the Tigers to their fifth straight bowl appearance.
During his lone season at Memphis, Hall helped guide the Tigers to a school record 42 rushing touchdowns during the regular season. In addition, Memphis finished the regular season with 3,311 rushing yards, setting a new school record. Memphis' offense ranked in the nation's top 10 in rushing (No. 5, 275.9), scoring offense (No. 6, 43.8) and total offense (No. 6, 530.3) under Hall's assistance.
Hall joined the Memphis staff in January 2018 after spending the 2017 season as the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, where six offensive players received all-conference honors. The Cajuns ranked among the best in the nation in red zone offense and turnovers lost with just 16.
In his one season as offensive coordinator at Louisiana, the Ragin' Cajuns compiled the Sun Belt Conference's third-best rushing offense with 2,204 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. The Louisiana offense tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the Sun Belt during the 2017 season. The Cajuns were also efficient in the red zone, leading the Sun Belt by scoring on 92.9-percent of their red zone chances.
In his three-year head coaching stint at West Georgia (UWG), Hall led the Wolves to a 31-9 record, the first Gulf South Conference (GSC) title since 2000 and a pair of NCAA Division II semifinal appearances. His first two seasons at UWG produced a pair of 12-win seasons before he finished 7-4 in 2016. Hall was twice named GSC Coach of the Year and was the Super Region 2 Coach of the Year.
From 2011-13 as the head coach at West Alabama, his teams won two league titles and twice earned spots in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Prior to his six seasons at West Alabama, Hall enjoyed successful stints on the coaching staffs at Arkansas-Monticello, Southwest Baptist, Henderson State and Presbyterian. Hall's achievements in the coaching profession are a carryover from his illustrious career on the playing field at North Alabama.
Hall played for his father, Bobby Hall, at Amory High School leading the Panthers to the 1998 Mississippi High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Class 3A state title. From 1999-2000, he attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. In 2000, Hall set a NJCAA record for total offense in a season (4,075 yards) and added an NJCAA single-game record with nine touchdown passes.
Hall then moved to North Alabama, where he was a quarterback for the Lions from 2002-03. He won the Harlan Hill Trophy in 2003, emblematic of being America's top player in NCAA Division II. In 2003, Hall, who threw for 3,531 yards and 30 touchdowns, led the Lions to a 13-1 record and an NCAA Division II semifinals appearance.
In 2004, Hall signed a contract to play for the Tupelo FireAnts of the National Indoor Football League. Playing once again for his father, who was the head coach for the team, Hall passed for 2,046 yards and 44 touchdowns while rushing for 13 scores in the 14-game season.
A 2003 graduate of North Alabama, Hall, and wife Rebecca, have two sons – Tripp and Pete.
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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SPR
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