Photo by: Parker Waters
2025 American Athletic Conference Kickoff and Media Days Set For July 24-25 In Charlotte
Jun 12, 2025 | Football
Irving, Texas (reprinted with permission)  – The American Athletic Conference will launch its 2025 football season with its annual Kickoff and Media Days Thursday and Friday, July 24-25 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Queen City will play host to the American's signature preseason event for the first time, bringing all 14 head coaches and 28 student-athletes together for two days of interviews, insight and season-long content. Media sessions will begin Thursday afternoon, July 24, and will continue Friday, July 25, with opening remarks by Commissioner Tim Pernetti, followed by press conferences with each of the league's 14 head coaches.Â
ESPN+ will once again have live coverage of the Kickoff Friday, July 25, with Maria Trivelpiece, Rene Ingoglia and Leger Douzable anchoring from Charlotte.
The American is once again opening the doors for fans to be part of the Kickoff experience. Attendees will enjoy unprecedented access to their favorite teams with head coaches' press conferences, photo opportunities and meet-and-greets with the student-athletes and coaches. A detailed schedule and full list of participating student-athletes will be announced in early July.
The 2025 Kickoff comes on the heels of a banner 2024 season for the American. The conference sent eight teams to Bowl Season and captured the Bowl Challenge Cup by virtue of a 6-2 postseason record. American teams scored bowl wins against opponents from the SEC, Big 12, ACC, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Conference USA. The American was one of only five leagues - joining the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC - to have three teams finish with at least 10 wins last season.
SAVE THE DATES
2025 American Athletic Conference Kickoff and Media Days
Thursday-Friday, July 24-25
Charlotte Convention Center
501 South College Street | Charlotte, North Carolina
Registration information and a schedule of events will be forthcomingÂ
The American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, which Tulane has played in the last three seasons, will air on ABC on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET. It will be the 11th consecutive season that The American Championship will be televised on ABC.
2025 Tulane Football Schedule
Saturday, August 30 – Northwestern – 11 a.m. CT - ESPNU
Saturday, September 6 - at South Alabama – 6 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Saturday, September 13 – Duke (Hall of Fame) – 7 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Saturday, September 20 – at Ole Miss – 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT window or 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. CT window – ESPN Family of Networks
Saturday, September 27 – at Tulsa
Thursday, October 9 – East Carolina – 7 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2
Saturday, October 18 – Army
Thursday, October 30 – at UTSA – 6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2
Friday, November 7 – at Memphis – 8 p.m. CT - ESPN
Saturday, November 15 – Florida Atlantic (Homecoming)
Saturday, November 22 – at Temple
Saturday, November 29 - Charlotte
Bold = Home Games
The Tulane football team (9-5) ended the season playing in the program's third consecutive bowl game. It was also the sixth time in the last seven years that Tulane had been selected to play in a bowl game (2018 – Cure Bowl, 2019 – Armed Forces Bowl, 2020 – Famous Idaho Bowl, 2022 – Cotton Bowl, 2023 – Military Bowl and 2024 – Gasparilla Bowl). Overall, it was Tulane's 17th 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, 2023 – Military Bowl and 2024 – Gasparilla Bowl) with the program sporting an all-time record of 7-10 in bowl games.
Tulane also made the team's third straight AAC Championship Game appearance. The program sports a 32-10 record over the last three seasons. The team's 32 wins is the fourth-most nationally. The team placed first or second in the AAC in 10 different categories including leading the league in third down conversions (52.5), defensive touchdowns (6), completion percentage (65.6), scoring offense (37.2) and passing efficiency defense (111.65). The team was the national leader in defensive touchdowns with six.
The team had a league-high 18 players selected All-AAC this season including 2025 returners Derrick Graham (First Team – offensive tackle), Shadre Hurst (First Team – offensive guard),  Sam Howard (Second Team – linebacker), Bailey Despanie (Second Team – defensive back) and Kameron Hamilton (Third Team – defensive line).
The Green Wave's football team was chosen for third in the 2024 AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes at the annual conference media day.
The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native has been one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last three seasons with a record of 32-9, 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 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 upcoming football and volleyball campaigns 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.
Â
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 -
Â
The Queen City will play host to the American's signature preseason event for the first time, bringing all 14 head coaches and 28 student-athletes together for two days of interviews, insight and season-long content. Media sessions will begin Thursday afternoon, July 24, and will continue Friday, July 25, with opening remarks by Commissioner Tim Pernetti, followed by press conferences with each of the league's 14 head coaches.Â
ESPN+ will once again have live coverage of the Kickoff Friday, July 25, with Maria Trivelpiece, Rene Ingoglia and Leger Douzable anchoring from Charlotte.
The American is once again opening the doors for fans to be part of the Kickoff experience. Attendees will enjoy unprecedented access to their favorite teams with head coaches' press conferences, photo opportunities and meet-and-greets with the student-athletes and coaches. A detailed schedule and full list of participating student-athletes will be announced in early July.
The 2025 Kickoff comes on the heels of a banner 2024 season for the American. The conference sent eight teams to Bowl Season and captured the Bowl Challenge Cup by virtue of a 6-2 postseason record. American teams scored bowl wins against opponents from the SEC, Big 12, ACC, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Conference USA. The American was one of only five leagues - joining the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC - to have three teams finish with at least 10 wins last season.
SAVE THE DATES
2025 American Athletic Conference Kickoff and Media Days
Thursday-Friday, July 24-25
Charlotte Convention Center
501 South College Street | Charlotte, North Carolina
Registration information and a schedule of events will be forthcomingÂ
The American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, which Tulane has played in the last three seasons, will air on ABC on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET. It will be the 11th consecutive season that The American Championship will be televised on ABC.
2025 Tulane Football Schedule
Saturday, August 30 – Northwestern – 11 a.m. CT - ESPNU
Saturday, September 6 - at South Alabama – 6 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Saturday, September 13 – Duke (Hall of Fame) – 7 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Saturday, September 20 – at Ole Miss – 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT window or 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. CT window – ESPN Family of Networks
Saturday, September 27 – at Tulsa
Thursday, October 9 – East Carolina – 7 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2
Saturday, October 18 – Army
Thursday, October 30 – at UTSA – 6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2
Friday, November 7 – at Memphis – 8 p.m. CT - ESPN
Saturday, November 15 – Florida Atlantic (Homecoming)
Saturday, November 22 – at Temple
Saturday, November 29 - Charlotte
Bold = Home Games
The Tulane football team (9-5) ended the season playing in the program's third consecutive bowl game. It was also the sixth time in the last seven years that Tulane had been selected to play in a bowl game (2018 – Cure Bowl, 2019 – Armed Forces Bowl, 2020 – Famous Idaho Bowl, 2022 – Cotton Bowl, 2023 – Military Bowl and 2024 – Gasparilla Bowl). Overall, it was Tulane's 17th 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, 2023 – Military Bowl and 2024 – Gasparilla Bowl) with the program sporting an all-time record of 7-10 in bowl games.
Tulane also made the team's third straight AAC Championship Game appearance. The program sports a 32-10 record over the last three seasons. The team's 32 wins is the fourth-most nationally. The team placed first or second in the AAC in 10 different categories including leading the league in third down conversions (52.5), defensive touchdowns (6), completion percentage (65.6), scoring offense (37.2) and passing efficiency defense (111.65). The team was the national leader in defensive touchdowns with six.
The team had a league-high 18 players selected All-AAC this season including 2025 returners Derrick Graham (First Team – offensive tackle), Shadre Hurst (First Team – offensive guard),  Sam Howard (Second Team – linebacker), Bailey Despanie (Second Team – defensive back) and Kameron Hamilton (Third Team – defensive line).
The Green Wave's football team was chosen for third in the 2024 AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes at the annual conference media day.
The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native has been one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last three seasons with a record of 32-9, 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 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 upcoming football and volleyball campaigns 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.
Â
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 -
Â
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballPostgame: LB Dickson Agu - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
Postgame: QB Jake Retzlaff - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
Postgame: HC Jon Sumrall - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
Tulane Tuesday: S Jack Tchienchou - 9/9/25
Tuesday, September 09
