A new era is underway at Tulsa, but 35-year-old head coach Tre Lamb has his work out for him if he’s going to turn the Golden Hurricane into a contender.
Tulsa has produced just two winning seasons since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2014, and the program has won just seven games the past two seasons. Last fall, the Hurricane went 3-9 and 1-7 in the American. The offense managed just 25 points a game, and the defense was one of the worst in the AAC, surrendering a conference-worst 42.5 points a game.
To make matters worse, the roster was gutted by graduation and the transfer portal, leaving a brand new coaching staff to develop chemistry with an almost entirely new group of starters.
Lamb found a way to win games at FCS programs Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee State the past few years, but his new team has to contend with a daunting conference schedule and a tough non-conference slate. Tulsa hopes a ton of transfers can step in and make a difference right away.
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Tulsa Football’s American Conference Title Betting Odds
Tulsa’s odds to make the American Conference championship game are +8000, via BetMGM.
Tulsa Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Tulsa’s win total Over/Under is 3.5.
- Under 3.5 is at +105.
- Over 3.5 is at -125.
Tulsa Football’s 2025 Schedule
Aug. 30 vs. Abilene Christian
Sept. 6 @ New Mexico State
Sept. 13 vs. Navy
Sept. 19 @ Oklahoma State
Sept. 27 vs. Tulane
Oct. 4 @ Memphis
Oct. 16 @ East Carolina
Oct. 25 vs. Temple
Nov. 8 @ Florida Atlantic
Nov. 15 vs. Oregon State
Nov. 22 @ Army
Nov. 29 vs. UAB
Bold indicates American Conference games
Tulsa Football Season Preview
The Golden Hurricane don’t return a single all-conference pick from last season. They’re going to have to rely on transfers at almost every position, but Lamb has a history of producing consistent running games and stingy defenses. ETSU ranked No. 19 in the FCS with 194.2 rushing yards a game last season. Tulsa will need some of that magic this year if it’s going to break its string of three-straight losing seasons.
Francis Is Back At QB
The one position the Hurricane have experience at is quarterback, where redshirt sophomore Kirk Francis is back for his third season with the program. The former walk-on, who earned a scholarship as a freshman, won the starting job early last season and finished with a team-high 1,585 passing yards to go along with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. After missing time with an injury, he was supplanted by Utah State transfer Cooper Legas, who finished the season with 12 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Legas is gone, leaving Francis to run the offense. He doesn’t have the athleticism that Lamb usually likes at quarterback, but he has an accurate arm and his experience should add some stability to an offense that is full of new starters.
Francis will be throwing to a rebuilt group of wide receivers, led by transfers Zion Booker (Western Carolina), Micah Tease (Texas A&M), and Mekhi Miller (Missouri).
The Running Game Has To Be Better
Tulsa could not run the ball successfully last season. The Hurricane averaged 151.1 rushing yards a game, which ranked No. 10 in the 14-team American Conference. They cracked 300 yards in a game just once – in the season opener against Northwestern State – and managed more than 200 yards just three times.
Leading rusher Anthony Watkins was lost to graduation, but second-leading rusher Viron Ellison Jr. is back after posting 353 yards and one touchdown last fall. He’ll compete for carries against transfers Ajay Allen (Miami) and Sevion Morris (Kansas). Allen spent time at Nebraska and Miami and was briefly at FIU this spring before transferring to Tulsa. He joins the Hurricane with 734 career yards and nine touchdowns. Morris began his career at Nebraska and spent the past three seasons at Kansas. He has 507 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.
Ohio transfer Ricky Hunt Jr. was in the mix this spring, but he transferred to Middle Tennessee in April.
Whoever carries the load will do so behind an offensive line featuring at least four new starters, including left tackle JaQuan Adams, who transferred from ETSU, and center Simon Wilson from Middle Tennessee.
The Linebackers Should Be A Plus
Leading tackler Gavin Potter is gone, but the Hurricane have a pair of experienced linebackers who should step in as starters on Day 1.
Former USC transfer Chris Thompson Jr. finished No. 4 at Tulsa with 49 tackles last season. He should be the man in the middle this year. He’ll be joined by ETSU transfer Ray Coney, who led the Buccaneers with 97 tackles and 12 tackles for loss while adding five sacks last season.
Who Will Rush The Passer?
Tulsa managed just 19 sacks last fall, which ranked No. 10 in the American. Sack leader RJ Jackson Jr. transferred to UCF, leaving the Hurricane to rely on transfers to rush the passer this year.
Former four-star recruit Byron Turner Jr. (Florida State) will get the first shot at defensive end. He posted 29 tackles and one sack in four seasons with the Seminoles. Tim Hardiman (Arkansas State) and Nahki Johnson (Pitt) should form a potent duo on the inside of the defensive line.
Tulsa Football Season Prediction
I predict Tulsa will not make the American Conference championship game, and I predict it will not win more than 3.5 games.
The Golden Hurricane are relying on a first-time FBS head coach and a lot of new starters to fix a broken running game and one of the worst defenses in the country. They also play in the stacked American Conference, where the likes of Tulane and Memphis have a chance to be in the conversation for a CFP berth. They have to travel to Oklahoma State less than a week after opening conference play against Navy, and Oregon State is also on the non-conference schedule.
