THE BOARD: Tulane Football

Latest: Joshua Sylvain (WR, 6-4, 205, Carol City HS, Miami, Fla.) committed June 20, giving Will Hall 21 commits in his first full recruiting class as head coach. Heading into the Dead Period, Tulane holds the No. 1 class in the American Athletic Conference and No. 59 nationally per Profile.

The number

28 — Offers held by Ray’Quan Williams before he committed to Tulane. The Saint Augustine wide receiver had LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Miami, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Florida State and more. Lane Kiffin personally visited St. Augustine to recruit him. Williams stayed home in New Orleans.

The fit

Will Hall took over after Jon Sumrall’s departure and made the recruiting pitch simple: Tulane is NOLA’s team. The class backs it up. Six Louisiana commits anchor the haul — Williams and Ja’ir Burks from New Orleans, Jaden Terrance from Archbishop Rummel, Aymaud Sykes from Grant HS in Dry Prong, Jackson Shaw from Baton Rouge Catholic and Devin Lavalais from Marksville. The Gulf South footprint extends into Alabama (4), Mississippi (3), Tennessee (2), Texas (1), Georgia (1) and Florida (2). Hall recruited this region his entire career and the class reflects it.

The skill talent is the story. Dallas Crescenzo decommitted from Purdue and chose Tulane over Oklahoma State, UCLA and Florida State. Williams turned down 19 Power 4 offers. Sykes ran a 4.29 40-yard dash — the fastest ever recorded at a Gridiron Football Elite Camp — and rushed for 2,188 yards and 35 touchdowns as a junior. Tulane loaded the receiver room (5 commits) and the backfield (4 commits) with speed and production.

The Alabama pipeline stands out. Sharontae Bailey (Anniston) had Kentucky, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Demetrius Terrell (Parker HS, Birmingham) had North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Wake Forest. Kavarris Duncan (Winterboro, Talladega) and Owen Reineck (Bayside Academy) round out a four-deep Alabama contingent. Hall is pulling talent out of the state against Power 4 competition.

The commits

Dallas Crescenzo — WR, 6-0, 175, Bastrop HS, Bastrop, Texas. Committed June 17. Highest-rated commit in the class at 3.7 stars with a Profile grade of 81.05. Originally committed to Purdue in October 2025 — their first 2027 pledge — before decommitting June 5. Had offers from Florida State, Arizona State, UCLA, TCU, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Pitt, Kentucky and West Virginia. Recorded 29 receptions for 660 yards and 7 touchdowns through six games at Bastrop.

Aymaud Sykes — RB, 5-9, 170, Grant HS, Dry Prong, La. Committed June 19. Ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the Gridiron Football Elite Camp — the fastest time ever recorded at the event. Rushed for 2,188 yards and 35 touchdowns on 197 carries (11.1 YPC) as a junior. In his season opener against Montgomery, he ran for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns on 25 carries — tied for fourth-most rushing TDs in a single game in national high school history per NFHS records. Louisiana 4A bronze medalist in the 100m as a sophomore. Held offers from Arkansas, Kansas State, Duke, Cincinnati and Northwestern.

Ray’Quan Williams — WR, 6-1, 175, Saint Augustine HS, New Orleans, La. Committed June 6. The crown jewel of the class per Crescent City Sports. Held 28 offers including LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Miami, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Florida State, Auburn, Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia Tech and Baylor — at least 19 Power 4 programs. Lane Kiffin personally visited St. Augustine to recruit Williams and teammate Miguel Whitley (who committed to Ole Miss). LSU co-OC Cortez Hankton, a St. Augustine alumnus, led the Tigers’ pursuit. Williams stayed home. Recorded 31 catches for 647 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior. Described as a polished route runner with strong contested-catch ability.

Sharontae Bailey — IOL, 6-3, 290, Anniston HS, Anniston, Ala. Committed April 6. Held offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Prep Redzone scouting report: “Broke out as one of the top OL in 4A this year, dominating the line of scrimmage all year long for Anniston. Quick on his feet in pass protection, can counter pass rushers, and has the strength, leverage and size to hold his own.”

Demetrius Terrell — DL, 6-4, 265, Parker HS, Birmingham, Ala. Committed June 16. Two-way lineman who recorded 65 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 8 sacks on defense as a junior while also playing offensive line. Held offers from North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Wake Forest. Took official visits to UNC, Tulane and Georgia Tech before choosing the Green Wave. Basketball background developed his footwork and movement skills.

Hans Emery Julien — Edge, 6-3, 235, Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tenn. Committed June 15. Plays with a 6-7 wingspan that allows him to keep offensive linemen at bay. SI Tulane scouting report: “Demonstrates exceptional arm length. Maintains his positioning well and effectively disengages with one arm to pursue tackles. His athleticism translates well in both pass-rush and run-defense situations.” Held 17 offers.

Joshua Sylvain — WR, 6-4, 205, Carol City HS, Miami, Fla. Committed June 20. Transferred from Dillard HS in Fort Lauderdale. Recorded 35 receptions for 600 yards and 4 touchdowns at Dillard. Held offers from California, Colorado, South Florida and Florida Atlantic. At 6-4, 205 he has the size and contested-catch ability to win on intermediate and deep routes. Described as a “top playmaker” by recruiting analyst Marcus Benjamin.

Jackson Shaw — OT, 6-6, 260, Baton Rouge Catholic, La. Committed June 7. Held 16 offers. Biggest frame among the offensive line commits at 6-6.

Anquan Jackson — RB, 6-0, 185, South Jones HS, Ellisville, Miss. Committed June 6. Held 15 offers.

Ja’ir Burks — WR, 5-10, 160, Jesuit HS, New Orleans, La. Committed June 13. Local New Orleans product.

Kavarris Duncan — DT, 6-2, 315, Winterboro HS, Talladega, Ala. Committed June 5. Heaviest commit in the class at 315 pounds. Held 14 offers.

Malik Ward — DE, 6-4, 220, Gautier HS, Gautier, Miss. Committed June 15. Long defensive end with room to add weight.

Devin Lavalais — SAF, 6-2, 175, Marksville HS, La. Committed April 19. One of the earliest commits in the class.

Tavares Stinson — CB, 5-10, 165, Spalding HS, Ga. Committed April 10. Held 14 offers.

Owen Reineck — IOL, 6-3, 275, Bayside Academy, Ala. Committed April 17.

Jaden Terrance — RB, 5-10, 170, Archbishop Rummel, La. Committed June 13. Grew up in New Orleans East with fellow commit Ray’Quan Williams — a childhood connection that reinforces the “NOLA’s team” recruiting pitch.

James Tyson — CB, 6-0, 180, St. Charles Catholic, La. Committed June 7.

Kingston Johnson — QB, 6-0, 170, Starkville HS, Starkville, Miss. Committed February 3. Earliest commit in the class.

Peyton Perkins — RB, 6-0, 175, Eupora HS, Eupora, Miss. Committed June 5.

August Faulkner — LB, 6-2, 210, Fairhope HS, Ala. Committed June 9.

Teddy Graff — TE, 6-4, 220, Ensworth HS, Tenn. Committed June 5.

Twenty-one commits, No. 1 in the AAC, and a statement about what Tulane is becoming under Will Hall. Williams turned down LSU, Ole Miss, Miami, Florida, Tennessee and Texas to stay in New Orleans. Sykes chose Tulane over Arkansas and Kansas State after running the fastest 40 in Gridiron Football Elite Camp history. Crescenzo walked away from Purdue and a half-dozen Power 4 suitors. Bailey and Terrell left Alabama with Power 4 offers on the table. This is not a class built on geography alone. These players were recruited nationally and chose Tulane anyway. Hall said he wanted to make Tulane NOLA’s team. The 2027 class is the proof.

Recruiting data per Profile. Additional reporting from 247Sports, Crescent City Sports, NOLA.com, Fox 8 New Orleans, SI, KALB News, Prep Redzone and GeauxPreps.