The names change. The philosophy does not.

Tulane is once again at an inflection point in major-college athletics. This is not about one football game, one coach, or one bad broadcast.

It is about a recurring institutional philosophy that has repeatedly chosen retreat, underinvestment, and low ambition at the moments when Tulane needed to build.

That philosophy has already cost Tulane hundreds of millions of dollars.

Repeating it now could cost another billion.

THE COST OF RETREAT

Tulane left the SEC in 1966.

Over just the last ten years, a full SEC member has received roughly $500 million in direct conference distributions.

That excludes the prior five decades, ticketing, sponsorships, licensing, postseason revenue, donor effects, and brand value.

Today, Tulane generates roughly $66 million annually in athletics revenue.

The average ACC athletics department generates roughly $160 million. That is a gap approaching $100 million every year.

At current economics, another decade outside the Power Conference structure represents roughly $850 million to $1 billion of revenue differential relative to the median or average ACC institution.

This is no longer a philosophical debate about whether athletics matters.

The economics have made retreat untenable.

TULANE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE

The pattern is remarkably consistent.

• 1966: Years of athletic de-emphasis produced decline. Tulane responded by leaving the SEC rather than rebuilding.
• 1998: Tulane went 12–0. Rich Rodriguez later recounted that after interviewing for the head coaching job, Tulane leadership discussed a press conference with him—then abruptly hired Chris Scelfo. Tulane went 3–8 the next year.
• 2003: Tulane again considered retreating from major-college athletics. Fans and alumni revolted. Ticket commitments and fundraising surged. Supporters adopted the “Lunatic Fringe” identity. The Board ultimately remained in Division I-A.
• Today: Tulane has again reached a moment when success must either be institutionalized—or squandered.

The names change. The philosophy does not.

TULANE PROVED WHAT WAS POSSIBLE

Over four seasons, Tulane football won 43 games, won conference championships, beat USC in the Cotton Bowl, and reached the College Football Playoff.

Tulane did not need to imagine what nationally relevant athletics could do for the university.

It had just watched it happen. Leadership’s responsibility was simple:

Preserve it. Institutionalize it. Build on it.

Instead, the same pattern returned.

THE CURRENT RECORD

Jon Sumrall becoming a target for major programs surprised no one.

Before he left, veteran New Orleans sports journalist Garland Gillen publicly asked what Athletic Director David Harris was doing to keep him.

Citing his sources, Gillen’s answer was: “Not much.”

Less than a month later, Sumrall left for Florida.

Tulane then pursued LSU defensive coordinator and former Tulane player Blake Baker. Reports described Baker as the clear leading target and a deal as potentially imminent.

Baker stayed at LSU. Three days later, Tulane promoted internally.

That is not merely a coaching outcome. It is a succession-management failure.

The problems extend beyond football.

In 2025–26:

• Baseball finished last in the American.
• Women’s basketball finished near the bottom.
• Men’s basketball again finished below .500 in conference play.
• Basic operations have also failed publicly.

During Tulane’s nationally televised 2025 game against Duke, the stadium game clock failed entirely, forcing ESPN to display:

CLOCK OUTAGE — OFFICIAL TIME ON FIELD

Tulane’s 2026 home ESPN+ production against South Alabama then suffered video blackouts, audio failures, and missed live action.

At some point, repeated failures across succession planning, competitive performance, and basic operations stop looking isolated. They become the standard of management.

THE AMBITION GAP

In August 2025, David Harris described Tulane’s objective as being among the nation’s top Group of 5 programs.

That is not enough. Being excellent within the lower-revenue tier is not a strategy for escaping it.

Tulane needs leadership explicitly charged with reaching the highest level of college athletics—not managing its position outside it.

The old suggestion that Tulane must choose between academics and athletics is also false. Serious universities pursue both.

Tulane should too.

WHO OWNS THIS

David Harris is the immediate accountability issue.

But replacing him without changing the system would simply restart the cycle.

Removing David Harris is not the reform. It is the prerequisite for reform.

The larger responsibility belongs to President Michael Fitts and the Tulane Board.

They set the ambition.

They control the resources.

They choose the leadership.

They own the outcome.

And they are running out of time.

THE HOUR IS LATE

Power Conference consolidation is happening now.

The financial gap is already enormous. Media rights, athlete compensation, coaching salaries, facilities, and conference economics will make that gap harder to cross every year.

Tulane does not have the luxury of another multi-year planning exercise.

The university should be developing, funding, and advocating its Power Conference case now—including active engagement with the ACC and every other credible strategic pathway.

Delay is itself a decision.

And at this stage, delay risks becoming irreversible.

This is not a hypothetical opportunity.

Sports-media and conference-realignment analysts are already identifying Tulane as a plausible candidate in the next round of ACC movement. If Tulane is genuinely in the conversation, then the university should already have a funded, Board-approved strategy, active conference outreach, and a clear institutional case for admission.

Being mentioned as a candidate is not the same as being prepared to win the opportunity.

FIVE IMMEDIATE DEMANDS

We call on President Fitts and the Board to:

1. Remove Athletic Director David Harris immediately.

The cumulative record no longer supports confidence in his leadership.

Tulane needs interim leadership capable of acting with urgency while a modern executive search proceeds.

2. Begin an independent external review immediately and complete it within 30 days.

A nationally respected outside athletics/business consultancy should report directly to the Board on:

• athletic department leadership and organization;
• coaching succession and compensation;
• competitive performance;
• NIL and athlete revenue sharing;
• commercial revenue;
• facilities;
• media and event operations;
• and Power Conference strategy.

This cannot become another open-ended study.

Thirty days. Findings to the Board. Immediate implementation.

3. Produce a Board-approved competitiveness capital plan within 45 days.

Determine the recurring investment required to operate at a credible Power Conference standard.

Identify the funding.

Commit the resources.

Or publicly explain why the Board has chosen not to.

4. Establish a new athletics governance structure within 60 days.

Create a permanent mechanism that brings serious outside athletics, NIL, business, alumni, donor, and former-athlete expertise into strategic decision-making.

Tulane cannot solve a recurring governance problem by relying solely on the same governance process that produced it.

5. Adopt and begin executing a formal Power Conference strategy immediately.

Tulane should maintain a written, Board-approved plan for every credible path into the highest level of college athletics, including active engagement with the ACC and any other realistic conference opportunity.

If outside analysts can already see Tulane as a plausible realignment candidate, the university should not be entering that process without a fully developed strategy.

The next Athletic Director should be hired to execute that mandate. Not to decide whether Tulane should have one.

THIS CANNOT WAIT

Tulane has already lost decades of opportunity by treating major-college athletics as something that could be addressed later.

There may not be another later.

The next phase of conference consolidation could determine Tulane’s competitive and economic position for a generation.

The Board must act before the window closes—not explain afterward why Tulane missed it.

Tulane supporters stopped institutional retreat once before.

It may be necessary to do so again.

If you believe Tulane should compete rather than retreat, sign this declaration.

Roll Wave.