Tulane will be parting ways with head coach Curtis Johnson after four seasons, per multiple reports. Johnson was 15-34 in his four seasons, 11-22 in conference games in both Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference.
Tulane fires head coach Curtis Johnson
The Green Wave is ready to roll in a new direction after four seasons.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Tulane says it will not make a new hire until after hiring a new athletic director. Depending on which AD is hired, former Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan could be a candidate for the head coaching position. LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron is reportedly not interested in the gig
Johnson inherited a difficult situation from Bob Toledo, who was 15-40 in five seasons and fired seven games into his fifth. He did manage to get the Green Wave to the hometown New Orleans Bowl in his second season with a 7-5 mark, and recruiting, particularly locally, appeared to be on the uptick.
But the move to the American was not kind on the field. The Wave are just 3-12 since joining the conference, even with a brand new Yulman Stadium on campus. As Underdog Dynasty wrote in its hot seat rankings this summer:
One of the trickiest coaches to evaluate is Tulane's Curtis Johnson, who took a moribund program to a bowl in 2013 before dropping back below .500 during the Green Wave's first season in the AAC. Are the Greenies prepped for another step forward? Will Johnson lose his job with another losing season? Your guess is as good as ours.
It’s not likely Johnson will be unemployed long. He has an outstanding track record as a wide receivers coach and recruiter over the last 25 years. He recruited Marshall Faulk to San Diego State in the early 90s, and players like Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson and Santana Moss to Miami in the late 90s. During his time with the New Orleans Saints’ staff under Sean Payton, he’s credited for his work with receivers Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Lance Moore.
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