Ultimate 2025 Tulsa Football Preview
Since 2002, nobody has covered Tulsa Football in more detail than Inside Tulsa Sports. As the only media outlet dedicated solely to covering the Golden Hurricane for the past 20-plus years, we give you the annual Ultimate Tulsa Football Preview.
Our staff has been dishing out expert analysis and inside info on the upcoming TU Football season for months, and there is plenty more coming to get Hurricane fans ready for the season opener against Abilene Christian on August 30.
Below you will find an overwhelming amount of info and analysis on the 2025 Tulsa Football squad, including positional breakdowns, fall camp and preseason practice updates, player and coach features from our exclusive interviews, opponent previews, recruiting tidbits, and more.
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New TU coach Tre Lamb – up close and personal
Tre Lamb is living the life. And taking nothing for granted. Right now, there is no place Lamb would rather be than in Tulsa at TU.
“It’s been great. It’s a dream job. It’s a destination place,” Lamb said in an exclusive interview with Inside Tulsa Sports. “It doesn’t have to be a stepping-stone. I’m making a million dollars and coaching football, doing what I love, and doing it in a community that backs it.”
The 35-year-old Lamb is intent on going three-for-three in turning programs around in his sixth year as a college head coach.
FULL STORY: Lamb has had a busy first 6 months at TU
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane finished 3-9 last season, going 1-7 during conference play. In 2023, TU’s record was 4-8, and the Hurricane hasn’t had a winning season since compiling a 7-6 record in 2021.
While national prognosticators are picking Tulsa to finish near the bottom of the American, new head coach Tre Lamb plans for the program’s turnaround to begin immediately.
“If we can just take care of ourselves and take care of Tulsa first and not beat ourselves, the wins are going to come. I truly believe that,” Lamb said
FULL STORY: Lamb expects to win at Tulsa right away
During media days for the American Conference, new Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb made it clear that his program should win recruiting battles against most regional Power Four teams. And he has the receipts to back up those statements.
“We have money in the bank, we have NIL, we have rev-share,” Lamb said. “There’s no reason we can’t compete with the Oklahoma States of the world and the Kansas States of the world. We don’t need those people coming in our backyard and taking our players. Is it gonna be hard to beat Oklahoma on a kid or an SEC team? Yes, absolutely. But we wanna be able to compete with everybody else.”
The fact is, Tulsa is already competing with everybody else. Just look at its 2026 recruiting class so far.
FULL STORY: Lamb plans to continue beating P4 teams in recruiting
Breakdowns of each position heading into fall camp
For those who underestimated quarterback Kirk Francis coming into this season or any season, it has become apparent that the naysayers are wrong. Francis appears to have a stranglehold on the Tulsa quarterback job, and new TU coach Tre Lamb has had no hesitation when it comes to Francis.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Quarterbacks
As with all of Tulsa Football’s veteran running backs, Sevion Morrison is looking for a chance to finally fully showcase his immense talent. After being caught in crowded backfields at Nebraska and Kansas, Morrison is poised for a breakout season for the Golden Hurricane.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Running Backs
For those who have been waiting over a decade for the return of the tight end at Tulsa, the waiting very likely will be over. Maybe not Garrett Mills over. But underutilized is not in new Tulsa Football coach Tre Lamb’s thought process for the 2025 Golden Hurricane tight ends.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Tight Ends
With Tulsa’s great tradition of receivers, it is fitting that new coach Tre Lamb ranks the position at No. 1 among all of Tulsa’s positions this season. Regardless of whether there is a Howard Twilley, Drew Pearson or Steve Largent in the group, it is terrific to know that Lamb thinks so highly of this group of receivers.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Wide Receivers
Even with a lot of uncertainty on an almost entirely new offensive line, new Tulsa football coach Tre Lamb does feel good about the newcomers.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Offensive Line
For those who panic about a mass exodus on the defensive line, new Tulsa coach Tre Lamb isn’t one of them. To Lamb, the position has gone from one of the two worst positions on the Golden Hurricane team last season to one of the two best.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Defensive Line
Since shoring up the defense — which couldn’t stop the run or the pass — is a priority, there is no better way to start than going with what you know. Ray Coney was a special player for new Tulsa coach Tre Lamb last season at East Tennessee State, and he plans to do the same thing for the Golden Hurricane.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Linebackers
If you were drawing up an ideal young cornerback for Tulsa, Elijah Green would fit well in that category. Green proved last season that he is a player to watch for the Golden Hurricane, and several others are stepping up at the position.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Cornerbacks
There was no position that was more up for grabs than safety going into fall camp for Tulsa Football. And considering how much Tulsa’s defensive backs were torched during much of last season, thankfully the Hurricane has young players stepping up.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Safeties
If Tulsa’s place kicking and punting improves this season, it may be because of a position where it is best when nobody notices. One of the top long snappers in the Class of 2022, UCF’s Aiden Fedigan, was signed to shore up a weak area, and TU returns is starting punter and kicker.
• FULL ANALYSIS: Tulsa Special Teams
Fall Camp and Preseason Practice Updates
• August 22 practice update on linebackers – When sixth-year grad student Chris Thompson Jr. injured his ankle during preseason practice, it was a big blow for the Golden Hurricane defense, especially the linebacker group. With Thompson out, others in the linebacking corps are stepping up to fill his role, and thankfully, Tulsa is fairly deep at the position.
• August 21 practice update on OL, TE, WR and DB – Coach Lamb has seen improvement along the offensive front over the past two weeks and feels confident that the unit will play well.
• Tulsa Football Scrimmage Report – Senior writer Larry Lewis provides a full recap and analysis from TU’s August 16 scrimmage on Skelly Field.
• August 16 practice update on DL and ACU prep – Tulsa’s defense appears to have quality interior defensive linemen, with the likes of returning starter Tai Newhouse and Pitt transfer Nahki Johnson, but Lamb is looking for more from his defensive ends.
• August 13 fall camp update – In 2025, half of the roster is new, and a new coaching staff has completely changed the culture of the program in a short amount of time. But the question of how this year’s TU team will handle adversity won’t be answered until the situation presents itself.
• August 12 fall camp update on QB, OL and more – Kirk Francis was named the starter coming out of spring practice, and he appears to be taking on more of a leadership role, both on and off the field.
• August 10 fall camp notebook – Coming into preseason practice, the secondary was one of the big question marks. Through the first part of fall camp, several players at cornerback and safety have been stepping up and making plays.
• August 7 practice update on TE, DT, RB and more – After spring practice, Coach Lamb told Inside Tulsa Sports that he planned to use the tight ends more, and that’s been happening early in fall camp.
• August 6 fall camp notebook – A position on the Tulsa Football roster that was completely revamped from 2024 is running back. The only returning player in that group was a wide receiver last season, but the position has had a serious talent upgrade.
• August 4 practice update on OL – The offensive line was one of the top areas of concern for the Tulsa coaching staff heading into preseason practice. Coach Lamb didn’t seem pleased with the group coming out of spring ball, but he understood it was a large cast of new guys trying to come together to play as a unit.
• July 31 fall camp notebook – It’s clear that transfers are making a big impact on both sides of the football. TU utilized the transfer portal to overhaul several positions.
• TU Fall Camp Preview – Key storylines as Tulsa enters preseason training camp
Feature articles on TU players and coaches
• Sevion Morrison has special feeling about this season – Morrison’s long trek back to Tulsa should indeed prove to be a very worthwhile one. While TU fans would have loved to see him play for the Golden Hurricane for his entire career, the former Edison High School phenom who broke Spencer Tillman’s rushing records there has a chance to have a standout season as a sixth-year senior.
• CJ Johnson is a valuable addition at receiver – Northwestern transfer wideout Calvin “CJ” Johnson II brings maturity and valuable Big Ten experience to the Golden Hurricane receiver room. The 5-11 and 180-pounder from French Camp, Mississippi, transferred to Tulsa after spring practice.
• Q&A with TU Special Teams Coordinator Carter Barfield – Early in fall camp, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane started working hard on special teams. Head coach Tre Lamb brought in Carter Barfield as the Special Teams Coordinator, which appears to be paying dividends. Barfield spent the past four seasons coaching special teams at Florida State.
• Baylor Hayes helps solidify Tulsa QB room – In the spring transfer portal window, Tulsa saw quarterback Tim Carpenter exit the program, eventually signing with Ohio, and the Hurricane added QB Baylor Hayes, who is a known commodity for new TU head coach Tre Lamb.
• WR Dallen Ponder ready for fresh start at TU – Western Kentucky wide receiver transfer Dallen Ponder signed with Tulsa in mid-April, shortly after entering the transfer portal, and he says he’s glad to be a Golden Hurricane.
• Zion Booker is major weapon as WR and punt returner – If the preseason talk comes to be reality, Zion Booker is going to quickly become a Tulsa fan favorite.
• CB Elijah Green ready for breakout season – Tulsa cornerback Elijah Green was limited by injury last year but still had four starts, and he’s poised for a big season in 2025.
• Mizzou transfer Mekhi Miller ready to make a splash – Mekhi Miller is planning on his journey to Tulsa ending up in a banner year for both the Golden Hurricane and himself. The 6-1, 200-pound senior transfer from Mizzou has gotten a lot of playing time, but his talents have been underutilized. His skills will be front and center at TU.
• LB Ray Coney wants to make a statement this season – Ray Coney had a monster season at ETSU last year, and now at Tulsa, the linebacker is looking to take his game to an even higher level.
TU Football Opponent Analysis
• American Conference – What to know about TU’s league opponents
• Abilene Christian, August 30 – Early look at the Wildcats
• at New Mexico State, September 6 – Early look at the Aggies
• Navy, September 13 – Early look at the Midshipmen
• at Oklahoma State, September 19 – Early look at the Cowboys
• Tulane, September 27 – Early look at the Green Wave
• at Memphis, October 4 – Early look at the Tigers
• at East Carolina, October 16 – Early look at the Pirates
• Temple, October 25 – Early look at the Owls
• at Florida Atlantic, November 8 – Early look at the Owls
• Oregon State, November 15 – Early look at the Beavers
• at Army, November 22 – Early look at the Black Knights
• UAB, November 29 – Early look at the Blazers
Tulsa Football Recruiting Updates
• Breaking down the top G5 recruiting classes – Tulsa has one of the top 10 recruiting classes among Group of Five schools in the 2026 recruiting cycle
• Where Tulsa’s in-state commits sit in the rankings
• Tulsa commit Alonzo Welch preparing for senior season
• Tulsa invests in special teams with commitment of elite kicker
• Tulsa keeping an eye on legacy football recruits – The new Tulsa football coaching staff is keeping tabs on a batch of recruits whose fathers played for the Golden Hurricane in the past. TU has recently had other legacy players in the program, including current wide receiver Zion Steptoe.
• Big lineman from Arkansas commits to Tulsa
• Nationally ranked LS Joel Bazinet commits to Tulsa
• Speedy CB Jerrod Williams talks Tulsa commitment
• Big OL Nick Anciaux breaks down his commitment to Tulsa
• QB Kyden Barker has confidence in new Tulsa coaching staff – When discussing new TU head coach Tre Lamb with other college coaches, two specific traits are always mentioned. First is that Lamb excels at finding the right fit for the talent on his roster, and the second is his excellent play-calling on offense. Those qualities bode well for Tulsa quarterback commit Kyden Barker.
Other Useful Links
• 2025 Tulsa Football Schedule
• Hurricane Alley – The ONLY message board for Tulsa Golden Hurricane fans since 2002. Where our staff provides insider news and expert analysis on TU football, basketball, recruiting and more, and the place for serious discussions among diehard Tulsa fans.
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