NIL and the transfer portal are as big as free agency is in the NFL. Everybody's looking for where they fit best and where they can get properly compensated for their effort. Like the NFL, in college you want to keep your best players. Sometimes you can't keep them all. That's life. But it's important to see at least a nice amount of retention heading into your next season.With that said, we now look at Tulane's roster compared to last year's, and we tell you about some of the most important retentions the Wave managed to have this year.Keeping the MVP in the DB RoomTo start, Tulane managed to keep their sophomore MVP, Jack Tchienchou. The American Conference Championship Game Most Valuable Player led the team in tackles last year with 83, and also provided solid coverage throughout the year.The big-play safety was responsible for two turnovers of his own during the American Conference Championship. An interception and fumble recovery helped put a stop to one of the most prolific offenses in the country.The Atlanta native has been on nothing but an upward trend since he became a Greenie. His big-play, snowballing potential showed during the conference championship and was awarded for doing so. Just staying consistent would give the Wave an important piece for their DB room, but if his upward trend continues, that’d be ideal.Bringing in ReinforcementsBacking up Tchienchou are his safety counterparts, E’zaiah Shine and Kevin Adams III, and linebacker partners, Chris Rodgers and Dickson Agu.Adams had a solid outing with the Wave in 2025, proving to be a cornerstone part of this Greenie defense. He finished the ‘25 year with 53 total tackles with 36 being solo, and he managed to snag two interceptions with three passes defended to go along with it. He’s entering his fourth year as a Greenie, and we’re excited to see how he continues to grow as a player.Shine is just as much of a foundation as the other defensive backs on the list. He racked up 33 solo tackles, adding up to 41 total, and locked down receivers with seven pass breakups. The freshman DB was solid last year and he can only go up from here on.Rodgers was a part of the ‘Sumrall Package’ in 2023, as he’d come along from Troy University to the Big Easy starting in 2024. He was second on the team in tackles last year, trailing the previous mentioned Tchienchou by three at 80 total tackles and by four (55) in solo tackles at 51. The sure tackler adds security to the front seven, insuring that there is at least one player at both levels that can bring someone down by just getting a hand on them.Dickson Agu exited the season early last year after suffering from an ACL injury in the conference-opener against Tulsa. Agu was poised for a fantastic season, accumulating 36 total tackles and 15 solo tackles in five weeks, so we’re excited to see an uninterrupted and healthy season from the Baton Rouge native.Keeping Parts of the Run GameStarting with a small but strong running back, Jamauri McClure makes his return to Tulane for his third year as a Greenie. He spent much of his first year on the sideline for the Wave, only getting the ball 20 times for an impressive 121 yards on 6.1 yards per carry and a touchdown. McClure wouldn’t get his call at the start of last year either, as the Alabama man would get his first carry of the season in the first of two matches against Ole Miss last year. Not to mention that he was splitting touches with running back counterparts Javon Gordon, Arnold Barnes III, Zuberi Mobley, and starting running back—Maurice Turner.McClure instead had his breakout performance during week 10 against Florida Atlantic. He carried the ball for a season high (at the time) 10 carries for 94-yards and a touchdown. The performances never slowed down either, as McClure would produce 80+ rushing yard games for three of the next four contests.He’d follow FAU with one of his best performances with 122-yards rushing on 17 carries, making him rush for about 7.0-yards per carry. A quieter night against Charlotte would get him 69-yards for 11 carries, but he’d take off for his best performance in the American Conference Championship game. McClure would rush the ball 22 times for 121-yards and a touchdown while making sure to carry that momentum into the playoffs.He’d rush for 5.6 yards per carry against sixth ranked Ole Miss across 15 carries for a total of 84 rushing yards; not too shabby for the sophomore.Keeping Weapons for QB1While no starter has been announced yet, what we can look at is some targets the potential QB1 can target. Although the Wave made sure to bring in some new weapons like we saw in LSU transfer Destyn Hill, but they also made sure to retain some talent with junior wide receiver, Anthony Brown-Stephens.The Kentucky transfer from Springfield, Ohio didn’t see the field much during his time in Lexington. Brown-Stephens' role would change once he reached the bayou; catching 41 passes for 523 yards and a pair of TDs.On Monday, May 25, a look at those new Greenies who we think could make a difference in the 2026 campaign.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow