Coming off of a 3-9 campaign in 2018, Tulsa football was picked to finish sixth in the West Division in the preseason media poll for 2019. However, that prediction is of no consequence to TU head coach Philip Montgomery.
“Every year I’ve been here, we’ve been picked low, and that’s fine,” Montgomery said. “No one across the country knows what your team’s going to be. Every year there are surprises. Every year you have teams picked at the top that don’t have the kind of season people expected them to have and vice versa.
“It’s too early to tell what teams are going to be. We’ll get into the season, get to work and take it week-by-week.”
Memphis was picked first by the media in the West, followed by Houston, Tulane, SMU, Navy and Tulsa. In the East Division, UCF was selected for the top spot, followed by Cincinnati, USF, Temple, East Carolina and UConn.
The annual AAC Football Media Kickoff was once again held in Newport, Rhode Island, just over 1,500 miles from Tulsa. Joining Montgomery at the event were defensive end Trevis Gipson, linebacker Cooper Edmiston, offensive tackle Chris Ivy Jr. and running back Corey Taylor.
Montgomery spoke about all four players:
On Gipson … “Leadership. He’s really dedicated himself to our football team. He’s unselfish. He’s explosive and plays with a lot of passion.”
On Edmiston … “Silent. He has become more vocal. His production speaks for itself. He just goes out and does his job every time he steps on the field. He’s had 100 tackles in each of the last two years. I don’t expect anything different. Probably from a stats standpoint, he had an incredible season last year.”
On Ivy … “Some of the same traits as Trevis because he is the only senior upfront. He’s been very vocal. He’s worked his tail off. He has improved so much at the left tackle position. He has to be an anchor for us. With all the guys up front, he’s the centerpiece, and he needs to set the tone for the younger players.”
On Taylor … “He’s solid. He’s physical. Downhill. He has a great burst. He has a denseness about him when you hit him. He’s just very productive.”
Tulsa Players Report Soon for Fall practice
TU football players will report for fall camp on Wednesday, July 31. The first day of practice is set for Thursday, August 1. The annual Golden Hurricane Football Kickoff Luncheon, presented by ONEOK and One Gas, is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13.
Breaking Down the Tulsa Offense
Heading toward fall practice, Inside Tulsa Sports is in the midst of our annual analysis of the Tulsa Football team, with exclusive in-depth commentary from TU head coach Philip Montgomery on each position group. Get caught up at the links below...
AAC Bowl Lineup
On Tuesday, the American Athletic Conference announced its bowl lineup that will span from 2020 to 2025. The AAC is guaranteed seven bowl appearances in each of those years.
The American will make annual appearances in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman (Annapolis, Maryland) and a new Bowl game in Boston that is yet to be named. In alternating years, the AAC will have a team in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas) or SoFi Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, Hawaii).
The American will also get four selections annually from the following Bowl games: Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.), Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, Fla.), SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas, Texas), Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.), Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas), AutoNation Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.), Myrtle Beach Bowl (Myrtle Beach, SC), New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM).
“We are extremely pleased with our new bowl lineup,” said AAC commissioner Mike Aresco. “Our teams will continue to have postseason opportunities against other Power 6 opponents, including from the ACC, SEC and Big 12, which was a priority for us. Additionally, we will be playing bowl games in desirable destinations that are easily accessible to our schools and their fans. This lineup provides more revenue than the previous bowl cycle and I am especially proud to partner with bowls that are deeply rooted in their communities and whose mission goes beyond the game of football.”
