2 weeks Ago
The Tulane Green Wave football team is searching for their next starting quarterback, and he may still be in the transfer portal. The portal opened on Wednesday, beginning a ripple effect in college football as prospects search for new homes, and former UCF Knights quarterback Dylan Rizk is one to watch for the Green Wave. Pete Nakos with On3 Sports reported that the FIU Panthers , Western Kentucky Hilltoppers , and Tulane are the schools that have shown interest in adding Rizk to their roster.
While head coach Jon Sumrall may eventually give the starting job to current competitors Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary, he'll want to fill out the room with three quarterbacks. The question is the role of the unknown third. Semonza has a year of starting experience under his belt, while redshirt junior Leary doesn't have many snaps at the college football level.
Fairly, neither did Darian Mensah. Rizk has made seven appearances for the Knights in two seasons and was part of a messy quarterback carousel in the 2024 season after starter KJ Jefferson was benched. After two previous replacements, Rizk ended the season for UCF and started in the final four games.
He went 1-3 under center as the team finished 4-8 and threw 72 completions for 904 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. Perhaps importantly, Rizk also rushed for 43 yards last season on 29 carries and averaged 4.8 yards per rush.
Rizk was a three-star recruit out of high school and received multiple Power Four offers before landing with the Knights in 2023. The Green Wave and Sumrall have been players in the quarterback landscape in the portal, though the interest in Nico Iamaleava seemed fleeting, if at all there . Nakos also reported that Tulane is no longer in the mix for quarterback Jayden Rashada .
It's not clear where the interest dissipated. The team seems to be focusing in on a new target in Rizk, one that doesn't come with an immense NIL price tag or potential litigation issues in Rashada with the Florida Gators . Leary and Semonza still have a lead in the quarterback race, all things considered, having spent all of spring learning the system.
Arguably, the departure of TJ Finley due to his suspension has made the two competitors step up, perhaps in a way they wouldn't have as quickly if Finley had finished out spring camp. But they both joined the program knowing that it was an open opportunity and one that would go to the best player on the field who earned the starting role. That player may not be on the Green Wave roster just yet.
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