Tre Lamb building competitive culture at Tulsa during spring

First-year head coach Tre Lamb isn’t sugarcoating anything when it comes to spring football at the University of Tulsa. With a new staff, a revamped roster, and plenty of moving parts, the Golden Hurricane offense is still a work in progress—but Lamb likes what he sees so far.

“There are good days and bad days,” Lamb said this week. “Some days the defense gets the better of us, some days it flips. That’s the way it should be. If one side’s dominating every day, you’ve probably got problems.”

Lamb is focused on evaluating talent, building depth, and installing his up-tempo, balanced attack. With eight practices in the books, he knows there’s work ahead—but he’s optimistic.

“We’re not close to being able to win a bunch of games yet,” he said, “but the effort, the attitude—it’s there. I’m bullish on this team.”

One clear challenge? Depth.

“I feel good about our starters,” Lamb noted. “But we’ve got to have guys step up in those backup roles. We’ll find them in these last practices, through the next portal cycle, and over the summer.”

Transfer Impact Already Being Felt

Lamb emphasized how the transfer portal has already shaped the team’s offensive identity. Of the current starting 11 on offense, he estimated nine are transfers.

“The talent level is getting back to where we need it,” he said. “We’re glad we took some of the guys we did. They’re helping us right away.”

The wide receiver room, in particular, is showing depth and talent—something Tulsa has historically had. Meanwhile, quarterback Kirk Francis continues to impress as a steadying presence, running what Lamb described as a "point guard" role in distributing the football.

Highlighting Local Pride

In a recent two-minute drill, it was an all-Tulsa connection: Kirk Francis and Braylin Presley in the backfield, Mike Tease at receiver, and NuNu Campbell on defense.

“That’s something I take a lot of pride in,” Lamb said. “We want to be Tulsa’s team. We’ve got 30 or 40 recruits and alumni at practice every day. We want the city to embrace us because we’re embracing the city.”

Youth Movement and the Mental Game

When it comes to freshmen, Lamb singled out Hudson Ball and RJ McIntosh as standouts so far.

“Hudson would be in the rotation if we played tomorrow,” he said. “RJ’s had a really good camp too. People underestimate how tough it is mentally for freshmen. It’s not the physical tools—it’s adjusting to how fast the game is.”

What’s Next? Situational Football and Portal Priorities

With a full-pads scrimmage on deck, Lamb is eager to see more from the offensive line and running backs, especially since recent practices have leaned heavily on the passing game.

“Tomorrow’s going to be 85 plays. We want to run the ball, see what our backs can do,” he said.

Tulsa will also turn its attention to situational football in the coming week—installing two-minute drills, red zone packages, and backed-up scenarios.

Lamb continues to evaluate the roster daily and knows exactly what he’s looking for in the next portal cycle: more offensive line depth, a speed back, a tight end, pass rushers, and experienced help at safety and linebacker.

“We’re really young on defense,” he said. “But you don’t have to be. The portal can make you old real quick.”

Even with all the serious football talk, Lamb kept things light when asked about a recent golf shot he took near the practice field.

“I hit a 56-degree wedge toward the green patch and didn’t skull it into Jimmy John’s,” he joked. “So everybody was safe.”

With the Masters streaming on the Jumbotron during a light helmets-only practice, Lamb is clearly keeping the energy balanced between intensity and enjoyment.