The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
BY AUSTIN FOX One quick glance at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy cornerback DJ Turner's profile will reveal a bit of an oddity — an offer list that would ri- val almost any five-star prospect, but yet he holds just a three-star ranking from Rivals. Turner spent his first three years at North Gwinnett High in Suwanee, Ga., but transferred to power- house IMG Academy for his senior season. D e s p i t e p l a y i n g alongside arguably the best talent in the country, the 6-0, 173-pounder never rose in the rankings. "I had no idea why I was rated so low," he admitted. "I had 37 total offers, but it ob- viously doesn't matter now and I just can't wait to prove people wrong. "It's actually a huge motivation for me, because I feel like I'm always be- ing doubted." Several of the cornerback's 37 ten- ders came from powerhouse pro- grams, such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Turner's parents, however, were the ones who peaked his interest in the Wolverines. "I didn't have any familiarity with Michigan when I was younger, and they didn't even come onto my radar until they offered me," he recalled. "Even then, it was my mom and dad who got me in- terested in them. We s t a r t e d a r r a n g i n g my schools during my sophomore year — which is when my recruitment took off — and Michigan stood out because of its academics. "We scheduled a visit to Ann Arbor, and I just fell in love with both the school and the coaches on the trip. The reason I was so happy with the coaches was because of how consistent they were with me. They never dropped off in communi- cation, even though they were one of the earliest schools to jump in on my recruitment. "Coach [Chris] Partridge led the charge. He's such a funny guy and can talk about anything with you, which is why my family likes him a lot too." Partridge is U-M's safeties coach so likely won't mentor Turner, who is expected to line up at cornerback — but playing safety actually isn't out of the question. "I can play every position in the secondary, which is what separates me from so many other defensive backs," he said. "That's a big reason I had as many offers as I did — some schools wanted me as a corner and some wanted me as a safety, but the Michigan coaches told me they see me as both a corner and a nickel. "I just want to be one of the best defensive backs ever to come out of U-M, and that's a high standard to live up to, considering what Charles Woodson did there. He obviously won the Heisman in college, and is definitely someone I look up to." ❏ Michigan May Have Found A Hidden Gem In DJ Turner STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL PBU INT 2018 17 3 4 2 2017 78 8 9 2 HONORS • Earned all-county, all-region and all- state honors in 2017. • Named Defensive Player of the Game in 2017 when his team won the Georgia High School Association Class AAAAAAA state championship. RECRUITMENT • Committed June 25, 2018. DID YOU KNOW? • Also played basketball at Gwinnett. • At Nike's The Opening regional camp in Atlanta on March 25, 2018, Turner ran a 4.63 40 and 4.34 in the 20-yard shuttle. He also leapt 34.9 inches in the vertical jump for a 98.10 score in the Nike+ Foot- ball Rating. He was named one of the 20 most athletic recruits at the event. • Participated in The Opening Finals. • Cousin Travis Stroud played for Georgia as a defensive lineman. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Southeast recruiting analyst Chad Simmons: "I think ulti- mately Turner is a nickel type of guy. I love his range and his awareness in coverage. I think he has really good ball skills even though he's not the fastest quick-twitch athlete. "He's a very smart player that always seems to make plays on the ball. He shows up whenever the ball comes his way." • IMG head coach Kevin Wright: "He's a tremendous cover guy with the ability to play on an island without safety sup- port. He has great speed and ability to flip his hips in coverage, is a very hard worker always looking to find a way to improve and a great locker room guy." DJ TURNER CORNERBACK 6-0 • 173 IMG ACADEMY (BRADENTON, FLA.) SUWANEE, GA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 47 80* ✪ ✪ ✪ 490 51 51* ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 274 22 41* * Ranked in Florida 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection When the 2019 season rolls around there could be some fierce competi- tion among the cornerbacks for the spot opposite star Lavert Hill. Ambry Thomas will likely be the early leader, but there is no shortage of competi- tion thanks to the 2018 and 2019 ad- ditions. 2018 signee Myles Sims got a head start as an early enrollee with classmate Gemon Green bringing a lot of talent to campus as well. Vin- cent Gray, German Green and Sammy Faustin each have cornerback back- grounds and will be in their second years on campus as well, but all seem to be viewed more as safeties by the Michigan staff. However it shakes out, Turner will be surrounded by a lot of players who have at least a year of experience on him, so he shouldn't be needed right away. If he's able to immediately crack the lineup, that speaks highly of his abilities. Turner has the ability to play corner- back, safety or nickel. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM MARCH 2019 THE WOLVERINE 69