The Wolverine

May 2017 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 53   COMMITMENT PROFILE Michigan, Louisville, Miami, Ne- braska, Notre Dame, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin were among the schools that extended a scholar- ship offer to Buford (Ga.) High three- star running back Christian Turner. The Irish, in particular, thought that they had the 5-10, 180-pounder all sewn up, but Jim Harbaugh and his staff worked some magic and convinced Turner that Ann Arbor was the place for him. Rivals' No. 36 prospect in Geor- gia and No. 26 running back nation- ally spent time with Harbaugh and running backs coach Jay Harbaugh during an early April visit, and saw enough to pick Ann Arbor as his fu- ture home. "It really came down to Michi- gan and Notre Dame, but I just feel Michigan was the right school for me," Turner said. "I took the visit up to Michigan, and I knew I wanted to take it all in, see everything that I could and not let my emotions take over. "The coaches up there even told me to go back home, see how you feel, think it over. I did that and I then called Michigan on Saturday [April 8] to tell them I was commit- ting. It was pretty exciting." Despite his modest three-star rat- ing, Turner was a high priority for the U-M coaching staff. It was a joint effort in gaining his commitment, but the junior back said one coach's ex- citement was more noticeable than the rest. "When I told Coach Harbaugh about my decision, he got so excited. He was ready for it, and he told me he felt like it was a holiday when I committed," Turner explained. "I also talked to Coach [Chris] Par- tridge and Coach [Tim] Drevno, and they were excited, too. "Coach Harbaugh was probably the most excited, though." Rivals.com Georgia analyst Chad Simmons has seen Turner play mul- tiple times in person against some very good competition. "When I describe Turner to others I call him a slasher," Simmons said. "He has good, not elite speed, but he is quick, he has a good burst up the field and I love how he runs with patience. He plays for one of the top high school programs in America in Buford, so he will come out of high school ready to compete in Ann Ar- bor. He is best in space on the perim- eter where he can set up his blocks, get into one-on-one situations and use his athleticism. "He still needs to add weight and just run with more authority, but he flashes the ability to break tackles. The consistency between the tackles is not there. "Overall, Turner is a good running back. There may not be one trait that blows me away, but he is solid in so many areas. He can make the cuts, he can make plays in space and he is a back who is only going to get better." Turner plays for a loaded Buford squad that boasts two other solid running backs in his class, but he's still been able to achieve individual success on the field. As a sophomore, he carried the ball 76 times for 751 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season, he upped his work- load and production, toting the ball 135 times for 1,115 yards and 18 scores. He was named to the 2016 Gwinnett Daily Post All-County third team. After two productive seasons he earned a spot on The Daily Post's Top 18 Prospects For the Class of 2018 watch list and will be expected to take another jump during his final prep campaign. The Michigan staff is putting a lot of emphasis on the state of Georgia, and through the first two weeks of April it had paid off. The Wolverines procured commitments from Turner, Leesburg Lee County four-star line- backer Otis Reese and Atlanta West- lake four-star cornerback Myles Sims. All of the Georgia products seem to be very solid to Michigan, but per- haps none more than Turner. "I did not want to commit until I was 100 percent sure," Turner said. "Now that I am committed, I do not see myself visiting any other schools. I am strong to Michigan." — Brandon Brown Talented Georgia Running Back Christian Turner Chooses U-M FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Buford (Ga.) High run- ning back Christian Turner has a very muscular build and overall ath- leticism. He hits holes quickly and gets to top speed in a hurry. Once there, that top speed doesn't neces- sarily look elite, but he's plenty fast and gets to the end zone often once into the secondary. He's also very good at decision mak- ing while running, and shows a burst and quickness that allow him to get through holes and into the second level without much resistance. Areas Of Improvement: Turner doesn't do much receiving or pass protecting in high school, and will need to improve in both areas, like the majority of prep backs, at the college level. Michigan Player Comparison: Turner compares favorably to Michi- gan's current running back Chris Ev- ans. He's got a similar build in terms of musculature and stature and also has great open-field vision and quickness without being lightning fast. Evans exhibited more pass-catch- ing skills coming out of Ben Davis High in Indianapolis, but Turner has been described as a natural athlete with plenty of ability as a receiver. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals.com rates Turner as the No. 36 player in the Peach State and the No. 26 running back in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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