John Turner went from the bottom of the safety depth chart to the top of the outside linebackers in a spring, one of the primary beneficiaries of the transition to defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. And while Turner was surpassed by converted wide receiver James Onwualu, the Indianapolis native supplied key support in special teams while providing some athleticism at a position that desperately needed it.
Back for what could be his final season in South Bend, Turner has a chance to make a name for himself doing some dirty work on special teams, while also providing top notch leadership as the Irish try to take a step forward.
Let’s take a closer look at what Turner can do during 2015.
JOHN TURNER
6'0.5", 220 lbs.
Senior, No. 31, S
RECRUITING PROFILE
He earned a scholarship offer from Notre Dame after performing well at the school’s summer camp. Turner had a mostly regional offer list, but chose the Irish almost immediately after the offer, turning down in-state Indiana, Minnesota and a group of MAC programs.
Far from an elite recruit, Notre Dame’s staff got a look at the Indianapolis safety, a recruit who was one of the staff’s first blocks as they began rebuilding their efforts in the Hoosier state’s capital city.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2012): Did not see action.
Sophomore Season (2013): Played in 13 games, mostly on special teams. Made four tackles on the season, including two against Navy.
Junior Season (2014): Played in all 13 games, mostly on special teams. Converted to outside linebacker during spring football but moved back to safety during the season.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
Turner didn’t managed to spend much time on the field, with VanGorder and the staff utilizing Onwualu when they needed an outside linebacker.Kelly and his staff evaluate players by a variety of metrics. Championship player, winning player, replacement-level player and down the line. Turner likely slots in at that winning player level, capable of helping the Irish win, but still a rung or two short of being a starter on a playoff contending team.
But as the Irish begin to recruit to VanGorder’s profile, being on the radar isn’t enough. Turner needs to step his game up or risk being passed by a younger generation hand-picked by his defensive coordinator’s evaluation tools.
Yet if you want an optimistic take on Turner’s ability to help the Irish, consider his pedigree. That RKG background, developed as a state champion at a Catholic school in state, will help him become the type of program player that Kelly can feel safe building around.
In 2014, Turner will be an important piece of the puzzle, especially as Onwualu learns on the fly and Councell returns from an ACL injury. Moving forward, he’ll be challenged, and we’ll ultimately see if Turner thrives or moves to the background.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
At this point, Turner looks like a special teams contributor unless something drastic happens at safety. With an infusion of really young talent and Jaylon Smith’s ability to cross train, outside linebacker isn’t even Turner’s position, he’s back to being a safety, even if he’s not necessarily capable of being a half-field player.
All that being said, Turner will prove his contributions to the team on cover teams, serving as a key tackler on Scott Booker’s special teams units. While Turner seems on track to play out his collegiate career very close to his recruiting ranking, he has a fifth year of eligibility remaining if he and the Irish staff believe there’s something to be gained from returning in 2016. Otherwise, he could find his way onto another program and utilize the graduate transfer program or just graduate from Notre Dame and go pro in something other than sports.
CRYSTAL BALL
Not everybody can be a starter, and Turner will prove his value if he’s a consistent special teams performer. He’s got nice size at 220 pounds and will be a weapon on cover teams.
If the Irish get anything from Turner on defense, it’s likely a product of a really difficult depth chart situation, meaning injuries took over. But he’ll be ready for the opportunity and filled some holes at safety this spring when injuries took over.
If I’m guessing, the senior will be asked to do his job, mostly making tackles on 4th down.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB
Doug Randolph, LB/DE
Max Redfield, S
Corey Robinson, WR
Trevor Ruhland, OL
CJ Sanders, WR
Joe Schmidt, LB
Avery Sebastian, S
Elijah Shumate, S
Jaylon Smith, LB
Durham Smythe, TE
Equanimeous St. Brown, WR
Ronnie Stanley, LT
Elijah Taylor, DL
Brandon Tiassum, DL
Jerry Tillery, DL
Drue Tranquill, S
Andrew Trumbetti, DE