The Wolverine

August 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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68 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2018   COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan offered Su- w a n e e ( G a . ) N o r t h Gwinnett three-star cor- nerback DJ Turner II back in January 2017 and kept him on the board for a long time. While the pursuit de- creased and increased, the 5-11, 160-pounder remained interested in the Wolverines and returned to Ann Arbor several times. Finally, Rivals.com's No. 52 cornerback in the country swung by U-M for an official visit in late June and ended up pulling the trigger. The Peach State product had felt that he'd end up in Michi- gan's class and is now done with his recruitment. "I had known for a little while that Michigan was my school, and my official visit sealed the deal," Turner said. "Clemson and Notre Dame were in there, and Florida was the No. 2 school. They all really came strong, and it was tight for a little bit, but Michigan is the school for me." The attraction to Jim Harbaugh and his staff and the campus in gen- eral started over a year ago. Turner still remembers the feeling he got every time he visited Ann Arbor. "The feel when I was up there last summer was great. I felt like a prior- ity," Turner said. "The campus was great, and there was really a fam- ily feel there. That visit is when it started. "I went to the Ohio State game, and I have been back two more times since then. It feels like family there for me. Ann Arbor feels like Suwanee to me. It never felt different, and it reminded me of home. I have a con- nection with not just one coach, but the entire coaching staff. All of them know me, I like them all, and I am happy there." Obviously when a prospect picks a school, it's about football, academics and life on campus. Michigan checks all boxes for Turner. "As the process went on, I found certain schools that could be a good fit for me, but I know Michigan is the right place and the best fit," he said. "The balance there of football and education, the connection with the coaches and the type of defense makes it the best fit for me. "I feel very good about Michigan." A Georgia kid, Turner was being pulled toward Ann Ar- bor by the coaching staff and pushed toward the school by friend and now fellow com- mit Christopher Hinton. O b v i o u s l y, t h e e ff o r t s worked. "The staff was wanting me to commit," Turner said with a laugh. "They were just asking me when I'm going to make the move. I'm real close with Chris, too, and he was always on me. He kept asking me what I'm waiting for." It turns out that Turner wasn't necessarily waiting for anything new, just the right time to do what he al- ways knew he'd do. "I am done with recruit- ing," he said. "My commitment is 100 percent, and I know Michigan is where I am going. I visited a lot of schools more than once, and I have seen a lot of places. Michigan is the right one for me." Turner had a solid season as a ju- nior, recording 78 tackles (50 solo) and two interceptions, and was se- lected to the 6-AAAAAAA all-region first team. — Brandon Brown Several Trips To Ann Arbor Win Over DJ Turner II FILM EVALUATION Strengths: DJ Turner's assets include good length, above-average athleticism and speed, solid technique and receiver-like ball skills. He might not be elite in any one area, but he really does everything you want a cornerback to do at a very high level. Areas Of Improvement: It's tough to find a weakness in Turner's game, but if someone is nitpicking they might want him to be a bit more physical. He's not huge at 5-11, 160 pounds, so he'll need to get stronger and develop that hard edge to bang with big receivers in the Big Ten. Michigan Player Comparison: Turner is pretty long despite being just less than six-feet tall, and he looks a lot like former Michigan defensive back J.T. Floyd in that regard. Floyd came to Michigan as an athlete and developed into a solid cover corner that twice earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. Turner has more true corner skills and could be at least as good as Floyd while at U-M because of his athleticism and length. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals.com ranks Turner as the No. 47 player in Georgia and the No. 52 cornerback in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Turner "Clemson and Notre Dame were in there, and Florida was the No. 2 school. They all really came strong, and it was tight for a little bit, but Michigan is the school for me."

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