Trieu: Michigan targets 'coach's dream' in Farmington LB Jordan Turner
Michigan had their first junior day of the year last Saturday and a new offer was extended to Farmington linebacker Jordan Turner. It was the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Turner’s 14th scholarship opportunity and fifth from the Big Ten.
"Michigan is great school where you can play football and get a great degree at the same time," Turner said. "It means a lot to me, because at Michigan you get the best of both worlds with a great education and to play on one of the best teams in the country, and it’s close to home."
Turner was pulled up to the varsity as a sophomore, and not only did he earn a starting job, he was named captain, a rare occurrence for a player that young. His intangibles have led to his high-level recruitment just as much as his physical abilities.
“He is definitely a coach’s dream,” Farmington head coach Kory Cioroch said. “He checks a lot of boxes. He is a leader. He is not always the guy talking. He doesn’t talk unless he has something to say usually, which is a breath of fresh air. He is a 4.0 (grade-point average) guy, kills it in the classroom. He is everything on the field that everyone knows about, but it is the off-field part that is cool. He is a good kid, puts his head down and grinds, he’s a coach’s kid and a great student.”
“He is a high academic kid,” said Reggie Wynns of Rising Stars, where Turner trains. “He doesn’t say too much, he just plays football. He is 225 pounds and can really run. He can play middle (linebacker), he can play outside, a lot of schools want him for outside 'backer. He is a very cerebral kid.”
Turner went up to Michigan on Saturday, sat with head coach Jim Harbaugh, and was told he had a scholarship from the Wolverines. It was an honor for him, but like everything else, he has handled it the way any coach would want their star player to handle it.
“The cool part about it is, Jordan is staying humble,” Cioroch said. “He is worried about Farmington first and foremost. We have had high-profile programs come in, but what is cooler is he is in there weight lifting after school and leads our kids.”
Cioroch believes that, as good as Turner has been for two seasons, the best is still to come as a senior based on his continued growth and development as a player.
Colleges have talked to him about playing all three linebacker spots because his size, athleticism and smarts allow him to fit into multiple roles and schemes.
“He is a leader by example. He does what everybody asks him to do and we noticed that really early on,” Cioroch said. “He may not be the guy screaming and yelling, but he is a guy kids want to look to because he is doing the right things and is mature beyond is years.”
All of that has him as one of the state’s top recruits.
“He might be best 'backer in the state of Michigan,” Wynns said.
Turner is also hearing from Notre Dame and Northwestern. He has additional scholarship offers from Indiana, Purdue, Kentucky, Boston College and more.
He plans to study marketing in college.
Two new offers out
Michigan’s staff continues to hit the road during this contact period and has extended several new scholarship offers. One was to Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro junior Jaylan Jeffers, a 6-foot-6 260-pound offensive tackle who also holds offers from Oregon, Arizona, Louisville, Utah and more.
The staff also offered Cullen Coleman, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior linebacker from Rye (N.Y.) Country Day School. Rutgers, UMass and Baylor also have offered Coleman scholarships, while Ivy League programs like Brown and Columbia have offered him the opportunity to play at their programs.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.