As the recruiting cycle gets earlier and earlier, the summer football camp has turned from an evaluation tool to a last chance for rising senior recruits. With Notre Dame already out to almost 100 prospects, you can’t help but pull for guys like Indianapolis safety John Turner, who came to Notre Dame’s summer camp with the intent of earning a scholarship offer.
Turner did it. Wowing the coaching staff with his athleticism, Turner ran a 4.5 forty-yard dash, showing the speed needed to play in the secondary at the major college level.
IrishIllustrated.com has the comment of record from Turner, who earned a Notre Dame offer to go along with mid-major options like Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Temple, Toledo, and Western Michigan, as well as Big Ten offers from Indiana and Minnesota. Recruiting Mike Elston broke the good news to Turner.
“He was telling me they want me at Notre Dame,” Turned told IrishIllustrated.com. “They have an offer for me. I was like, ‘Really? Is this really happening? Is this for real?’ I was very excited.”
According to IrishSportsDaily.com, Turner’s offer was largely contingent on his ability to show enough speed to succeed at the D-I level. When he clocked a forty time that was good enough for the Irish coaching staff, Notre Dame pulled the trigger on Turner.
“I thought I really did well at camp and I ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, 4.18 in the shuttle, and I did really well in drills during one-on-ones,” Turner told ISD. “I just had a really good day.”
Those that follow recruiting probably won’t be wowed with the Irish chasing a guy that had only two major college offers. But Turner looks every bit the part of a big-time safety, and the staff had as good of a look as you could ever ask for, with Turner forcing the hand of Brian Kelly and his staff by turning heads at camp.
Turner hopes to make a decision in the next few weeks, and you’ve almost got to assume he’ll be joining the Irish recruiting class now that he’s worked his way to an offer.