The Clemson Insider recently learned that Tyler Grisham made his way to the alma mater of two current Clemson players.
Grisham visited Vestavia Hills (Ala.) High School and met with the program’s head coach, Sean Calhoun. He was there to inquire about an underrated prospect in the class of 2022 by the name of Cole Turner.
If that last name sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Cole is the younger brother of longtime Clemson safety, Nolan Turner.
While Nolan will be moving on from Clemson after this season, as he no longer has any remaining eligibility, there’s a possibility that he could still be connected to the program through his brother.
Cole has been on Grisham’s radar and while Clemson signed two receivers to its 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday — Myrtle Beach (S.C.) four-star Adam Randall and Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) four-star Antonio Williams — the Tigers still remain interested in Cole.
“He was definitely here to see Cole Turner,” Calhoun told TCI this week. “Cole is definitely on their radar. They are definitely on the right kid. So, obviously, you just got to see how [Wednesday’s] signing day goes and hopefully they’ll come back in January and come and see him again.”
Calhoun peeled back the curtain on what his conversation with Clemson’s wide receivers coach looked like.
“He wanted to know what kind of person Cole was first,” he said. “Before we talked any kind of football talk, it was, what kind of person is Cole? What kind of student is Cole? They wanted to know about the person first and obviously, we talked about football stuff, pros, cons, what he’s good at and what he can get better at.”
It’s no secret that Clemson is very thorough when it comes to its recruitment process.
Calhoun indicated that Clemson has not given him or Turner a decision either way in terms of whether they’d offer him a scholarship or as a PWO.
“Cole is definitely worth it,” he said. “Cole is an under-the-radar guy. He’s one of those stereotypical guys, who didn’t have much junior film and has a lot of senior film. And, it’s really good and it’s vs. really, really good opponents. He’s a good player.”
Turner’s first Division I offer came from Buffalo.
Buffalo’s coaches told Calhoun that they watched four clips of Turner’s tape and were set on offering him right then and there. Needless to say, they did.
“That’s just how explosive he is,” Calhoun said. “Again, he’s just not on recruiting boards because if his senior film was his junior film, he’d be a three/four-star. But, he’s not and I think that the people that do see it and do get on him at this time, whoever gets him is definitely gonna get an absolute diamond in the rough. There’s no doubt about it.”
Calhoun is a firm believer in Turner’s versatility, which is what Clemson certainly looks for in its receivers.
“I definitely think he can play inside, outside and he’s definitely a good return man,” he said. “He took a handful of punts to the house and took a kickoff to the house this year. To me, Cole is a kid that you want the ball in his hands because I think he can go the distance anytime. He’s very versatile and he’s only gonna get bigger and stronger once he gets in a college weight program.”
Turner, obviously, did not sign early. Between now and the February signing period, he’ll get a chance to see how some of the chips fall.
Turner has taken unofficial visits to both Ole Miss and South Florida. He has a handful of offers from FCS schools like East Tennessee State, Central Arkansas and Samford, in addition to the aforementioned offer from the University of Buffalo.
Calhoun didn’t want the conversation to end before he got the chance to talk about one of his former players, who is now a current defensive end/outside linebacker on Clemson’s roster, Kevin Swint.
“Hopefully, if Cole can get up there, that would be my second player that’s gone to Clemson,” he said. “That’s really exciting.”
What has Swint told Calhoun about Clemson?
“Whenever I talk to my players that went to college, the first thing I ask them is, ‘are you happy with your decision?’ He just smiles ear to ear,” Calhoun added. “He’s always wearing something orange. He’s obviously getting a good education and getting better athletically. He’s loving every bit of it.”
Special thanks to @ClemsonFB WR Coach @Coach_Grisham for coming by @1rebelfootball this morning !!! #GoTigers pic.twitter.com/xc4Kfudy59
— Sean Calhoun (@CoachHoon) December 10, 2021
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