With Texas A&M‘s spring football program now in the books, all eyes will look ahead to what promises to be a resounding bounce-back 2023 college football season. Success for the Aggies will hinge on their leaders stepping up on the field, including third-year defensive stud Shemar Turner.
The Class of 2021 recruit, who ultimately chose Texas A&M over the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and LSU, reflected on the recruiting process that brought him to Aggieland.
In comments shared with On3, Turner notes that the Aggies coaching staff deserves all the credit for helping him make the decision to come to College Station:
“I chose A&M because the relationship me and the coaches have are like no other. They were always honest with me. They kept it 100 with me the whole recruiting process. And surprisingly, A&M wasn’t even a school I was planning on going to before. Just, being around the coaches, talking to some of the players — it was amazing.”
In addition to the rapport with the coaching staff, Turner was drawn to Texas A&M’s success in developing past defensive talent for the NFL. Examples include Tony Gerod-Eddie and Von Miller, in case you haven’t heard of those two:
“Von and Tony — you already know the DeSoto pipeline to A&M. That did influence it a little bit. Because, I am not going to lie. Tony and Von, everybody from DeSoto that came here has made it to the big leagues. Everybody chased their dreams in the NFL.”
When Turner notes ‘DeSoto,’ it’s in reference to DeSoto (TX) High School, where he, Jerod-Ellie, and Miller all played ball before making the move over to Aggieland. Turner was a five-star prospect and the No. 22 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings.
While his collegiate career isn’t yet finished, Turner has already flashed his talent through his two seasons with A&M, recording 46 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, and 2.0 sacks. He was named as one of two defensive MVPs in the Maroon and White spring game and is equipped to be a key focal point of the defense this coming season.
If Turner’s game takes another leap in 2023, it’s safe to say he could be the next top-tier NFL talent with humble beginnings of out DeSoto. That reality doesn’t seem too far-fetched, given Texas A&M’s track record of developing five-star talent for the NFL.
For now, all eyes will be on Turner and this defense with a pivotal 2023 season on the horizon. The NFL is still at least a year away, but so long as his play continues its upward trend, don’t be surprised if he ends up bringing his skillset to one of 32 professional franchises.
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