Vestavia Hills (Ala.) High School three-star wide receiver Cole Turner officially signed with Clemson on Wedneday. Cole, of course, is the younger brother of longtimeC lemson safety Nolan Turner, who just finished up his final season of eligibility in The Valley.
We spoke with Sean Calhoun, who previously coached Turner at Vestavia Hills and has since become the head coach at Colquitt County High School (Moultrie, Ga.)
While Calhoun is no longer the head coach at Vestavia Hills, he took the time Tuesday afternoon to speak with The Clemson Insider regarding Cole, who officially put pen to paper and became a Clemson signee on National Signing Day.
“They know what they’re getting,” Calhoun said. “They’re getting a kid who’s gonna have a chip on his shoulder, who’s gonna be hungry. He’s an extremely hard worker, a good student, a good kid and he’s a really, really good football player. He’s athletic. He’s got a super high ceiling and it’s just one of those things that they’re getting a steal, in my opinion.”
The quicker Cole can grasp the playbook, the quicker he’ll get on the field. Of course, he has to make plays to get out there on the field, but he knows that he’s gonna have to come in and compete once he arrives in the summer.
Clemson handed out a New Year’s Day offer to Turner and he was on campus nearly two weeks later. He verbally pledged to the Tigers on the Sunday of his official visit. Calhoun said that it was definitely one of those situations where if things went well, he knew Cole was going to probably commit, but he didn’t know that he’d be 100% done, because he originally wanted to wait until NSD.
It felt like home and that was that. Calhoun detailed what ultimately went into Cole’s decision to commit to Clemson.
“Cole had went up for his official visit and obviously, it was everything that he had hoped for and more,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, he’s been there multiple times, but that’s been as a fan and as a supporter of his brother. It’s totally different when you go and you’re the main attraction. He’s never been the main attraction before and he was and he loved every part of it. Loved the family culture up there, loved the coaches.
“He’s hit it off with Coach Grisham and also the family has known Coach Swinney for a while, but he’s gonna spend more time with the assistants. And, it was home. When you go on those visits, a lot of people have nice places and facilities, but it’s the feeling that you get and he went up there and he felt that it was home.”
Being that he’s already sent Kevin Swint to go play for Swinney, Calhoun had nothing but positive things to say about Clemson. After spending time with Clemson’s head coach and getting to know his staff from Swint’s recruitment, Calhoun confidently said that he would send his own son there.
While he has since moved on from Vestavia Hills and won’t be in attendance to watch Cole make it official, there are few people better suited to talk about the Clemson-bound three-star wideout. With that being said, what can Calhoun tell Clemson fans about who Cole is as a player and more importantly, a person, on and off the field?
“You’re gonna get a kid that’s gonna make Clemson better in the locker room, weight room, the hallways of the university and on the field,” he said. “That’s just the type of personality and type of kid he is. He makes people around him better. Phenomenal teammate, which I think is one of the best qualities as a player that you can give. That doesn’t take any talent. That doesn’t take any special ability to be able to be a great teammate and that’s what you’re gonna get.
“I think he’s gonna eventually make plays for them. I think he’s gonna help them win football games. But, he’s a great kid. He’s gonna be in the community at some point, doing community service and this and that. The sky’s the limit for him and, hopefully, the fans will appreciate what they’re getting.”
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