05.27.2011 / New Husker Faces Ready to Impress Fans at the Spring Game. Blog posting by Mike Babcock, Huskers Illustrated Magazine
The way Brandon Kinnie remembers it, Jamal Turner told him before the Nebraska football teams second practice of the spring. That is when Turner said he might be moving from quarterback to wide receiver. And if he did, Turner said, would Kinnie help him learn the new position?
“I was like, ‘OK,’ ” Kinnie said. “But he didn’t change.” As it turned out, Turner did change, just not immediately. After the Huskers returned from spring break, the freshman from Arlington, Texas, made the position switch, to rave reviews.
His first week at wide receiver, “he showed some stuff, some good stuff,” said Kinnie. Though he didn’t get a lot of opportunities during a Saturday scrimmage at Memorial Stadium, Turner apparently has impressed more than just Kinnie, also a wide receiver.
“He’s going to be really good for us at that spot,” coach Bo Pelini said after the scrimmage. Turner is among three Husker freshmen who graduated high school early and enrolled for second semester. The others are offensive lineman Tyler Moore and defensive tackle Kevin Williams.
Turner’s resume is impressive, over 10,000 yards of total offense during three years in high school. His senior season, he rushed for 1,888 yards and 35 touchdowns and passed for 1,551 yards and eight touchdowns. Oklahoma and USC were among other schools offering scholarships.
Turner wasn’t forced to switch positions. “Number one, that was a move that Jamal really embraced and wanted to do,” said Pelini. “You’ve got to look at your guys and figure out who your playmakers (are) and how you’re going to get them on the field. That plays a big part of it.”
Offensive coordinator Tim Beck was asked to describe Turner’s skills.“Electrifying,” he said. Young players are always a popular topic in the spring, especially those described that way. “He’s a funny little kid,” Kinnie said. “And he’s fun to be around. He keeps me laughing in the wide receiver (meeting) room. So I’m glad he’s over there.”
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Turner also is “very coachable,” said Kinnie. “That’s a big thing, especially coming from high school and being all-world and never probably being critiqued as much, and now you come to a place that you’re going to be critiqued because you’re just coming out of high school. “He’s taking it well; he’s taking it real good.”
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