Cal Football: Trey Turner Stays the Course, Steers Toward Happy Ending
Senior safety Trey Turner III came to Cal from Mobile, Alabama back in the fall of 2015, just in time to play in the Armed Force Bowl as Jared Goff made his final start for the Bears.
A high school quarterback (which he talks about in the video above), Turner was pegged as a defensive back from the start by Cal.
He has been through a lot, including a coaching regime change. He has played in 40 games for the Bears, none of them as a starter. And he will graduate in December.
Turner, 23, has no regrets about his decision to come nearly 2,400 miles for his college experience.
“I’ve always said you never go to a school just for a coaching staff because anything can change,” said Turner, who was injured and played in just six games as a sophomore in 2016, after which Sonny Dykes and his staff were fired, replaced by Justin Wilcox.
“I have been blessed to have coach Wilcox come in and my teammates have been unbelievable,” he said. “I really believe in what we have going on in the DB unit and that has been a huge contribution to me just wanting to stick it out, man.
“These guys are some of the best guys you could be around on a day-in, day-out basis. They have my 100-percent commitment to them and that has never wavered.”
(Click here for a video of Wilcox talking about Turner.)
Turner red-shirted after playing three games in 2017, got healthy and has been a steady contributor on defense and special teams the past two seasons.
“Trey, the last couple years, has always come in and competed. He’s worked really hard to earn those reps. He’s got a good understanding of the defense and I think he’s come a long way,” Wilcox said. “It’s been great to see him get out there and produce like he has.”
Turner doesn't fret about his status as a backup. He gets plenty of chances to play and feels good about his association with a strong Cal defensive backs group.
“He’s in a room with a lot of depth in there, some really good players,” Wilcox said. “He’s earned his way, for sure.”
Wilcox is proud of how Turner has stayed the course even when things weren’t perfect for him.
“He’s a determined guy and he hasn’t wavered in that. It’s not always easy,” Wilcox said. “There’s tough days, whether it’s school or practice. Not probably getting as many reps, last year for example, he would have liked or maybe deserves in some regard.
“Sometimes when you have a (defensive backs) room like that, that’s so deep, the reps are tough to come by. For him to stick it out and compete like he has is really impressive. It speaks to him as an individual.”
Cal fielded one of the nation’s worst pass defenses under Dykes and his staff. But it was strong last season and this year’s group — mostly the same players — was labeled by Sports Illustrated as perhaps the nation’s best.
Turner gives a lot of credit to secondary coach Gerald Alexander.
“Coach GA has done a tremendous job in giving us more than what I feel most colleges give DBs,” Turner said. “He’s advanced our game with him playing in the league at one point. He just has that advanced knowledge that not a lot of DB coaches would give their players.
“We’re very fortunate and take pride in being not just a physical and talented DB unit but a smart one. And being able to out-think our opponents and knowing what they're doing. That gives us a tremendous advantage alongside our talent on the field.”
