Florida Gators DL Coach David Turner Adds Two Mega NFL Contracts to Resumé

David Turner has received plenty of praise for his work done in short time, on both the field and the recruiting trail, for the Florida Gators since taking the defensive line coaching gig in January 2019.

His resumé extends well beyond Florida, however, and that can be seen by major NFL news that dropped on Tuesday afternoon. Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who played for Turner and Dan Mullen at Mississippi State, and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, thriving under defensive ends coach Terry Price and with the help of Turner at Texas A&M, both agreed to mega-contract extensions with their respective clubs.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jones signed a four-year, $85 million deal with $60 million in guarantees with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, following a successful three years under Turner and Mullen with the Bulldogs from 2013-15.

Jones posted 102 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and 10 pass breakups across 38 games at Mississippi State, and has since recorded 136 total tackles, 33 sacks, 37 tackles for loss, 20 pass breakups, and seven forced fumbles across 61 NFL games.

Garrett, the No. 1 pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft, was groomed in part by Turner as he served as the defensive tackles coach and run defense coordinator for Texas A&M in Garrett's final season with the Aggies. While Garrett only played in 10 games due to injuries, he managed to compile 33 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two forced fumbles with Turner's guidance.

On Wednesday, Garrett officially signed his five-year, $125 million contract on Wednesday, the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history. Garrett's deal comes with $100 million in total guarantees, per ESPN.

Turner has recruited and developed plenty of talent in his 34 years of coaching, namely including Philadelphia Eagles four-time All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State, 2009), Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee (MSST, 2009), and Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith (MSST, 2013-14).

However, Jones and Garrett top his resumé as Turner coached Jones for the entirety of his college career, and Garrett's draft selection and record-breaking contract are major accolades in their own category.

Now, Turner looks to continue building up the trenches at the University of Florida after taking the defensive line coaching gig last year. Turner quickly addressed Florida's short and long-term depth on the defensive line, as the Gators signed a combined six edge rushers and defensive linemen in the class of 2020 including consensus five-star Gervon Dexter. The Gators have four defensive linemen and edge rusher commits in the class of 2021 as well, and are still looking to load up.

On the field, Turner and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham put together the SEC's leading pass rush in 2019, as the team recorded 49 sacks in 13 games. Edge rushers Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard went on to be selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and Houston Texans, respectively.