Oklahoma Lands Another Arizona State Punter
Oklahoma landed another Arizona State punter through the transfer portal on Thursday night.
This time, the Sooners got the Sun Devils’ starter.
Michael Turk, who entered the transfer portal last week because
He is opposed to ASU’s requirement that its players receive the COVID-19 vaccine to participate in road games, and announced on Instagram Thursday night that he intended to transfer to OU.
He is a graduate transfer, but his availability for the 2021 season is unclear because of the July 1 deadline to enter the portal with immediate eligibility.
In April, OU landed former Arizona State punter/kicker Josh Plaster.
It’s believed if Plaster, a sophomore from Flower Mound, TX, would be the Sooners’ kickoff specialist, taking over for placekicker Gabe Brkic.
Although OU returns two-year starter Reeves Mundschau at punter, the room continues to become more crowded with both Plaster and Turk joining the team.
Mundschau punted 38 times last season and averaged just 39.1 yards per punt. On 38 punts in 2019, he averaged 42.4 yards.
Turk is on the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list and was a semifinalist last year for the award that goes to the nation’s best punter. He was a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection after averaging 46.0 and 47.2 yards per punt in 2019 and 2020.
As a sophomore, he dropped 36 punts inside the 20-yard line and bombed 23 punts of at least 50 yards. He played in only four of the team’s six games last season and punted 14 times.
Turk already had an unusual college football road before deciding to leave Tempe. He began his career at Lafayette and set the school record by averaging 42.7 yards per punt and earning second-team All-Patriot League.
Turk then transferred to ASU and after last season submitted his name for early entry into the NFL Draft. When he wasn’t drafted, he applied for a waiver to have his college eligibility reinstated, and the NCAA granted it, reportedly based on COVID. Then he entered the portal last week.
“This deal with COVID is — everybody has to make a personal decision, and [Turk] was adamant about not getting vaccinated,” ASU special teams coach Shawn Slocum told 247 Sports. “He's done a lot of his own personal looking into it, and has a very strong feeling about it."
Turk, nephew of long time NFL punter Matt Turk and former long-snapper Dan Turk, is from Dallas, where he played at Ridge Point High School.
