Mature, Elite Speed, and Now a Daddy, Tulane's Turner Sets the RB Standard

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Going into the 2025 season, Maurice "Mo" Turner was to be Tulane's bell cow running back. Just the first half alone against Northwestern showed what the Louisville transfer could do: 86-yards on 14-carries before the halftime horn sounded, but an ankle injury with only plays left in the first thirty minutes sidelined him for essentially the rest of the season.

This year, Turner is again wearing the mantle of the leader of the running back room for the Wave.

Shoutout to Mo

After practice today, coach Will Hall called out to the Tulane football players gathered in the Claiborne Bubble. All he did was yell out, "Mo Turner," and the team erupted into applause and yelling, as the team celebrated Turner's newborn child, born just over 48-hours earlier to Mo and his wife, Whitney.

"1:42 in the morning, August 25th," Turner shared with us after practice Thursday. We said to him that he probably didn't get a lot of rest. His response, "I didn't care. I was excited he was here."

More than anything else, it was Turner's emotion that swept him up.

"I was telling some of my teammates, I was holding him in my hands," Turner shared, stretching out his arms as if his new son, Tysen, was right there with us, "and I started bawling like a baby. It's just a blessing."

Turner was asked where the name Tysen came from.

"My wife picked it out," Turner responded. "She said she didn't like my name," laughing all around. "We agreed on Tysen. She picked out his middle name, starts with an 'M.' I wanted it to be an 'N' so his initials would be 'T.N.T.,' but we agreed with 'M.'"

We asked him how having a baby has changed his life. He was quick to correct us.

"My son? My wife changed my life," Turner said beaming. "(She's) just being there through thick and thin. Wherever I've been, even transferring from Louisville, she's been at my side, her supporting me, me supporting her. (Having their son) has just boosted me to a whole other level."

Turner was married to his other half, Whitney in July, 2024 while Mo was still at Louisville. However, they grew up high school sweethearts in Douglas, Georgia. Mo played wide receiver at Coffee High school where he and his eventual wife started dating when they were freshmen.

"Going on eight years together," Turner bragged. "It was an easy decision."

Back to 2025

After such an auspicious start in the first half of the Northwestern game, then to have his ankle damaged, Turner tried to make a comeback, but things just weren't right.

"I tried it after a few games," Turner related, "but it just kept nagging me. I tried to keep cutting on it, but it just wasn't the same."

Turner said his efforts to get back to where he is now have made him who he is.

"Everybody has trials and tribulations," Turner noted. "I feel like it's made me tougher, more prepared, and better to go about things this year and to have a legendary season this year.

"I'm 100%, ready to go!"

The team will be on the Saints grass practice field Friday to prepare for their game in just over a week at Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium which is a natural grass, Bermuda, to be precise.

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