Husky Roster Review: It's Asa Turner's Turn to be Great
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Asa Turner's name didn't come up much during University of Washington spring football practice, which was a good thing.
This meant he was healthy for all 15 practices, fully engaged in what he was doing and fairly secure as a starting free safety in his fifth season in the program with his third different Husky coach.
Yet the next step for the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Turner might be to stir things up a little and create even more conversation surrounding his college football prowess.
No, he doesn't have to cut off his longest-in-the-Pac-12 hair to get attention, that stringy, unkept mane that hangs way down his back and appears to have been untouched in all of his time in Montlake.
For the Huskies entering potentially a landmark season, and for his own NFL interests, Turner could stand to make himself more of a playmaker, win some first-team, all-conference honors and go out in a blaze of glory. The big things just haven't happened yet for him.
Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Turner, who wears No. 20 on defense, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.
HAIR-RAISING PLAYER
Turner has started on and off each season since he was a freshman in 2019, splitting time with fellow classmate Cam Williams for three years.
That changed when Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff took over and flat-out gave the job to Turner, making him a full-time starter for the first time in his UW career, while sitting down Williams, who eventually asked for an in-season redshirt and transferred to Georgia Southern.
The new coaches drew a commitment from Turner that wasn't always there before.
"I swear he's living somewhere in this building," DeBoer said jokingly. "He's got a bed, he's got a dresser, he's got all of his clothes somewhere in this building. He's here nonstop, all day, every day."
Turner has gone from admittedly being a reluctant tackler to a much more physical player who has more college interceptions (6) than anyone on the roster.
Yet he's had to deal with a string of injuries, in particular a shoulder ailment that set him back in 2021. He's had other misfortune, too, such as getting ejected early in last year's Arizona State game for a late hit on the quarterback in his first game back from another injury.
With his size and athleticism, people have expected stardom from Turner. Last year, he opened nine of 10 games he played for DeBoer's staff and was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention. That was a start for the long-haired one in building some NFL draft credentials. Now it's time for a big finish.
ASA TURNER FILE
Service: Turner has appeared in 36 Husky games and made 22 starts. This will be the first time in five seasons he hasn't had to contend for the first-team job with Williams, who finally left the program. Turner has started 5, 4, 4 and 9 games a season in his time in Montlake, now aiming for a double-digit output.
Stats: He has 6 career interceptions on a team where college picks have been hard to come by. Just three teammates have Power 5 picks in Jabbar Muhammad (1, at Oklahoma State), Davon Banks (1, against Arizona State) and Makell Esteen (2, as a reserve safety).
Role: Turner is a returning starter, a fifth-year Husky and someone who needs to step up and be a secondary leader much like strong safety Alex Cook was last season. While he won't be as vocal as Cook, Turner can do this with his play.
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