Dallas Turner shares where he stands on injury recovery

Alabama outside linebacker Dallas Turner didn’t participate during spring practices due to recovering from an injury that required surgery. But the potential star for the Crimson Tide said at SEC Media Days that he is feeling good and ready to go for the season.

“I feel great,” Turner said. “That time off really helped get my body together physically after playing a very hard, long season. I feel like that rest of kind of sitting out for the spring kind of benefited me in a way.”

Turner was named to the All-SEC preseason first team at linebacker alongside LSU star Harold Perkins and Georgia standout Jamon Dumas-Johnson.

On3 ranks Turner as the No. 47 player in the nation heading into the 2023 season, which makes him the third-best player on the Crimson Tide roster heading into the year.

While the team is once again aiming to win the national championship, Alabama is coming into the season with different expectations than in different years for its style of play. The team is aiming to play a more physical, bruising style of play that defined Nick Saban’s teams during the early part of his tenure with the Crimson Tide.

“The expectations, Joyless Murderball, pre-season, of course. There’s a lot of guys on the defense that can run around, fly around, make good plays,” Turner said.

Turner — who is going to try and fill the role of two-time first-time All-American Will Anderson as the team’s top pass rusher — finished last season with 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. During his freshman campaign in 2021, he notched 30 tackles with 10 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

The Crimson Tide defense has a new leader this year in defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Steele replaces Pete Golding, who left for the same role at Ole Miss.

The 65-year-old Steele is in his third go-around with Alabama. He was first with the team from 2007-2008 and then 2013-2014.

“They’re both very good defensive coordinators, I’ll say that first and foremost,” Turner said. “Kevin Steele, he has more experience, I would say that. With Alabama, he understands the standard, he knows what we supposed to be doing as a defense. Being under Coach Saban, just being there for a long time. Also, he’s been a defensive coordinator for a very long time, just been in the game for a very long time, as well.”