Louisville transfer kicker James Turner commits to Michigan football
Michigan Wolverines football got a boost to its special teams group, with the addition of former Louisville kicker James Turner, who announced his commitment Friday afternoon. Turner, who has two years of eligibility remaining, made his pledge official with a post on his Twitter account.
“Thankful for my time at Louisville the last four years,” Turner wrote. “Excited for this opportunity at the University of Michigan. GO BLUE!”
Turner is a Saline, Mich., native, hailing from less than 10 miles south of The Big House. He entered the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday and reportedly requested that teams not contact him. He then quickly made his commitment to hometown Michigan just three days later. TheWolverine.com’s Chris Balas alluded to the impending move within hours of Turner’s addition to the portal.
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Turner, a two-time All-ACC honorable mention (2020 and 2022), had an outstanding season last year, making 20 of 22 field goals for the Cardinals and 47 of 59 over three years. Many of them were critical, and last year he set the school record last season for accuracy.
“This is no small loss for a Cardinal team that has played a ton of close games in recent years,” CardChronicle reported. “If Turner hadn’t been historically accurate last season, [head coach] Scott Satterfield may have ended up being fired instead of having the luxury to bolt for Cincinnati.”
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Turner has made 142 of 145 extra points in his three years, as well, including 38 of 39 last season. He’s been nearly automatic from short range in his career — 18 of 19 from 20 to 29 yards, 14 of 14 from 30 to 39.
Turner is 14-of-20 from 40 to 49 yards in his career, including 3 of 5 last season, and 1-for-6 from 50-plus yards. He didn’t attempt any in the 50s last year and his career best is 50 yards.
Michigan junior Tommy Doman handled kickoff, punting and place kicking duties during the April 1 spring game and is expected to compete at all three positions. However, it’s hard to juggle all that responsibility, exemplified by the fact that the Wolverines haven’t had someone do all three since Kenny Allen in 2016. Now, it appears he won’t have to.
Freshman Adam Samaha, an Ann Arbor (Mich.) Huron product, will join the team this summer.
Michigan had All-American and record-setting kicker Jake Moody the last five seasons, but he ran out of eligibility and is projected to be picked in this week’s NFL Draft.
