Redshirt Roundup: Tyler Turner
As part of a series on some potentially under-the-radar redshirt freshmen for Oregon Football, I’ll be taking a look at Tyler Turner today to see where he fits into the Ducks’ 2024 outlook and beyond.
Turner came to Oregon via William J. Brennan High School in San Antonio (TX) where he was a four-star prospect rated as the No. 19 Safety in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
Standing 5-11 and weighing in at 180 pounds as of his last official weigh-in, Turner has a typical frame for a coverage safety. He’s likely closer to 190 pounds now with a full year in Oregon’s strength and conditioning program under his belt.
Turner did not make an on-field appearance as a true freshman, stuck behind a veteran-laden group that included Tysheem Johnson, Steve Stephens IV, Bryan Addison, and Evan Williams.
Entering 2024, Turner does not figure to be a consistent on-field presence as Johnson, Kansas State transfer Kobe Savage, and true freshman Aaron Flowers project as more likely starters.
It’s worth mentioning that behind this group is something of a void in safeties for this Oregon team so Turner could see significant playing time through some combination of safe leads late in Oregon’s easier games or through injuries if they were to occur in this position group.
There’s some chance Turner could fill in as the backup nickel corner to Duke transfer Brandon Johnson but as he’s yet to play snaps at any position in college, it’s difficult to project a position change like this.
There was a wide range of evaluations on Turner coming out of high school with On3 listing him as the No. 19 safety but the On3 composite ranking him No. 32. This makes it hard to know exactly what the Ducks got in Turner but it at least suggests a degree of upside.
In one of Oregon’s thinner position groups, fans should keep their eyes peeled for possible appearances from Tyler Turner this fall.
