Nick Turner’s return to the Mississippi State football team hasn’t been easy. The running back can tell you that, and head coach Jackie Sherrill will confirm it.
“I went through a lot, but now I’m ready to play,” Turner said, referring to events that took place in October.
Turner’s Oct. 15 arrest was for possession of counterfeit money. He was sentenced to three years probation,fined $500 and fined another $500 for restitution.
The former high school Parade All-American’s status fell to the scout team.
“The difficult thing for anybody to do is-when you come out of high school as a high school All-American-all of a sudden, to spend almost that whole year on the scout team,” Sherrill said. “And it never fazed him. He gave our defense a better look probably than they saw on Saturday.”
Turner’s past problems have left him to think, and he’s been able to analyze himself to some degree.
“I had to get my mind right as far as football went,” Turner said. “At first, I lost the love of football, but as everything died down, I got back to playing. I talked to my mom about a lot of things, and I’ve got the love for football back a little bit.”
Turner says the most important thing his mother has taught him has been to concentrate on the positive.
“If you worry about the stuff that’s negative, it’ll always bring you down,” Turner said.
Turner must stay clean for three years in order to have his case dismissed. According to him, there’s an easy way to do it.
“Being around the right people,” Turner said. “Not just that, but being in the right place at the right time.”
Turner should see more action this year than he did the first four games of last season. In those appearances, the true freshman carried the ball eight times for 31 yards.
He also caught five passes and returned five kickoffs and four punts. Turner’s name is first on the depth chart for tomorrow’s game against Oregon.
“I know the expectations out of the backs,” Turner said. “I know I’ve got Jerious (Norwood) and everybody behind me.”
Sherrill compared the skills of his two sophomore tailbacks, who will be vying for carries all year.
“They both have quickness,” Sherrill said. “Nick is raw speed faster, but Jerious probably has better hip flexibility.
“I don’t know if Nick could run hurdles like Jerious, but if the two ran the 40-yard dash, Nick would win that.”
Turner has brought something else to the table that he didn’t have last year-about 12 more pounds.
“Now, I’ve gained the weight,” Turner said. “I’m about 191 now, and I’ve got a little power. Over the break, I ate a lot and basically stayed in the weight room.”
Turner says the extra weight won’t be slowing him down. In fact, he says he’s gotten faster and developed better footwork.