South Alabama had the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, and player who very well could have won the award the previous season.
Could Tyree Turner be the latest defensive stalwart who follows in the footsteps of former Jaguars such as safety Jeremy Reaves and defensive end Randy Allen? The redshirt junior defensive tackle was only a second-team preseason all-conference pick this year, but USA head coach Steve Campbell said last month at Sun Belt Media Day and again last week that Turner has a chance to be an all-star this season.
Turner accepts those expectations willingly.
"This is my fourth year here so I've already taken on the responsibility of being a strong player up front on the defensive line," Turner said. "With me being an older guy, everyone looks up to me, so I've taken on a leadership role out here."
Turner has been a contributor from his early days at South Alabama since joining the program out of Stockbridge (Ga.) High School in 2015. However, he suffered a knee injury after three games his freshman year and took a medical redshirt.
Turner moved into Jaguars' defensive line rotation as a redshirt freshman in 2016, starting eight of 13 games and totaling 50 tackles and seven tackles for loss. As a junior, he started all 12 games for USA, finishing with 28 tackles, five tackles for loss and tying for the team lead with three sacks.
The Jaguars changed coaching staffs after last season, but the Turner remains a perfect fit for the "3-technique" defensive tackle position, playing on the weak-side guard's outside shoulder. New USA defensive line coach Harland Bower said Turner has stood out among his charges from Day 1.
"All I've seen from him every day is a great attitude and great effort," Bower said. "What he does awesome is, he makes the guys around him better. He shows up with a great attitude, smile on his face and ready to work. And then what makes Tyree Tyree is, he's a playmaker. He's got what we call the 'clutch' factor. He's gonna get lined up, he's gonna get in the right spot, and then he's gonna go make a play. He's awesome at that."
Turner was an under-the-radar recruit out of high school, committing to the Jaguars prior to his senior season at Stockbridge. His lone other FBS offer came from Army, with FCS programs such as Southern and Gardner-Webb also recruiting him heavily.
At 6-foot-1 and around 280 pounds, Turner isn't a burly run-stuffer who is going to overpower interior offensive linemen who weigh well over 300 pounds. Instead, speed is his game.
"To me, better than probably anybody I've had, it's 'twitch,'" Bower said. "And then strength at the point of attack, which comes from his velocity when he gets off the ball. There's nobody on our defensive line that gets off the ball with the quick-twitch like he does. And that helps him. He's not 295 pounds, he's 275, 280, but his twitch and his power makes him a little bit different than anybody else."
Though South Alabama has depth issues at a number of positions, that's the not the case on the defensive line. In Turner, Sean Brown, Jeffery Whatley and junior-college transfer Jordon Beaton, the Jaguars have four junior defensive tackles with a wealth of experience playing high-level football.
At the end positions, seniors Sean Grayer, Rocell McWilliams and Chason Milner also have extensive big-game experience. Young players such as sophomore Jeremiah Littles, freshmen Charles Coleman and Maurice Strong and South Carolina transfer Darius Whitfield form the next wave on the line.
"It definitely is a strength for us," Turner said. "Everything starts in the trenches whether it's on the offensive line or on the defensive line. If we play well, everyone else plays well."