Photo by: David Stluka
Lucas: Turner hopes to make his mark on, off the field
August 06, 2022 | Football
Sophomore inside linebacker spearheading local backpack drive
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – There is a Jekyll and Hyde element to Jordan Turner's persona. On the field, he's an explosive inside linebacker who loves the adrenaline rush from a big hit. Off the field, he's a conscientious 20-year-old redshirt sophomore who speaks more loudly with actions than words.
Nobody has a better understanding of these extremes in Turner's personality (in and out of uniform) than his mother, Carol Brown Turner. "That's just Jordan – that's what I tell everybody," she said. "Although he's big and ferocious on the field, he's very well-mannered and soft-spoken (off)."
Not only does Turner want to take a starting position on defense, but he wants to give back to others less fortunate in the community. That's why he has partnered with The Road Home Dane County to supply backpacks with school supplies to children who have moved from homelessness into housing.
The "Families Moving Forward" event and distribution will take place on Saturday, August 13 (between noon and 2 p.m.) at Brittingham Park, less than two miles from Camp Randall Stadium. Turner is soliciting donations for 100 of the 500 backpacks that are to be given to Madison-area students.
"Long story short, me and my mom have been doing charity work since I was little," said Jordan, who hails from Farmington, Michigan. "She has been all about charity – that's part of her passion – giving back. I just know it makes her feel good because she gives back all the time.
"I now have that opportunity. I have my platform and so I'm using that to give back. I just feel like you've got to give back when you can. That's important. Plus, I feel every kid should have a fair chance to start school on the right foot. Not all families come from a lot of money, a lot of wealth.
"It's hard to go to school without the supplies that they need to succeed."
Carol Turner, a 1981 University of Wisconsin graduate in business and finance, picked up the story: "Jordan was very interested in getting involved in Madison to do some type of community service to reach out and help kids.
"He remembered growing up that I used to participate in backpack projects with a community service organization where we gave over one million backpacks across the globe. Jordan was my helper. When I needed some hands to pack things or distribute backpacks, he was right there with me.
"One of the things I always instilled in Jordan is that we should help others.
"He grew up watching me mentor young girls and other children."
Turner's titles include being a senior-level project management manager and the president of the Pearls of Service Foundation in Farmington Hills, a northern Detroit suburb. The spirit of giving back was also instilled by Jordan's dad, Lennie Turner, a Purdue University grad and youth sports mentor.
"I just wanted to replicate the same thing and hope to build on it for generations in our family," said Jordan, a personal finance major at Wisconsin. As a youngster, he sold popcorn for his Boy Scout troop and raffle tickets for his Pop Warner team.
Looking ahead to handing out those backpacks and school supplies to young people next Saturday, Jordan conceded, "I don't know what to expect. But I'm excited to see what happens. I'm excited just to see the kid's faces. My day will be complete if I see at least one kid smile."
******
Despite the losses of inside linebackers Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal, who combined for 205 tackles, 33 TFLs and 13 sacks last season, many Badger fans have been smiling at the thought of Turner running down ballcarriers or breaking up passes based on a very small sample size from 2021.
Turner was on the field for a total of 83 snaps, 24 on defense. He had six tackles in six games. But even in this extremely limited exposure, long after the outcome had usually been determined, he showed some instincts in finding the football and making a play. He had one TFL and two interceptions.
"That, for sure, helped – those were my first plays – and even though I didn't have that many, it was something where I felt, 'All right, I'm ready for this. I'm ready for next season,'" said Turner who packs 225-pounds on his 6-1 frame. "I'm just coming in with the attitude to work and get better."
It's something that Turner shares with others in a room devoid of playing experience. The leading returning tackler at inside linebacker is Tatum Grass, a former walk-on. He played 63 snaps and had nine tackles in 13 games. Maema Njongmeta logged 58 snaps and had four tackles in six games.
By comparison, Sanborn had 691 snaps, Chenal had 606.
"There's no pressure on us," Turner insisted. "We all know what's expected. We all know what we've got to do to get the job done. That's how you know that you have a good room – when you've got everybody competing for that starter's spot. It pushes everybody to be better every day."
One day, it could be Turner who's making plays. The next Grass or Njongmeta. The next, Jake Chaney or Jake Ratzlaff. The next, Bryan Sanborn (Jack's younger brother). The next, Aidan Vaughn. You get the picture. It's a wide-open competition for those precious repetitions.
"I feel good," Turner said. "But I'm never satisfied. There's still a lot of room for improvement."
This position group has been a part of an ongoing transition of assistants – from Bob Bostad, who moved to the offensive line at the end of last season, to Bill Sheridan who replaced Bostad and coached the group during spring practice, to Mark D'Onofrio, who has since replaced Sheridan.
"It's not that difficult … I just adapted to it," Turner said of the coaching adjustments. "I like how he (D'Onofrio) coaches. He uses a lot of acronyms and analogies – connecting things to how our brain works. I just like how he has a different approach to say what he needs to say."
Turner's play in high school spoke volumes for his upside as a linebacker. He generated scholarship offers from over 30 D-1 programs, including home-state Michigan and Michigan State. Was it a coincidence that Wisconsin and Purdue were the finalists? Given that his parents were alums?
"It just ended up that way," Jordan Turner said. "They were going to be 100 percent behind me wherever I went." Admitted Carol Turner, who was raised in Milwaukee, "I was happy he chose my alma mater. But I didn't push him to do it … Jordan grew up actually watching Badger football games."
Carol will be in Madison next weekend for the backpack event. She wouldn't miss it. Wouldn't miss a chance to give back. Or get back … on campus. "I've always loved State Street," she said. "I've come back for homecoming through the years with some classmates. It's my favorite spot."
Jordan has his favorites, too. Favorite classes. He has always been a "numbers guy" – taking a special interest in accounting and stats. One number means more than others at the moment: 28. The Badgers are within four weeks of their 2022 season opener. His focus is on the Countdown to Kickoff.
Other than next Saturday when he'll be counting smiles on kid's faces at Brittingham Park.
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – There is a Jekyll and Hyde element to Jordan Turner's persona. On the field, he's an explosive inside linebacker who loves the adrenaline rush from a big hit. Off the field, he's a conscientious 20-year-old redshirt sophomore who speaks more loudly with actions than words.
Nobody has a better understanding of these extremes in Turner's personality (in and out of uniform) than his mother, Carol Brown Turner. "That's just Jordan – that's what I tell everybody," she said. "Although he's big and ferocious on the field, he's very well-mannered and soft-spoken (off)."
Not only does Turner want to take a starting position on defense, but he wants to give back to others less fortunate in the community. That's why he has partnered with The Road Home Dane County to supply backpacks with school supplies to children who have moved from homelessness into housing.
The "Families Moving Forward" event and distribution will take place on Saturday, August 13 (between noon and 2 p.m.) at Brittingham Park, less than two miles from Camp Randall Stadium. Turner is soliciting donations for 100 of the 500 backpacks that are to be given to Madison-area students.
"Long story short, me and my mom have been doing charity work since I was little," said Jordan, who hails from Farmington, Michigan. "She has been all about charity – that's part of her passion – giving back. I just know it makes her feel good because she gives back all the time.
"I now have that opportunity. I have my platform and so I'm using that to give back. I just feel like you've got to give back when you can. That's important. Plus, I feel every kid should have a fair chance to start school on the right foot. Not all families come from a lot of money, a lot of wealth.
"It's hard to go to school without the supplies that they need to succeed."
Carol Turner, a 1981 University of Wisconsin graduate in business and finance, picked up the story: "Jordan was very interested in getting involved in Madison to do some type of community service to reach out and help kids.
"He remembered growing up that I used to participate in backpack projects with a community service organization where we gave over one million backpacks across the globe. Jordan was my helper. When I needed some hands to pack things or distribute backpacks, he was right there with me.
"One of the things I always instilled in Jordan is that we should help others.
"He grew up watching me mentor young girls and other children."
Turner's titles include being a senior-level project management manager and the president of the Pearls of Service Foundation in Farmington Hills, a northern Detroit suburb. The spirit of giving back was also instilled by Jordan's dad, Lennie Turner, a Purdue University grad and youth sports mentor.
"I just wanted to replicate the same thing and hope to build on it for generations in our family," said Jordan, a personal finance major at Wisconsin. As a youngster, he sold popcorn for his Boy Scout troop and raffle tickets for his Pop Warner team.
Looking ahead to handing out those backpacks and school supplies to young people next Saturday, Jordan conceded, "I don't know what to expect. But I'm excited to see what happens. I'm excited just to see the kid's faces. My day will be complete if I see at least one kid smile."
******
Despite the losses of inside linebackers Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal, who combined for 205 tackles, 33 TFLs and 13 sacks last season, many Badger fans have been smiling at the thought of Turner running down ballcarriers or breaking up passes based on a very small sample size from 2021.
Turner was on the field for a total of 83 snaps, 24 on defense. He had six tackles in six games. But even in this extremely limited exposure, long after the outcome had usually been determined, he showed some instincts in finding the football and making a play. He had one TFL and two interceptions.
"That, for sure, helped – those were my first plays – and even though I didn't have that many, it was something where I felt, 'All right, I'm ready for this. I'm ready for next season,'" said Turner who packs 225-pounds on his 6-1 frame. "I'm just coming in with the attitude to work and get better."
It's something that Turner shares with others in a room devoid of playing experience. The leading returning tackler at inside linebacker is Tatum Grass, a former walk-on. He played 63 snaps and had nine tackles in 13 games. Maema Njongmeta logged 58 snaps and had four tackles in six games.
By comparison, Sanborn had 691 snaps, Chenal had 606.
"There's no pressure on us," Turner insisted. "We all know what's expected. We all know what we've got to do to get the job done. That's how you know that you have a good room – when you've got everybody competing for that starter's spot. It pushes everybody to be better every day."
One day, it could be Turner who's making plays. The next Grass or Njongmeta. The next, Jake Chaney or Jake Ratzlaff. The next, Bryan Sanborn (Jack's younger brother). The next, Aidan Vaughn. You get the picture. It's a wide-open competition for those precious repetitions.
"I feel good," Turner said. "But I'm never satisfied. There's still a lot of room for improvement."
This position group has been a part of an ongoing transition of assistants – from Bob Bostad, who moved to the offensive line at the end of last season, to Bill Sheridan who replaced Bostad and coached the group during spring practice, to Mark D'Onofrio, who has since replaced Sheridan.
"It's not that difficult … I just adapted to it," Turner said of the coaching adjustments. "I like how he (D'Onofrio) coaches. He uses a lot of acronyms and analogies – connecting things to how our brain works. I just like how he has a different approach to say what he needs to say."
Turner's play in high school spoke volumes for his upside as a linebacker. He generated scholarship offers from over 30 D-1 programs, including home-state Michigan and Michigan State. Was it a coincidence that Wisconsin and Purdue were the finalists? Given that his parents were alums?
"It just ended up that way," Jordan Turner said. "They were going to be 100 percent behind me wherever I went." Admitted Carol Turner, who was raised in Milwaukee, "I was happy he chose my alma mater. But I didn't push him to do it … Jordan grew up actually watching Badger football games."
Carol will be in Madison next weekend for the backpack event. She wouldn't miss it. Wouldn't miss a chance to give back. Or get back … on campus. "I've always loved State Street," she said. "I've come back for homecoming through the years with some classmates. It's my favorite spot."
Jordan has his favorites, too. Favorite classes. He has always been a "numbers guy" – taking a special interest in accounting and stats. One number means more than others at the moment: 28. The Badgers are within four weeks of their 2022 season opener. His focus is on the Countdown to Kickoff.
Other than next Saturday when he'll be counting smiles on kid's faces at Brittingham Park.
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