Interview: College Coaches Secure DB Jaxen Turner Among Best in 2019 Class
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
When it comes to college football recruiting out of the high school ranks, talking heads and keyboard pounders, like yours truly, can only share so much with the masses about how talented any given player is on the field. The verification of all the words spoken and typed can only get the ultimate seal of approval for the masses by college scholarships extended. The meteoric rise of Jaxen Turner this spring on the recruiting trail has confirmed his spot among the top talents in the nation.
Back in December, Turner was still an overlooked 2019 recruit despite a terrific junior season. Turner was a beast in the secondary coming up with 90 tackles, 47 solo, four tackles for a loss, six interceptions, had six passes defended, and one fumble recovery. He even helped out Rancho Verde’s offense on the way to a 10-3 season by hauling in seven passes for 136 yards with a trip into the end zone.
Now the 6-2, 175-pound, rising star is considered a three-star recruit with 11 offers on the table. So far, Arizona State, Cal, Boise State, Oregon State, UTEP, Dartmouth, Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State, Washington State, and Utah have offered Turner. More offers are sure to come as word spreads of his skillset on the field and his 3.0 cumulative GPA and 1140 scored on the SAT.
In a Recruiting News Guru catch-up interview, I sat down with Turner for a quick one-on-one covering his offseason workouts and wealth of recruiting offers and prospects.
*Click link for December 2017 RNG video interview with Jaxen Turner
Interview
Jaxen, we spoke back in December about your offseason workouts then. Which areas of your game are you seeing improvement on this spring on both sides of the ball?
“My route running on offense and my man technique and zone on defense. I think I have improved both well in those areas.”
What are you focused on with your physical workouts?
“My speed. I want to get my speed up and I am trying to put on weight. The goal is to put on 10 more pounds before the season starts.”
You played 7v7 ball with Rharebreed this spring, how did that help you improve your game?
“It helped me a lot. At school, I was playing safety and some at corner. With Rharebreed, they have me at corner. That pushed me to improve my game. Now I can play both and I am a certified DB.”
Have you been to any camps this spring?
“I went to the Under Armour All-American Camp, the Nike Opening, and Rivals.”
How did the Under Armour camp go? What did you do well there that helped you standout?
“What I did to stand out – one of the coaches told me he liked my game and me as a person. He told me off my man technique, he thinks I should be invited to Under Armour All-American Game. We’ll see.”
That’s fantastic. Have you run a 40-yard dash this offseason?
“I have, but I don’t know the time. I ran one at the Under Armour camp, but they do not give out the times.”
Your recruiting has blown up this spring, how many offers do you have now?
“I have 11 offers now.”
Which schools are the latest to offer?
“UTEP, Hawaii, Dartmouth, and San Jose State are my most recent offers.”
Which schools are showing interest but have not offered yet?
“UCLA, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Yale, Nebraska, Colorado, and Fresno State are showing interest.”
Have you taken any recent unofficial visits?
“I went to Arizona State in February.”
Do you have any planned visits on the schedule?
“I am planning on going to Oregon State and Cal this summer.”
Have any colleges come by school to see you this spring?
“The schools that have come by to see me recently are Colorado and Utah State came on Wednesday. Arizona State and UTEP are coming to my school sometime soon. When we start spring ball in May, more coaches are supposed to come see us in action.”
Are you going to any college camps this summer?
“I am planning on going to three camps, three Redlands satellite camps; the last three – Arizona, Oregon, and UCLA.”
Back to football. You mentioned Rancho Verde starts up spring ball in May? How is the team looking so far in the weight room and running around on the field?
“We are young, but our process of getting better is coming along. Our workouts are going great.”
Is there a goal you have set for yourself over the spring and summer practices before the 2018 season begins?
“Yes. Get faster, gain weight, and set my goals for the 2018 season.”
Jaxen, thanks for your time today and good luck with spring ball.
“Thank you.”
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Photo credit: Turner family; Jaxen Turner at ASU.