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After the early signing period for the 2020 class, Florida coach Dan Mullen was asked what areas pleased him most.
He listed three positions, one of which was defensive line. It was the first full recruiting cycle for position coach David Turner.
“Obviously the last couple of years it hasn't been great,” Mullen said of his DL recruiting for 2018 and 2019. “We've made some changes on our recruiting staff and our coaching staff to address that. And I think you see that with the success we have with some of the D-linemen that we’ve recruited.
“Bringing David Turner in was a big part of that for me. You've seen the success we've had with him recruiting here and what he's been able to do for us. .... I think making the change to get David here was a big deal.”
Turner had two stints at MSU with Mullen and was hired in January 2019 to replace Sal Sunseri, who left for Alabama. In his first month on the job, he helped the Gators beat out Sunseri and Nick Saban to flip Rivals100 member Khris Bogle from the Crimson Tide.
Turner then had a huge haul in the last cycle, adding five defensive linemen to Florida’s roster with the help of assistant director of player personnel David Cooper. The signees included five-star defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and four-star defensive end Princely Umanmielen.
The success has continued in the 2021 class with four pledges at the position, including Rivals100 defensive end Tyreak Sapp and four-star defensive tackle Desmond Watson. Those results have apparently led to some negative recruiting against Turner, according to his Twitter account.
Mullen went to bat for his longtime assistant when asked about Turner’s tweet Tuesday.
“I don't know,” Mullen said of the negative recruiting. “I don't think we do a whole lot of negative recruiting because we have so much to sell. Only school in America that's both top 10 in football and top 10 in academics. We're the only school to say that. I don't have to put a spin on it or create negative things. We're the Florida Gators.
“But the thing about David that's so special is, it's not just he's a great football coach and a really good recruiter, but it's the mentor and the man he is and the effect he's able to have on these guys' lives beyond football that I think is really special. And I think that's one of the things. Obviously his track record and all these NFL superstars that he's been able to coach and develop through the years.
“I mean, just go look at the guys he's coached in college and add up their contracts and it's a pretty good lump sum of money right there that these guys are getting. But not just that; the relationships that he's been able to build with them, how he's been able to help all of these young guys grow as men. Not just going on to big-time NFL contracts, but grow as men. I think that's the thing that is his best trait.”
Former Gators Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga are the latest Turner-coached defensive linemen to go pro, joining the likes of Fletcher Cox, Myles Garrett, Chris Jones, and Preston Smith. One of his remaining 2021 targets, four-star defensive lineman Bryce Langston, is well aware of Turner’s NFL track record.
“He puts a lot of players in the league,” Langston told Gators Territory last Thursday. “He showed me that all the players that he's coached, their contracts all together was worth $350 million.”
Florida defensive linemen Zachary Carter and Tedarrell Slaton could be the next early-round draft picks under Turner’s tutelage. Mullen has been impressed with his 2020 signees as well.
“They’re coming nicely,” Mullen said of the freshmen DL. “I’m really pleased with the young guys, the young freshmen that are in this class. You just look at some of those guys and their ability level I’m really excited about. Obviously, there’s a learning curve and some of them missed some time. We missed time that we had in spring and then a couple of bumps and bruises here or there to miss a practice or two. When you’re a young guy and your time’s limited, those become bigger issues.
“But I’m really excited about the future on the defensive line and building a premiere D-line with those guys. You have the two Jalens, Jalen Lee and Jaelin Humphries. He’s back now. I put him in that young freshman [group] because he missed almost the whole year with his injury, with his knee coming in here. He’s coming along. Gervon is doing a really good job learning the game, obviously big and physical in there. Antwuan [Powell] and Princely are doing a really good job on the edge. Some of those newcomers along the D-line, I’m really excited about how they’re coming along.”
