It’s not often you see a starting safety fresh off a National Championship game transfer to a program coming off three consecutive losing seasons, but that’s what happened when Asa Turner transferred from Washington to Florida this offseason.
Turner, a 6’3, 210-pound safety from San Diego, California, has played in 43 collegiate games including 28 starts across five seasons at Washington. Turner has battled injuries throughout his football career, which kept him sidelined for eight regular season games in 2023, allowing the safety to apply for a medical redshirt in order to earn one final year of eligibility.
“I needed a change,” Turner said on why he left Washington. “I had been at Washington for the past five years, been doing the same routine, living in the same apartment, seeing the same people, driving the same car, I probably felt it was time for a change and I wanted to go out with a bang this sixth year.”
Florida probably wouldn’t have landed Turner if it wasn’t for defensive back coach Will Harris, who had built a strong relationship with the safety during their time together at Washington, where Harris coached from 2018-21.
“That was the main connection,” Turner said on why he ended up at Florida. “I played for him at Washington the first two years, and so, just hopping in the portal he’s the first dude that hit me up, so that connection goes a long way.”
Turner is a hard-hitting safety that brings a physical style of play to the position, just ask redshirt junior wide receiver Kahliel Jackson.
“Every time I see him lined up across me, I got to put my mouthpiece in. I know he’s going to bring it,” Jackson said on Turner.
“That’s kind of what I bring to the University of Florida,” Turner said on his physicality. “I feel like that’s kind of instilled in me through Will Harris, a physical mentality, going through it every play.”
Turner also has a nose for the football, totaling six interceptions, eight pass deflections, and one fumble recovery in 43 games with the Huskies. Turner believes this will pair well with coach Harris’ emphasis on creating turnovers.
“Throughout my past five years of college, I had six turnovers, or six picks, a couple of fumble recoveries and stuff like that. So I feel like me just bringing that, and also just the coaches emphasizing on turnovers, I feel like there’s a big emphasis on it each day. We’ve got to get at least three picks in the DB room, or else we’re running. So I feel like I’m trying to make that happen,” Turner said on how he will help this team create turnovers.
The biggest key for Turner is his health. Just last season the safety broke his arm, had surgery, the surgery went wrong, and he had to do it all over again. Turner believes the strength and conditioning program Tyler Miles has established will help keep him healthy throughout the 2024 season.
“I’ve had three different head coaches and three different strength coaches at Washington, so I’ve seen a lot,” Turner said. “I feel like Coach Tyler and everything he brought here is very well put together. Especially for me, being older and stuff like that. He’s big into the statistics and stuff like that, knowing when we’ve run them too much and knowing we haven’t run enough. So he’s a big part of keeping me healthy as well.”
Turner projects as a starting safety for Billy Napier’s squad, who has the pieces in place to surprise some people this season.
“I feel like we’re not going to shock anyone, but like other people outside this building. We know what we have in here. We got a lot of talent. It might not be in newspapers or articles or anything like that, but we know what we have is great this year.”