Justin Turner to Transfer
See? Grim.
That rumor metastasized quickly: Tim reports that Dave Ablauf has just read a statement that Justin Turner has asked for and received his release to transfer. I blame myself for suggesting that this offseason had been a relatively tranquil one when it came to things that mattered.
It sounds like the 11 pounds Turner put on in the offseason were not the good variety, and that he was never in a position where he was physically ready to play because of sheer lack of desire. Odd for that to happen with a corner—usually it's linemen battling to stay under 350 that wash out because they're not interested in keeping up with the work.
Impact on the team bit: losing Turner is a terrible blow to a secondary short on everything; beyond the starters at corner Michigan has three freshmen, one of them highly touted and the other two middling three-stars, and vagabond James Rogers. Corner's the worst spot on the team to suffer attrition. Turner was a near five-star coming out of high school who killed people at the Army game; his disappearance from Michigan without so much as playing a snap ranks up there with the most disappointing recruiting flameouts ever.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:12 PM ^
I'm out for a while.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:23 PM ^
I think I am not fully on overload as to discussion of the up-coming season. I think I will watch Classic games until the Friday before UConn, at which time I will take a 3 Advil PMs, fall into a deep sleep, awake with a beer in my hand ready to go.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^
get some good news today at about 5:00 PM?
Until then:
August 11th, 2010 at 1:16 PM ^
I don't want a player playing in the Michigan secondary with a body like this:
August 11th, 2010 at 1:43 PM ^
...he's big boned.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:14 PM ^
the #2 jersey for someone more deserving of it.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:24 PM ^
Vincent Smith already wears the #2...he deserves to wear it alone.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:14 PM ^
Goodbye Turner hopefully becomes Hello Posada before the day is over
August 11th, 2010 at 1:15 PM ^
No? Okay, Friday the 13th? Nope, that is two days from now. Damn, this came out of nowhere.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:16 PM ^
Just the other day, we were all incredibly optimistic. Now, a CB who likely wasn't going to start transfers and some people are talking about a possibility of losing to UMass.
I guess after the last two years, this sort of reaction isn't surprising.
That said, the earlier linked kitten video was very soothing.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:17 PM ^
is a frustrating mess.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:42 PM ^
Many other fanbases have commented on the weirdly depressing relationship M fans have with the team (which BTW preceded The Horror, 3-9, etc.).
Most other fanbases aren't like this. We're a kooky emo bunch.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:19 PM ^
I'll bet my left nut there is a lot more to this story than "he was out of shape". His weight was, at worst, on the high end of what a cornerback typically is. There were signs of trouble for this one from day 1. I can't believe that Turner got so weak and flabby before fall camp last year that the coaches couldn't at least try and put him out there to rotate Jordan Kovacs or Mike Williams off the field (and there's no other reason). That's why I'm not disappointed by this today. I went through that disappointment last year. Everyone knew the season wasn't hanging on Justin Turner in any way. Someone else here said it best -- Cullen Christian is the young guy that we are pinning a lot of hopes on.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:25 PM ^
You are probably right. I use to be out of shape after a night at Mr Spots. Is that still around, havent been back to A2 in a while.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^
Damn that hurts. I feel like this program just can't catch a break. Cullen Christian, step your game up. I may take the rest of the day off and go pout somewhere. Probably a bar.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:47 PM ^
August 11th, 2010 at 1:23 PM ^
If the player hasn't contributed anything on the field..have we really lost anything? If a player isn't "all in" then maybe its a blessing to let the kid find somewhere he wants to be? Good Luck Justin.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^
agreed. Wish the guy luck - but not sure how much is really lost. More for the media to gorge on so perhaps that's the worst of this...
August 11th, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
This sucks really bad, but honestly with the departure of Turner, it will not make the team worse than last year since he had no impact on the team in any of the games.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
Is there anyone else who doesn't feel the pain anymore? Our football program has completely desensitized me over the last three years and i'm neither shocked nor do I care much about any off-field news anymore. This obviously sucks but I really only care about game days now so here's my simple message to the team, "Just Win, Baby."
August 11th, 2010 at 1:36 PM ^
And to think I was actually feeling quite serene about this upcoming season. Every effing time I click over to MGo and I see yet another transfer/quit I just look up to the Big Guy In The Sky and say "REALLY? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?"
I suppose in the short term this doesn't mean much, but I would like to go 3 (or even 6) months without a 3+* recruit transferring or quitting. I would like that to happen, along with unicorns for my birthday.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
... the way I'd hoped.
D. Warren
D. Dorsey
J. Turner
Why does Angry Michigan-Hating God pick on the highest-rated recruits?
August 11th, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^
You never included booboo in that depth chart?
August 11th, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^
I already put Boubacar out of my mind. I guess prescription medication and hypnotherapy works after all.
BC was the highest '08 recruit, to go along with the highest rated '07 recruit (Warren), highest rated '09 recruit (Turner) and highest rated '10 recruit (Dorsey), right? At least we got 3 solid years from Warren.
Correction: I guess Big Will would be the highest rated '09 recruit... at least things have worked out with him. By "worked out" I mean "still maintains an association with the football team". Yeah, my standards have dropped.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:46 PM ^
Mallett was the highest rated 07 recruit and Campbell was the highest rated 09 recruit and Gardner was the highest rated 10 recruit by everyone except ESPN, unless you meant highest rated cornerback
August 11th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
Why? Because he was REALLY starting to dominate online on NCAA 11
August 11th, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^
If this kid really is not committed to playing at the level we need then I am ok with him leaving. Every once in a while a person who "works" or "plays" somewhere just doesn't fit in, and it is ok to leave and find a better place to be. Nobody in life looks out for your best interst better than you. If he was not connecting with the staff and found it hard to get motivated then by all means find that place that makes you happy and go there. I would rather this young man find a place to be happy than become a cancer in the locker room and cause further problems with the team.
We put up with the last few years of the Carr era having talent that would not and could not perform due to conditioning. Not the whole team, but there sure were enough of them. While this hurts the depth chart it also shows that those who stay have bought into what RR and Barwis have in store for them. It sounds to me like everyone is being held accountable by not only the staff, but also by the team.
Best of luck.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^
I guessed I picked the wrong week to quit drinking, sniffing glue, smoking, and having anger sex. Yes, I did all of those things, 3-9 and 5-7 consecutively will do that to me. WHAT?
August 11th, 2010 at 1:31 PM ^
first Boren, now Turner.
August 11th, 2010 at 4:29 PM ^
nother bad Justin
more recruits named Denard, please.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:45 PM ^
Don't forget about justin fargus who left for USC after he blew out his knee.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
Something's afoot batman; this doesn't add up. Rodriguez has shown good jusdgement in handling players so far (Feagin, Cissoko) so I believe this is what is best for the team. But it sucks regardless.
This goddamn rope is getting heavy.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
My cup is still half full. Doesn't mean I'm happy about Turner leaving but it is what it is.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
I just can't really deal with any of this shit anymore.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
This is why I drink.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:38 PM ^
Just when the bruising and swelling of the last 2 years had subsided. Totally a cheap shot that I (we) weren't prepared for.
August 11th, 2010 at 2:21 PM ^
Wish you had stayed and worked it out
But this gives an opportunity for someone else. Maybe James Rogers lights it up his senior year. Maybe Carvin Johnson plays corner. Talbott or Avery may click under pressure where they otherwise would have developed more slowly
Sounds like JT wasn't going to play anyway, via his own choices. Bring on the players
August 11th, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^
August 11th, 2010 at 1:53 PM ^
Glad someone besides Brian realizes how awful this is. We can barely field a two deep in the secondary and there is no one of even MAC caliber that isn't starting. We are egregiously outmatched at these positions as it is, but doubly so if someone, anyone, gets injured (which they inevitably will... good luck going a whole football season without a single game-affecting injury in any personnel group). How Rodriguez couldn't get this guy to buy in is beyond me.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^
Now Turner will go running to the FREEP with some B.S. story about Richrod.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
Ya, I can't wait to hear his parting shot. No family values, not enough biskets, or some such drivel.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^
do you know the kid? did you talk to him about why he's transferring? the fact that there have been players in the past who said some nasty things on their way out has nothing to do with turner, so let's not just assume he's going to say anything bad at all. how about just saying 'good luck JT, too bad it didn't work out at Michigan' instead of ripping him for something you just assume he's going to do.
idiot.
August 11th, 2010 at 3:00 PM ^
Good luck JT, too bad it didn't work out at Michigan.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:57 PM ^
If I could + you more, believe me I would. Absolutely love it.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
I thought that Turner just needed some time and would be starting over Floyd by the end of the year . Now I am terrified about our secondary. Fuck.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^
I'm trying really hard but I just don't feel like the sky is falling w/r to Turner's transer. The file on JT Turner is this: a few nice looking HS clips, a few good and bad plays from the Army game, a 2009 spring practice clip of him catching balls from the machine, and video from 2010 fall camp of him getting burned (badly) by Junior Hemingway. After 2-1/2 years in the program, what single shred of evidence do we have that suggests Turner was ever going to be our white knight in the secondary?
August 11th, 2010 at 1:53 PM ^
I thought he played pretty poorly in the spring game as well.
August 11th, 2010 at 2:05 PM ^
On the one hand you are right about everything you posted.
But on the other hand, JT - for whatever reason - is yet another highly touted recruit in a growing line that either didn't pan out or transferred.... in this case, he's now done both.
That's always frustrating.
But also, perception - which is shaped by the media for most people - matters. And it's not that this one thing is devastating, but the cumulative effect of everything over the past 2 years is, and this is just one more thing added to that huge pile, which just finds a way to keep growing.
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