FSU football: Reaction to Byron Turner committing to Noles

FSU football continues to evaluate talent and address positions of need. They added a solid piece for 2021 in DE Byron Turner.

One of the biggest problems for FSU football in recent years has been a lack of a pass rush from the defensive end position.

The Noles have two players that will be leaving after the 2020 season, and addressing that position of need is critical in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

The Noles had one defensive end commitment going into Thursday, with Joshua Farmer being the first commit of the Mike Norvell era.

The second defensive end commit announced his pledge in the form of three-star defensive end Byron Turner Jr.

He announced his decision via his Twitter account:

Turner checks in at 6’4″ and 237 pounds hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana. He holds 31 offers from the likes of FSU, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, and other smaller schools.

He’s considered the No. 394 player nationally, No. 27 strong-side defensive end, and No. 13 player in Louisiana.

He was offered by FSU football on June 29 by FSU defensive ends coach John Papuchis and running backs coach David Johnson. Turner committed without ever visiting in-person, but it was known his dad grew up a fan of the Noles, so they were familiar with the program.

It also helped that David Johnson previously coached at Turner’s high school and has strong recruiting ties in the state. It’s a nice win for the Noles with a player that’s nearly a four-star composite.

The commitment moves the Noles up to No. 21 nationally with 14 commitments. They are ranked fifth in the ACC but have the fourth-highest per player ranking in the conference.