Jamel Turner, Tressel Impressed

Jamel Turner was an early commitment for Ohio State’s 2010 class but enjoyed the process anyway. Considered a four star recruit and 22nd best defensive end in the country by Rivals.com, Turner spent his senior high school year at Fork Union Military Academy to make sure he would be academically eligible for college.

By Steve Patterson

Jamel Turner made his official visit to Ohio State a year after he committed to be a Buckeye. “I only made my Ohio state visit.” he told us about his official visit schedule. He had offers from a number of top programs in the area and enjoyed getting to learn more about these other schools. “The college recruiting process was exciting and a new experience although mine was short lived because of a early commit. I still enjoyed it.” he told us when we contacted him this week.

Turner was a Buckeye fan growing up which made committing to them in December of 2008 easy. He also had offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Stanford and Wisconsin. He was looking for a winning football team among other things when he was still considering other programs. “I was looking for a winning program, one that had  a great history and good traditions, and somewhere that I could be comfortable and be able to put trust in the coaching staff.” he explained.

He also likes the game day atmosphere at Ohio State, while Jim Tressel was impressive during their time together. “I love the atmosphere that the Ohio state fans put in the stadium...I think it's amazing but other than that Tressel is one of the more decent men that I've met and he was the main reason I committed.”

Turner won’t be in for spring ball but will get to campus in early summer and begin preparing for the fall season. “I'll be there for summer school in May and so as much as I am allowed with the team.” He has been compared to departing defensive end Thaddeus Gibson and should see playing time as a freshman.