UW Fresh Start (No. 20): Turner Gets Another Chance to Move Up

The veteran starter has been in and out of the lineup for three seasons.

The first thing you notice about Asa Turner are his flowing auburn tresses. 

He seemingly finds great strength in his unbridled hair, which doesn't appear to have been cut since he joined the University of Washington football team in 2019 and reaches halfway down his back.

He's Asa Van Halen, lately more roadie than lead singer. 

Yet with a new coaching staff, some new direction, maybe even some new conditioner, Turner might finally grab one of the traditional safety spots, or maybe even the new hybrid linebacker/safety role, and run with it.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior from Carlsbad, California, will be one of those players for whom Kalen DeBoer's newly installed staff will look up and down and wonder out loud why doesn't he do more?

Turner, whose given first name is Jacob, has got great size for a defensive back, appears to run well enough and has started 13 times over three seasons. However, he hasn't been able to stay in the UW lineup long, whether it be for Chris Petersen's Huskies or Jimmy Lake's.

Hair Raising / UW Athletics

Asa Turner is known for his long tresses.

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Taylor and Turner / USA TODAY

Asa Turner accepts a hand slap from Keith Taylor.

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Getting Loose / UW Athletics

Asa Turner stretches before practice. 

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In a Hurry / Dan Raley

Asa Turner hustles to practice.

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One on One / UW Athletics

Asa Turner mixes it up with a teammate.

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Disabled List / Dan Raley

Alex Cook, Asa Turner and Mark West sit out the spring game.

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A month and a half until spring practice, we're offering intel and observations gathered on the UW football personnel in a series of stories on every scholarship player from No. 0 to 99. We'll review each Husky's previous starting experience, if applicable, and determine what comes next under DeBoer.

As is the case with any coaching change, it's a new football beginning for everyone, including for the Huskies' No. 20 on defense.

As a true freshman, Turner and fellow first-year player Cam Williams battled all season at strong safety. Williams opened five games before Turner drew five starts, and then Williams reclaimed the job for the Las Vegas Bowl. It was like a tennis match.

In 2020, Turner was the starter ahead of Williams for all four games of the short, pandemic-interrupted season.

This past fall, Williams opened three games early and Turner four games late, with other players entering the mix when these two missed multiple games because of injury.

In his 26-game UW career, Turner has 70 tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss, plus 4 interceptions and 5 break-ups. With his size and mobility, there's no reason he can't come up with season stats that are comparable to that. 

If there's a drawback to his game, he's not a big hitter, which he readily admits, and it's sort of mandatory for a high-level safety, especially one with NFL ambitions. DeBoer's staff might remind him it's never too late to become one. 

UW Starter or Not: Turner won't have a problem getting on the field in some manner, even as a part-time starter once more. Yet it's make or break time if he wants to become an elite college player and a pro. He has another chance to convince a coaching staff that he is one of each. If Turner really wants to change his approach, maybe he should cut his hair like basketball players Emmitt Matthews Jr. and PJ Fuller recently did. All of it. Go crewcut tough. Yeah, that's never going to happen.

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