Inside The Huskies

Turner is SEC-Bound But Not for Alabama — He'll Play for Gators

The former Husky safety leaves following injury-filled season.

Dan Raley

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Before Jedd Fisch was introduced as the new University of Washington football coach, senior safety Asa Turner wandered through the room set up for the moment and chatted up a few people.

However, Turner, who already was in the transfer portal at the time, didn't hang around to hear what the coach or anyone else had to say. 

He left for the Husky weight room and pretty much just kept going.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Turner revealed he, too, will play in the SEC next season, only for the Florida Gators. No, Alabama and Kalen DeBoer and Co. aren't on his regular-season schedule.

His announcement comes on the same day that former UW offensive guards Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow each disclosed they will play for Mississippi in the fall. Yes, Florida and Ole Miss will meet on Nov. 23 in Gainesville.

While the Huskies are headed to the Big Ten, a lot of their former pieces now are spread throughout the SEC with the number of coaches and players now totaling 11 at three schools.

Turner leaves the UW football program after playing for three coaches over five seasons in which he appeared in 43 games and and started 28. He played three seasons for Will Harris, who's now a secondary coach at Florida.

The Huskies initially won him as a 4-star in a recruiting battle with Notre Dame. While he leaves with 148 career tackles, 8 pass break-ups and 6 interceptions, some people thought he might do a lot more. He earned All-Pac-12 honorable-mention honors, but just once in 2022.

Turner could be quirky. He was recognizable for his long mane of hair protruding out the back of his helmet and hanging halfway down his back.

He wore "Asa" rather than his last name stitched across the back of his jersey because he had a falling out with his father.

He started five of 12 games as a true freshman in 2019 for then coach Chris Petersen, yet injuries prevented him from ever playing a full schedule for the Huskies thereafter.

This past season, Turner underwent a pair of in-season wrist injuries, and three over six months, and that limited him to just seven appearances at free safety over 15 games, starting six.

His departure guarantees only cornerback Elijah Jackson will return from the Husky starting secondary that opened the national championship game against Michigan. 

Turner's first game for Florida will come on Aug. 31 in Gainesville against Miami, an ACC school that recently drew a commitment from ... ex-Husky starting nickelback and former teammate Mishael Powell.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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