The year 2020 created a lot of uncertainties for just about everyone. DJ Turner felt that in a big way. As a member of the Maryland football program, he looked at his options and saw the Big Ten may not have season. Entering his fifth season of college football, Turner wanted to play and show what he can do on the field.
Rather than taking a chance and waiting out the Big Ten’s decision, he opted to transfer and thanks to some mutual connections, he found a home in Pittsburgh. That decision paid off for the former DeMatha Catholic star as he enjoyed the finest season of his collegiate career.
Turner finished with 44 catches for 634 yards and three touchdowns in 2020. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry rushing the football, and showed off his skills in the return game.
Turner went from a guy that caught 24 passes in four seasons in a Maryland uniform to an NFL Draft prospect in one year. Last week, he took another step in the process by participating in Pitt’s pro day and showed out well with a 4.55 40-yard dash, 23 reps on the bench press, and a 35.5” vertical.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of positive feedback,” Turner said following Pitt’s pro day. “I feel confident in what I did today and being able to showcase some things that. I mean what’s shown on tape is shown on tape, and you kind of go out here today to show how athletic you are a little bit and talk to people and kind of let them get to know you a little bit better and I feel like I did a good job overall to help myself out a lot.”
Turner is in a unique position, as he really only has one productive season in college. He was aware of that, and mulled over coming back to Pitt. With quarterback Kenny Pickett opting to return, that made the possibility of staying in college even more enticing, but at the end of the day, the 2016 four-star recruit felt it was time to make the move, rather than play a sixth college season.
“I was really close,” Turner said of a possible Pitt return. “I had a pretty good season and just thought it would be beneficial for me to kind of be able to take care of my family and everybody around me if I made the move to jump to the league.”
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi also confirmed it was close to having a second season with Turner in a Pitt uniform.
“I thought we had him back,” he said. “I thought he was going to come back. But we’re happy for him.”
Turner had some eye-popping games in 2020. He caught 8 passes for 186 yards against North Carolina State. There was also a 15-catch game against Virginia Tech, and he closed the year with a five catch performance against Georgia Tech, which included a 60-yard touchdown.
“I think it played out well,” Turner said of his decision to come to Pitt for a season. “Definitely some games I would surprise myself and some games I felt like there was a lot of plays left on the field. But overall I think this season definitely helped me out when it comes to moving to the next level. I got to show some versatility and had some big games to show that I’m productive. I feel like I gained a lot of momentum going towards the end of the season.”
Versatility is a big key to Turner’s game. He’s built with a compact 5’9” and 205-pound frame and almost resembles a running back. He played multiple wide receiver positions at Pitt this past season and showed out in the return game as well.
“I think he can bring a lot to the table,” Narduzzi said of Turner. “I knew we were getting a really good receiver, obviously he was very productive, but the things he does when he gets the ball in his hands are special. You guys saw how he was built: he’s got legs like a linebacker, he runs like a receiver and the things he can do with the ball in his hands are the most impressive thing.”
Turner has a mature approach to everything he does, and being in college for five seasons can help with that. Playing at Pitt presents a unique opportunity with the Pittsburgh Steelers next door and it gives players the opportunity to see how an NFL team goes about their business.
He also has some good connections in place that he feels can be beneficial. His former coach at Maryland, Matt Canada, is with the Steelers now. Chris Beatty coached the Pitt wide receivers last season before taking a job with the Chargers. He also knows Mike Tomlin, as his son, Dino, was a teammate of Turner’s at Maryland.
“Just having those connections is big, especially moving onto the next level,” Turner said.