Every year we hear the same arguments, why should this kid go to any combines or camps if he already has offers or is committed? Every year at our Pittsburgh combine we have a number of committed players and players with multiple offers. Why do they come? They come to compete against the best and to show that the hype is for real. Jamel Turner has been committed to Ohio State for a while and had nothing to prove, but he came and he earned the respect of everyone in attendance.
Turner can play defensive end or linebacker, so the (Youngstown/Ohio/Ursuline) five-star prospect did a little of both. Turner checked in at 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds. He had a (1.67) 10-yard split in the forty-yard dash and a (4.61) time overall. He ran a (7.52) L-Cone, a (9-8) broad jump and he topped it off with a 32-inch vertical. He also had a 76.5-inch wingspan. Turner did his positional drills with the linebackers and was hands down the most impressive player of a fairly impressive group.
He showed exceptional lateral quickness and the ability to drop and cover. During the one-on-ones, Turner decided to come down and play with the big boys. First it was Jeffrey Myers, the Luke Graham and then Tom Ricketts and he sent each one away with their head down as he blew past them for sacks. The only time Turner was really stopped is if he was tackled. Buckeye fans can expect to see lots of Big Ten quarterbacks running for their lives when Turner hits the field.
Turner faced stiff competition from a number of standout players, but in the end it came down to him, Courtney Avery (Lexington/Ohio), Aaron Donald (Penn Hills), Brendon Felder (Gateway) and Brandon Ifill (Penn Hills) for the MVP honors, but Turner was just too impressive not to take home the honors.