Rising 2021 SDE Shemar Turner has potential to become a Texas target

Tom Herman and his staff are in the process of commencing a deep-rooted pipeline within the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Could a prospect from a powerhouse program in North Texas be next in line to become a Longhorn target?

Desoto strong-side defensive end Shemar Turner is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he met the ball carrier on 70 tackles, sacked the quarterback four times, and forced multiple turnovers. The rising edge rusher is as versatile as any player in the state at his position for the class of 2021. Turner is a fierce striker at the point of attack and looks to punish whoever has possession of the ball. Because of Turner’s ability to run well, you’ll see him line up as a 3-4 outside linebacker and display his ability to move and cover in space. At the next level, Turner could be a dual-threat defensive end depending how he continues to grow. However, it’s great to see a kid his age with that stature show the capability of being agile, athletic, and flexible.

This offseason has been vital to Turner as he’s gearing up to showcase what he’s made of to the many college coaches that will be stopping by this spring.

“Just working, conditioning mostly, and getting back in shape,” Turner told BON. “Looking forward to competition. We have some nice tackles coming in, so it’s going to be some nice competition for me.”

Thus far, Turner has been making a great impression on college coaches. Turner has earned five offers from programs such as Alabama A&M, Baylor, Grambling State, Oklahoma State, and South Alabama. The recruiting process is just getting started for Turner, but he’s mighty humble about the way things are going.

“It’s flowing good,” Turner expressed about his recruiting. “I’m not the type of person that says I just want offers. I’m good. I’m just going to keep working and if they want me, they want me.”

Although Turner is unworried about his number of offers at the moment, there are a few schools that he’s eyeing that haven’t yet extended an opportunity to him.

“I like Texas, LSU, Clemson, TCU, and Texas A&M,” Turner said.

The Longhorn program is currently standing out to Turner, but he, of course, hasn’t received an offer from the staff yet. The “Desoto U” product made a recent visit to the Forty Acres for Junior Day and gathered some information about Texas that has stuck with him.

“Their staff and their players standout the most,” Turner said. “I learned about their stadium, how much they were worth, their different degrees, and all that.”

Defensive line coach Oscar Giles and Turner have communicated with one another in the past, but since his last visit to UT, talks between the two have reduced a bit.

“It’s been a minute since I’ve personally talked to him on the phone,” Turner said. “We used to talk consistently. He was just telling me to stay in shape and get ready for the offer.”

There’s no doubt that Turner and Giles will rekindle conversations and building a relationship as time passes. Turner is a special in-state talent with the upside to be a force off the edge, so expect the Longhorns to continue their evaluation of him.

If an opportunity from the Longhorns is presented to Turner, he and his family would be ecstatic. Many of Turner’s family members are fond of Texas.

“It would mean a lot to me,” Turner said. “My parents and everybody wants me to go to Texas. If they offer me, you never know.”

The Longhorns have offered six defensive ends in next year’s recruiting class. Texarkana Pleasant Grove weak-side defensive end Landon Jackson, Katy Tompkins strong-side defensive end Tunmise Adeleye, and Port Arthur Memorial strong-side defensive end Jordon Thomas are the only in-state edge rushers that have picked up a Texas offer.

At 6’4, 260 pounds, Turner is currently not ranked, per the 247Sports Composite.