© Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal
MSU Transfer DL Jordan Turner Talks Big Ten Familiarity
New Michigan State linebacker Jordan Turner joined the Spartans after four years (three active seasons) with Wisconsin.
Linebacker Jordan Turner decided this offseason he was ready to move on from Wisconsin, but he wasn't done with the Big Ten.
After three seasons with the Badgers, Turner transferred to Michigan State, a program he had hoped to play for long before his days in Madison.
"Close to home," Turner said after the Spartans' spring practice on Thursday. "And then, Coach [Jonathan] Smith and Coach [Joe] Rossi coming over, I had to come over. It was like match made. So, I always wanted to play here at first, didn't, and then, in the portal, had a great opportunity to come back home, start what I finished."
Turner went in to what those intital conversations with Smith and Rossi were like.
"It was all business for me," he said. "I just wanted to be somewhere where I can be -- it's a healthy environment to grow in all phases. And throughout the recruiting processes, it checked every box for me, so I knew I was coming here."
Obviously, Turner already knows the Big Ten very well. But in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't make much of a difference to the redshirt senior.
"I guess you can say that [it gives me an advantage], but I feel like football is good everywhere," Turner said. "But there is a different level of physicality when it comes to Big Ten. And I feel like that part --physicality -- I have an edge, but compared to everybody, football is the same everywhere; it's just different ways."
Turner comes off a 2023 season in which he made seven starts in 11 games for the Badgers. He finished third on the team in total tackles with 61. He also recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
The season prior, Turner made 11 starts in 13 games, posting 65 total tackles, the second-most of any Badger. He also registered 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and an interception.
Turner adds to a talented Spartans linebacker group, and his experience and time in the Big Ten can benefit not only him but also the linebackers around him.
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