Michigan State linebacker Jordan Turner is just under halfway through the only season he will play in the Green and White. After four such seasons at Wisconsin, the fifth-year senior is having a career year and has made himself an example of the type of player MSU head coach Jonathan Smith wants in East Lansing.
“Last year [at Wisconsin], I felt like I wasn’t my best and I just know every year I just wanted to improve in all the bad stuff – bad reps or bad techniques I used to have – and I just always want to clean that up and be the best player I can,” Turner said on Tuesday.
Through five games, the Farmington Hills, Michigan native’s 6.5 tackles for loss are at the top of the Big Ten. He recorded nine total tackles against Ohio State, the second-highest number of his career, along with his fourth career interception.
“I just [credit] my teammates and my staff,” Turner said. “They show so much love to me and bring so much confidence into myself, so when I go out there, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing this for y’all, because y’all believe in me and I believe in y’all, so I know I’m going to give my all for y’all so we can win.’”
The love has been there. Turner was voted by his teammates as one of five season-long captains, despite having never played a down for MSU or Smith before the 2024 campaign started. Each of the other four captains could not say that.
“I never figured they would vote [for] a new guy, so I was truly honored that that happened and that they look up to me in that light,” Turner said about being named a captain. “My job is to give my all to them. If people need help, I’m there for them.”
The leadership shows on the field along with Turner’s individual improvement. On top of all the tackles for loss, Turner also leads MSU in total tackles with 31 and solo tackles with 20. He is also tied with rush end Khris Bogle for the team lead in sacks (three). Additionally, he is the only player on the team who has intercepted a pass and gotten to a quarterback in the backfield as well.
After two-straight losses for the Spartans, and by being a captain, a lot of the responsibility and expectation for an improved product for the team will fall on Turner. As a linebacker, there is obviously an expectation that he can slow down the run, but he also has to be able to drop back into pass coverage as well. Two individual improvements Turner believes he’s made are his ability to fly to the ball while preventing cutbacks and how he is in zone coverage.
