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Even before Baylor linebacker Solomon Turner decided to transfer to the University of Hawaii, the connection to his new football program already had been established.
Turner, a Texas native who will sign a scholarship agreement on Dec. 16 and join the Rainbow Warriors in January, noted these ties:
>> Turner’s pastor, Jack Graham, has served as UH coach Todd Graham’s mentor for several years. (Jack Graham and Todd Graham are not related). It was Jack Graham who made the recommendation to UH after Turner entered the NCAA’s transfer portal two weeks ago. Turner said Todd Graham, who began his coaching career at nearby Allen High in Texas, has “a ton of respect down here. When I posted that commitment down here, it was pretty rocking.”
>> Baylor’s head coach is Dave Aranda, a former UH defensive coordinator. When Turner began his recovery from shoulder surgery 11 months ago, he was placed on the inactive roster for the 2020 season while remaining on full scholarship. “Coach Aranda has showed me nothing but love,” Turner said. “He cared for me, like I was one of his own, from the first day I met him. I know he’s very pleased with me going to Hawaii. He’s looking out for my success on and off the field in the future.”
>> Turner will be reunited with three Prestonwood Christian Academy alumni. UH tight end Riley Wilson and wideout Dayton Toney were teammates when Prestonwood won a state football championship three years ago. Turner and Justin Webster, a guard on the UH basketball team, have been best friends since the fifth grade.
>> Turner’s father, Scott Turner, was an Illinois defensive back who played against UH in the 1992 Holiday Bowl in San Diego. “I remember that week of preparation that we had,” Scott Turner said. “Hawaii had that (triple-option) offense we hadn’t seen in the Big Ten. The Big Ten had a lot of pro-style offense and 4-3 defense. Then you go to the Holiday Bowl and play against that offense. It was very exciting but pretty difficult to defend.” UH won,
27-17. Scott Turner played nine NFL seasons.
Scott Turner said his son was a multi-sport athlete, but eventually focused on football, partly because of the game’s analytics and cerebral aspects. The younger Turner often made suggestions on strategy and personnel to his father, who coached youth teams. “He just had this innate ability to see talent in such a way and put people in the right positions,” Scott Turner said.
After his sophomore season at Prestonwood, Turner attended IMG Academy, a football powerhouse in Bradenton, Fla. Although he attended only the 2017 spring semester, Turner credited the experience with his personal development. “My roommate was from China, my next-door neighbor was from Italy,” Turner said. “Different languages were spoken, different cultures. It really prepared me for when I got to Baylor.”
After Turner returned to Prestonwood, he began to receive scholarship offers. The first 26 were from non-power-five programs. The 26th was from Baylor. He eventually received offers from Illinois, Connecticut, Texas and other power-five schools. Turner, a three-star prospect, chose to attend Baylor as a linebacker. Turner, who is 6 feet 2 and 216 pounds, projects to compete at the safety-linebacker hybrid at UH.
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