Cal Spring Football Wrap-Up: Turner and Scott Add Depth to Safety Group
One day of Cal's spring practice saw the players jump into something new. In preparation for the 'player run practices,' the coaches took a step back, and the players ran through their normal drills without the input of the coaches. That included players taking the roles of the various GAs and equipment managers who help facilitate the drills, and Trey Turner jumped at the chance to take up his old position of QB in one of them.
"(Coach Alexander) said we need a quarterback, I’m gonna be the first one to raise my hand," Turner joked, "it just brings back old memories, anytime they need a quarterback, and it’s not this guy Garbs over here, I’m gonna give it a shot."
While Turner joked about a potential QB package being put in for him, his value this spring was at the safety position. The redshirt senior, along with redshirt sophomore Daniel Scott took a ton of reps at safety while Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins were held back a bit. Both Turner and Scott impressed, as they're looking to make sure there's no dropoff between the two groups.
"Coach always says play like a starter," Turner said, "and I just want to come in, gain more knowledge and advance my level of play so by the time fall camp comes and the season comes, I’m ready to go. I don’t want there to be any difference between him calling me, Ashtyn, D. Scott. I just want to give it all for my team, especially my last year."
How they got to Cal
Turner came to Cal in the class of 2015, as the Bears beat out Duke for the Mobile, Alabama native. Turner played in the nickel for his first two seasons at Cal, recording interceptions at Utah and Oregon State in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Turner suffered an achilles injury during the 2016 season, an injury that forced a redshirt year in 2017. He was one of the backups at safety in 2018, coming in after Jaylinn Hawkins was disqualified from the Oregon State game due to a targeting penalty, and getting his first career sack.
Scott was a late addition to the 2017 class right after Justin Wilcox got hired. Cal brought him in during the last weekend of official visits, and he committed while there. He redshirted in 2017, playing mainly on special teams in 2018. He recorded 4 tackles and his first fumble recovery against Colorado.
What they did in the spring
Both Turner and Scott took the lion's share of the reps this spring, benefiting greatly from a ton of time and working together. Scott, the younger of the two and one of the players in line to take over a safety spot when Hawkins and Davis are gone, turned heads this spring.
"Daniel’s a very smart kid, very cerebral," DB coach Gerald Alexander said, "he’s got a great understanding of what’s going on, and now he’s starting to get more confidence. He’s obviously worked on his mental and physical preparation, he’s moving around, very fluid, he understands the defense. He’s a guy who obviously has been behind some good players last year, he did a good job for us on special teams, he’s one of our better special teams players. He’s a guy that I look to try to get in the rotation this fall."
In particular, Scott made one of the best defensive plays of the spring game, playing cornerback and making a jumping interception on a Robby Rowell throw.
"I was in new territory at corner," Scott recalled, "I had to get out because I saw two go vertical and thought there had to be some ‘high-low’ with my dude going out. I saw the quarterback, you could tell he was reading me, that he was throwing the flat or the 7 (a corner route), I just broke on it and made a play."
Turner's someone, who by nature, took over a leadership role among the group, and his improved effectiveness in doing so stood out to Alexander, along with his physicality in coverage (seen in 1 on 1s vs. tight ends)
"I tell those guys the volume demonstrates the confidence in what you’re doing and what you’re calling," Alexander said, "and he’s been a guy that’s been doing a great job of getting guys aligned and understanding what’s the next step in the progression, as far as the communication, if something were to happen from movement of the offense. I’m pretty excited about what he’s going to do post-spring leading up to the fall.
"He’s a physical guy and he’s very athletic, and I think one of the things Trey needed to do was to continue to have a deep understanding of what we’re doing at safety. We ask a lot of those guys, they’re the quarterbacks of the defense. That takes repetition, that takes a deep understanding, and he’s done a great job doing things whether it’s in the meetings, doing things with me in a 1 on 1, or doing things on his own."
Their thoughts on each other:
Scott on Turner
Trey’s a good guy, he’s really helping me out. He’s was one of the guys who would help me out, trying to know the playbook. (Building that chemistry) helps with disguises, communication, what he’ll call.
Turner on Scott
Daniel Scott’s gonna be a great player, I love the guy. He’s a very humble kid, always trying to learn, I think he’s gonna be a great safety for Cal in the future. I’m extremely grateful to have great teammates, Daniel’s one of them. He’s grown tremendously with me, learning the defense as much as we can, and coming in with a positive attitude, to0 when he comes on the field, he prepares as a starter as well
Their roles moving forward
Both Scott and Turner are likely to be in the safety rotation going forward, both playing on special teams and being ready in case something happens to Hawkins or Davis. They'll see time on defense this fall, as the Cal defense looks to have even more depth than they did in 2018.