A Head Turner | A Young Safety Emerging
Posted on: August 15, 2018
NORMAN – Before the first preseason practice even started, the freshman who was getting the most attention was Brendan Radley-Hiles. Also known as Bookie, the 5-foot-9, 186-pound Florida native was seemingly penciled in for a starting spot from day one.
But while Bookie has had a solid camp so far, it’s been another freshman in the secondary who has begun to open eyes. Delarrin Turner-Yell started to separate himself from the large group of candidates battling for the safety spot, according to OU coach Lincoln Riley.
“I think Delarrin has emerged there a little bit at safety,” Riley said, “which has not been a surprise, but a nice thing, when a true freshman shows that he’s ready to compete. Delarrin has stood out. He’s done a really nice job of tackling. He’s a very physical kid for his position and for his age.”
The Sooners held a pair of intra-squad scrimmages this week, and Turner-Yell received praise from players and coaches on both sides of the ball.
“On defense a guy who has been standing out lately, we call him ‘Trouble’, safety No. 32,” sophomore tight end Grant Calcaterra said. “Turner-Yell, he’s been coming in making some plays. He’s been standing out on the defensive side.”
Turner-Yell played his high school ball at Hempstead High in Hempstead, Texas. He was a three-star recruit and chose the Sooners over the likes of Houston, Nebraska, Utah.
Even though Turner-Yell came into camp with little notoriety, Riley isn’t surprised with what he has seen from the 5-10, 175 pounder.
“It’s not surprising. You put the guy’s tape on, you can see that he’s explosive and a violent player. You can see that in high school,” Riley said. “You never know when they get here if it’s going to take them a while to understand what we’re doing, to kind of get comfortable and settled in and play the way they know they can. Or are they just going to come in and just go from the first minute. That’s always the kind of question that you have in your mind. But he’s done that. He’s been fast, explosive and physical and he just gets better and better each day.”
