Asa Turner and Jordan Castell: Boosting the Florida Gators' Defense with Experience and Confidence

I don't think T will be as much of an issue as it was I think it will be improved I think it will certainly be improved there's still levels to this I want it to be great I don't want it to be just improved I want it to be great L there's reasons to believe it will be so one player that did well we go back to the scrimmage in Pursuit and tackling in the scrimmage was transfer safety AA Turner let's hear from Billy Napier on the importance of bringing him in what does the player bring to the table besides his experience his traits his production and I would be lying if I didn't say hey I want a guy who's been around a winner and who understands what good culture looks like has played in some big games uh and he's definitely brought those things to our team you know he was recruited by Chris Peterson and Jimmy Lake had a relationship with Coach Harris I think his freshman year um so there we knew a lot about him and uh he started a lot of games and played a lot of football so he definitely has rubbed off on the group just in terms of self-discipline I mean this guy he's in the building as much as I am I mean sometimes I come over here on the weekends there's ASA he's I mean he's so I think um he he has a very professional attitude and I think that that um culture under Coach Peterson uh coach Lake even coach dor I think some of that carried over so so he's definitely brought that to our team and I think that's been a beneficial for the group to me ASA Turner pup Howard they may end up being the most important transfers in this class certainly for the defense and think about the safety position last year going to shift the conversation a little bit to safety overall for a second before we get back to ASA Turner but guys let's go back a year one year ago we were set on thinking this was going to be the Kamari Wilson and Miguel Mitchell show those guys were going to be the safeties and then we get the game week we get to the Utah game and it's true freshman Jordan Castell and it's transfer RJ Moon lining up on the back end one big play to start Utah start the season off with of course things change as we but Jordan Castell played admirably as a true freshman early on the season took his bumps later in the year but I mean not gonna fault him for out there playing as a true freshman you're throughout the season it ends up mostly being Castell and Miguel Mitchell throughout the season but think about it who could Jordan Castell really learn from last year I just gave you the guys that we thought were going to be the starters and Kamari Wilson M Miss there wasn't a lot of experience between those guys you did bring in RJ Moon as I said but failure on that first play versus Utah not really set up for safety in the SEC got injured last year now he's moving to linebacker I mean you can see how much of a mess the safety position was we go back a year ago thankfully Florida had Jordan Castell but what could he really learn or who who could he really learn from last year who could he lean on not really anyone he was all instincts and learning on the job all while playing the most snaps out of anybody on defense then all this comes after playing Corner in high school and he went on to play really well under those circumstances we know a mess the secondary was last year you know Cory Raymond own now to LSU it wasn't a great environment and Jordan Castell made the best of it and he admits he was figuring things out figuring things out as he was going along and he kind of had to look confident more than he really felt confident he couldn't really show the doubt or lack of belief in himself he had to go out there and play football he had to go out there and be a reliable player on a pretty bad Gator defense he was a shining light as a true freshman look he even said a lot of it was new I played a little safety in high school but was almost strictly a corner so I was playing man a lot of things like just go out there with confidence if I see something believe it in the quote and he goes on to say the good thing I had was a lot of guys Believe in Me by showing up and practice and all that and being the same guy every day that helped out a lot now think about what nepers said about accea Turner Jordan Castell learned a lot last year but now he has a partner back there an experienced partner one he can lean on one he can trust in in ASA Turner trust a trust is a big deal on that back end Corner safety both safeties back there together you've got to have a lot of trust and it's spreading back there with the addition of Asa Turner well he's not alone though go back to a year ago Jordan Castell playing as a true freshman there was a lot of 2023 freshman DBS that now can play with some confidence Bryce Thorton another fellow safety there he's gonna get a lot of playing time this year even with Asa Turner Jordan Castell as the presumed starters jar Denon Aaron Gates a great great battle going on there at Star all these guys can benefit you know Gates he's got a bounce back from injury a bit but you can you can see it had an interception in a scrimmage going be a good battle there but all these guys can benefit from their own experience and then the experience of the transfers like Turner DJ Douglas triquest Bridges they have somebody to lean on now those guys didn't play at Florida last year of course but theyve played a lot of football for AA Turner for you know a team that's making a college football playoff there's a lot more to lean on in that room this year but Castell did go on to say I'm way more comfortable but it's not just me it's all the Freshman that came with me so that's a good thing for me for sure I'm fully confident now I've got experience I feel a lot better and I think a lot of guys in my grade feel a lot more confident out there look I it's it's one of the main reasons he's so sure that this defense is going to be better I think that bleeds over into us and the fan base this defense is going to be better I I fully believe that I really do and this is one of the main reasons you got a bunch of secondy year players are going to step up for Florida this season that experience is really going to help last year this year got to take your lumps got to take your bumps but's going to be better Castell did go on to say my freshman year you could look at the record and all that but we had so many freshman play so we're all coming back he's saying it's like let's turn this thing around we don't want to go through that again we're losing that experience from last year so there you go he says we're losing that whole experience from last year now not experience in general just the experience of last year like you said move on build on it so many guys coming back you can look at the record don't want to go through that again so throw that whole experience away you don't want to go through it again all right so let's keep on with at safety let's go back to ASA Turner you know what we got to hear from him for the first time yeah a lot of good things to say khil just said uh every time he sees you lined up against across him and he has to put his mouth piece in is that kind of what you bring I mean that's kind of what I bring over here to the University of Florida um I feel like that's kind of instilling me through Will Harris um just a physical mentality and stuff like that going to bring every play um and I've had some ups and downs with my health and stuff like that um so some days it's less than others but try and to bring every play is that how you ended up here Will Harris yeah that was the main connection um you know I played for him at Washington for the first two years and so just hopping in the portal he was kind of the first dude that hit me up and so that connection goes a long way I I mean you played for a national championship last year I mean now you're at a place kind of trying to rebuild and get to a point where it can compete for those what have you seen with this team that stands out and impresses you culture wise or talent wise compared with what you came from I'm glad you brought that up I'll just say growth um just growth in all areas and mostly the culture um I hear from dudes that's been here for like 5 years they're like it's come such a long way and even for me just being here for the past 6 months I've seen it come so far um so I feel like the culture and everything coach Nate brings all the new staff all the uh transfer Port of players we were just bringing the right culture and um hopefully make some shake this year you're obviously a hard hitter um but you know this program also last year kind of addition turnovers and stuff what can you bring from you think that standpoint B skills yeah generating more right no doubt I feel like I've had a hard time to pass the past year creating turnovers just with red shirting um last year and I had two cast on or one cast on each hand so it's kind of hard to create turnovers but I mean coming out throughout my past five years of college I had six turnovers or six picks um a couple fumbles and fumble recoveries and stuff like that so I feel like me just bringing that and also just the coach is emphasizing on turnovers I feel like there's a big emphasis on it um each day we got to get at least three picks in the DB room or else we're running um so I feel like we're trying to make that happen for me look that connection to Will Harris has to stand for something for a guy that's played a lot of football you know it's known Turner is a physical player and it sounds like he credits Harris your DB coach will Harris for a big part for a big part of that so hopefully to me for for me hopefully that's the indication of the type of mindset that Harris is gonna bring to his players and demand from his players you know Turner has really made his Mark as a hard-hitting safety going back to Spring early fall Camp so far go back to Spring and on frers even mentioned that Turner tackled him harder than anybody else during his time in college football and there's some similar thoughts from other receivers out there go to khil Jackson when he spoke to the media he goes every time I see him lined up across me I got to put my mouthpiece in I know he's going to bring it and you heard that conversation early on with acea Turner starting that um press conference there but it's it it's that you can see the other side of the ball I won't necessarily call it fear but they know they know ACA Turner is going to bring it but you know it's not just a tackling that stands out Kem R dek had to say this he said luckily I haven't got tackled by him too much because we've only went live a couple times so it hasn't come up but in blocking it's not very fun and talking about going against ACA Turner so um that that is welcome news from that position certainly that there's some physicality there as I said go back to the scrimmage as Turner coming up and tackling running backs coming up and tackling and pursuit not let I think just being aggressive not letting plays come to him but attacking pursuit of making plays