Virginia Tech Class of 2018 Prospect Profile: Tre Turner

Tre Turner Virginia Tech recruiting
Turner is another taller wide receiver who could have an immediate impact at Virginia Tech. (Picture via @treturner_15 on Twitter)

We’ll continue our prospect profiles today by taking a look at another taller wide receiver who could help Virginia Tech for the Class of 2018 — Tre Turner.

Turner is a 4-star recruit out of Greensboro, NC. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 175-pounds and is a top-150 player in the country. He’s rated as the No. 7 athlete in the nation and the fifth-best player in North Carolina.  Turner has earned 19 scholarship offers to this point, 18 of which are from Power 5 programs.

It’s easy to see why Turner is such a highly-touted recruit. Turner caught 52 passes for 1,056 and 12 touchdowns last season as a junior according to MaxPreps, and he can play both sides of the ball.

Turner is taller than just about everyone else on the field, and he plays like it. He takes advantage of his 6-foot-4 frame, especially in the red zone, making him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. Turner flashes enough speed to stretch the field and regularly makes plays over the top of defenders. He also makes plays in the screen game, which isn’t normal for tall receivers. He’s agile and elusive in the open field, giving him the perfect combination of size and athleticism.

Thankfully, Turner also shows a willingness to block, which Virginia Tech values highly in their wideouts. Head Coach Justin Fuente and Wide Receivers Coach Holmon Wiggins regularly talked about their blocking on the perimeter this past season, specifically from guys like Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges. If Turner can develop into a solid blocker on the outside, he could contribute right away.

On the recruiting trail, suitors follow talent. Turner will be no easy get for Virginia Tech, but they’ve made an impression so far. Turner visited this fall for a game at Lane Stadium and visited again in January for Tech’s first Junior Day of the year. Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Penn State have separated themselves so far in Turner’s recruitment, though none of those three programs are guaranteed to be his choice in the end.

Turner is of course from North Carolina, a state that Virginia Tech is recruiting heavily in the Class of 2018. The Hokies are recruiting guys like KJ Henry, Dax Hollifield, Payton Wilson, Marcus Caldwell and Alim McNeill out of Carolina, just to name a few. Virginia Tech has been quite open with their belief that outside of five or six recruits, Virginia is down in talent this year. Don’t be surprised to see the Hokies end up with a ton of recruits from North Carolina in this cycle.

VT Commits VT Targets Others

Virginia Tech is also targeting bigger receivers in this class, as we’ve mentioned. Turner is one of several taller receivers the Hokies are recruiting to pair with their slot-heavy ’17 class. The Tech staff used to recruit wide receivers to play all of the receiver positions in the offense. Now, the coaches recruit players for specific spots on the field, whether that be in the slot or on the outside. After signing Kalil Pimpleton, Sean Savoy and Hezekiah Grimsley in the Class of 2017, Turner would fit perfectly on the outside in Virginia Tech’s offense.

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  1. Looks like the table is the document is broken

    btw, I know coach doesn’t like loading up on one type of player every year since that’ll lower the depth with attrition and graduation, so why did we take so many slot receivers last year and focusing mainly on outside receivers this year? Shouldn’t we continue the blend?

    1. Think Fuente saw slot as an immediate need. Kumah, Deablo (if he stays at WR),Patterson, Denmark all figure to be outside receivers.

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