Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Turner Has Hit the Ground Running
6/17/2021 12:31:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
“I’ve connected well with the running back room. We have some great leaders in that room.” - Christian Turner
After transferring from Michigan, running back Christian Turner spent most of the spring pouring over the playbook, as he jumped in the middle of the competition to play alongside redshirt junior tailback Christian Beal-Smith this coming season.
While the spring was a period of acclimatization, the summer is going to be about conditioning for Turner, as he ramps up to excel in a fast-paced offense that put 36.0 points per game on the board last season — a Wake Forest program record.
"The tempo we play with — it's a very fast offense," Turner said. "Cardio is a big part of what we do, but I like it. We get more plays off and it creates more opportunities. We average 80 plays a game, and that's why we can use pairs of running backs and get more people on the field.
"I want to go over all the plays, and recap my spring camp so that I can get more comfortable with the playbook. I just want everything I do to be instinctual. Then there's the cardio. I need to get into the best shape I can — the best shape of my life. Then, I want to work on some of the basics of football — footwork, ball security and things like that."
Just getting his academic schedule and college credits situated were the biggest early challenge for Turner as he arrived on campus in January.
"It was different, and I had to adjust," he said. "The coaches and trainers were very welcoming when I first arrived. They treated me like family. That kind of stuff wasn't a hard adjustment. The more challenging piece was dealing with my schedule and the academic side of things."
He excelled on the field in the spring, thrusting himself right in the mix along with freshmen Justice Ellison, Ahmani Marshall and Quinton Cooley.
"Transitioning on the football team was good," Turner said. "The other running backs were really helpful. I've connected well with the running back room. We have some great leaders in that room and on the team. So getting back into football and playing spring ball with them was really good.
"I feel like I know the offense pretty well, so that will help me in fall camp be able to play more comfortably now that I've done spring ball. That's one of the reasons I wanted to be here in the spring, so now I'm ready to go."
There are now two "Christians" in the running back room, with Beal-Smith the leader and returning starter from a season ago.
"He's a good leader," Turner said. "He's a cool dude. He's helped me through the spring get to know the offense. I feel anybody in the room is willing to help, and he's ready to help anybody in the room.
"A lot of players at running back did well in the spring, because there's a lot of talent in that room. I feel like I can contribute, but we all work to make each other better. The spring was about learning the offense for me, and the fall will be about being comfortable with it and playing free."
The offensive system installed by offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero at Wake Forest is significantly different from what Turner was accustomed to as a Wolverine.
"It's a little different than what I'm used to," he said. "We do a lot of pass protection drills, and with the RPO offense you might be blocking or you could get the ball on that play. So, it's really knowing where your key reads are. It took some getting used to. It is different, but we know our reads before the play starts. That makes it easier."
As mid-March turned into mid-April and the team grinding through the final practices of the 15 allowed during spring camp, Turner was impressed with what he saw from his teammates.
"It was really great seeing how much energy the team had the last couple days of spring camp," he said. "Normally, spring camp gets repetitive and routine as you go through that grind. It's a long process. It can be easy for the energy to change on the practice field and people just go through the motions. I didn't see any of that. It was just fun. People were having fun out there. I noticed that the second-to-last practice."
And perhaps more importantly, he's found that what was told to him during his recruitment by coach Dave Clawson and running back coach John Hunter has manifested itself in the first few months on campus.
"Nothing surprised me," Turner said. "They didn't change at all. What they told me on the phone and in these Zoom calls — they told me who they were, how they coached and what they expected from the players. They've been the same. They've welcomed me. I appreciate coach Hunter and coach Clawson."
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While the spring was a period of acclimatization, the summer is going to be about conditioning for Turner, as he ramps up to excel in a fast-paced offense that put 36.0 points per game on the board last season — a Wake Forest program record.
"The tempo we play with — it's a very fast offense," Turner said. "Cardio is a big part of what we do, but I like it. We get more plays off and it creates more opportunities. We average 80 plays a game, and that's why we can use pairs of running backs and get more people on the field.
"I want to go over all the plays, and recap my spring camp so that I can get more comfortable with the playbook. I just want everything I do to be instinctual. Then there's the cardio. I need to get into the best shape I can — the best shape of my life. Then, I want to work on some of the basics of football — footwork, ball security and things like that."
Just getting his academic schedule and college credits situated were the biggest early challenge for Turner as he arrived on campus in January.
"It was different, and I had to adjust," he said. "The coaches and trainers were very welcoming when I first arrived. They treated me like family. That kind of stuff wasn't a hard adjustment. The more challenging piece was dealing with my schedule and the academic side of things."
He excelled on the field in the spring, thrusting himself right in the mix along with freshmen Justice Ellison, Ahmani Marshall and Quinton Cooley.
"Transitioning on the football team was good," Turner said. "The other running backs were really helpful. I've connected well with the running back room. We have some great leaders in that room and on the team. So getting back into football and playing spring ball with them was really good.
"I feel like I know the offense pretty well, so that will help me in fall camp be able to play more comfortably now that I've done spring ball. That's one of the reasons I wanted to be here in the spring, so now I'm ready to go."
There are now two "Christians" in the running back room, with Beal-Smith the leader and returning starter from a season ago.
"He's a good leader," Turner said. "He's a cool dude. He's helped me through the spring get to know the offense. I feel anybody in the room is willing to help, and he's ready to help anybody in the room.
"A lot of players at running back did well in the spring, because there's a lot of talent in that room. I feel like I can contribute, but we all work to make each other better. The spring was about learning the offense for me, and the fall will be about being comfortable with it and playing free."
The offensive system installed by offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero at Wake Forest is significantly different from what Turner was accustomed to as a Wolverine.
"It's a little different than what I'm used to," he said. "We do a lot of pass protection drills, and with the RPO offense you might be blocking or you could get the ball on that play. So, it's really knowing where your key reads are. It took some getting used to. It is different, but we know our reads before the play starts. That makes it easier."
As mid-March turned into mid-April and the team grinding through the final practices of the 15 allowed during spring camp, Turner was impressed with what he saw from his teammates.
"It was really great seeing how much energy the team had the last couple days of spring camp," he said. "Normally, spring camp gets repetitive and routine as you go through that grind. It's a long process. It can be easy for the energy to change on the practice field and people just go through the motions. I didn't see any of that. It was just fun. People were having fun out there. I noticed that the second-to-last practice."
And perhaps more importantly, he's found that what was told to him during his recruitment by coach Dave Clawson and running back coach John Hunter has manifested itself in the first few months on campus.
"Nothing surprised me," Turner said. "They didn't change at all. What they told me on the phone and in these Zoom calls — they told me who they were, how they coached and what they expected from the players. They've been the same. They've welcomed me. I appreciate coach Hunter and coach Clawson."
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