Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Trevor Bowens
Turner’s Relentless Work Ethic Has Him Prepared for NFL
4/24/2023 8:00:00 AM | Football
Kobie Turner finished last season with 38 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.
Kobie Turner has many talents and that impressed the scouts present at Wake Forest Pro Day last month. While not participating in a drill, Turner was asked if he would bust out a song for them.
"Get me up there on a top-30 visit and maybe I'll play a song," Turner quipped.
While he might not have shown his musical talents, Turner did impress with his mobility and work in the weight room. He had 31 reps in the bench press, ran the three-cone drill in 7.09 seconds, and the shuttle in 4.49 seconds.
"I think I have in my mind that I always want to be better," Turner said afterward. "But I put up some pretty good numbers today, and I'm proud of the work I put in. It's incredible what all these guys accomplished today. We've been training for this, but to see it all come to fruition was incredible. It came and went fast, but I'm proud of the work we put out there.
"There's not a lot of chance you have to redo these things. You get one chance, and it's right there."
He trained for the event the last couple months in Pensacola, Florida, alongside his teammate, Tyler Williams.
"Right away I had that comfortability, because I had somebody I already knew doing the same things," Turner said. "On top of that, we were roommates, so I got to spend time with him and get to know him even better. He knows how I play, but he also knows how to push me and I know how to push him. It was a great experience. It was awesome to be there with Tyler and have those couple months of training."
Turner finished last season with 38 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. Checking in at a little over 6-foot-2 and 293 pounds, Turner believes he offers versatility at the next level.
"Sometimes they're looking for that big body and sometimes they're looking for a big-time pass rusher," he said. "I find myself in the middle, as someone who can play the run well, but also get after the passer. There's a bunch of different schemes in the NFL, and I'm just excited to see what kind of scheme picks me up and how I fit in."
The feedback Turner has received so far from scouts has been overwhelmingly positive.
"It's been pretty good," he said. "The scouts have been telling me there's not much that can be said about me that is bad," Turner shared. "I want to be known for how I treat people and go about my process. They've been impressed by that, and we'll see on draft day. Everybody has their mock drafts, but you never know until it happens. I'm excited to hopefully see where my name will get called, and wherever I get that opportunity."
Returning to campus to prepare for Wake Forest Pro Day and take in a few Spring Camp practices was a bit different for Turner, after helping lead the Deacs to an 8-5 record last season after a 27-17 Gasparilla Bowl victory over Missouri.
"I'm a little bit of an outsider now," he said. "Everybody has welcomed me back, but to be watching practice from the sidelines is just different. I realized how blessed I was to be here, and how awesome of an experience I had here at Wake Forest.
"I'm grateful to this University, Coach Clawson and this program, that in large part made me into the man I am today. It's neat to come back to my old stomping grounds, even though it was just for a year."
"Get me up there on a top-30 visit and maybe I'll play a song," Turner quipped.
While he might not have shown his musical talents, Turner did impress with his mobility and work in the weight room. He had 31 reps in the bench press, ran the three-cone drill in 7.09 seconds, and the shuttle in 4.49 seconds.
"I think I have in my mind that I always want to be better," Turner said afterward. "But I put up some pretty good numbers today, and I'm proud of the work I put in. It's incredible what all these guys accomplished today. We've been training for this, but to see it all come to fruition was incredible. It came and went fast, but I'm proud of the work we put out there.
"There's not a lot of chance you have to redo these things. You get one chance, and it's right there."
He trained for the event the last couple months in Pensacola, Florida, alongside his teammate, Tyler Williams.
"Right away I had that comfortability, because I had somebody I already knew doing the same things," Turner said. "On top of that, we were roommates, so I got to spend time with him and get to know him even better. He knows how I play, but he also knows how to push me and I know how to push him. It was a great experience. It was awesome to be there with Tyler and have those couple months of training."
Turner finished last season with 38 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. Checking in at a little over 6-foot-2 and 293 pounds, Turner believes he offers versatility at the next level.
"Sometimes they're looking for that big body and sometimes they're looking for a big-time pass rusher," he said. "I find myself in the middle, as someone who can play the run well, but also get after the passer. There's a bunch of different schemes in the NFL, and I'm just excited to see what kind of scheme picks me up and how I fit in."
The feedback Turner has received so far from scouts has been overwhelmingly positive.
"It's been pretty good," he said. "The scouts have been telling me there's not much that can be said about me that is bad," Turner shared. "I want to be known for how I treat people and go about my process. They've been impressed by that, and we'll see on draft day. Everybody has their mock drafts, but you never know until it happens. I'm excited to hopefully see where my name will get called, and wherever I get that opportunity."
Returning to campus to prepare for Wake Forest Pro Day and take in a few Spring Camp practices was a bit different for Turner, after helping lead the Deacs to an 8-5 record last season after a 27-17 Gasparilla Bowl victory over Missouri.
"I'm a little bit of an outsider now," he said. "Everybody has welcomed me back, but to be watching practice from the sidelines is just different. I realized how blessed I was to be here, and how awesome of an experience I had here at Wake Forest.
"I'm grateful to this University, Coach Clawson and this program, that in large part made me into the man I am today. It's neat to come back to my old stomping grounds, even though it was just for a year."
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