Michael Turk

Michael Matthew-Paul Turk[1] (born March 14, 1998) is an American football punter who plays college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. He previously played for Lafayette and Arizona State. Despite declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft he would regain two years of eligibility after not being selected and not being signed following the draft.

Michael Turk
Oklahoma Sooners – No. 37
PositionPunter
Class
Redshirt
Redshirt
Senior
MajorHuman Relations
Personal information
Born: (1998-03-14) March 14, 1998
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight231 lb (105 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolRidge Point (TX)
Career highlights and awards

Early years

Turk attended Ridge Point High School, where he played safety, contributing to the school winning the 6A Region Championship in 2014 and 2015. In less than three years, Turk suffered three ACL tears, which hampered his ability to become a safety at the next level.[2] After graduating, he took a year off to train with his brother, Ben Turk, a former punter for Notre Dame, during which he decided that he wanted to become a punter.[2]

College career

Lafayette

Turk accepted a football scholarship from Lafayette College. As a true freshman in 2017, where he registered over 2,800 punting yards and setting a school single-season record with an average of 42.7 yards per attempt.[2] He received second-team All-Patriot League honors.[3]

Arizona State

In 2018 after Turk's freshman season, he transferred to Arizona State University and was redshirted to comply with the NCAA transfer rules.

As a sophomore in 2019, against Kent State University, Turk recorded punts of 64, 62, 65, 49 and 75 yards, setting an NCAA single-game record with a 63.0-yard average per attempt.[4] He earned honorable-mention All-American honors from GPR Analytics while ranking fourth in the nation with a 95.80 GPR Punt Rating.[5] On January 6, 2020, he opted to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.[6]

NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0+1⁄2 in
(1.84 m)		 226 lb
(103 kg)		 31+1⁄8 in
(0.79 m)		 9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		4.79 s1.68 s2.78 s4.72 s34.5 in
(0.88 m)		9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)		25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

On February 27, 2020, Turk set an NFL Scouting Combine record for punters, with 25 bench press repetitions of 225 pounds.[9] Of those who participated, Turk's total bench reps were more than all 33 wide receivers, 12 out of 13 tight ends, with Josiah Deguara tying him, and 19 offensive lineman out of 34. His bench reps also tied for second among special teams participants since 2006.[10][11]

On June 3, after failing to be selected by a team, in an unprecedented decision, the NCAA restored Turk's remaining two years of eligibility and allowed him to return to Arizona State.[12][13] As a junior in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona State only played 4 contests during the season.[14] He registered a career-high 47.2-yard average on 14 punts and received first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

Oklahoma

On August 5, 2021, Turk entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, in part due to his opposition to Arizona State requiring the COVID-19 vaccine to travel to road games.[15] On August 12, he announced that he would be transferring to the University of Oklahoma.[16]

Professional career

On March 3, 2023, Turk competed in his second NFL Combine in preparation for the 2023 NFL Draft.[17]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard splitVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 0+1⁄4 in
(1.84 m)		 227 lb
(103 kg)		 30+1⁄2 in
(0.77 m)		 10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		4.83 s1.65 s2.75 s34 in
(0.86 m)		9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)
All values from NFL Combine[18][19]

Personal life

Turk's uncles are former NFL punter Matt Turk and former NFL long snapper Dan Turk.[20] Turk has a YouTube channel called Hangtime, where he uploads videos about his experience playing for Oklahoma, fitness, and his Christian faith, often mentioning some of his favorite Bible verses.[21] As of March 2023, he has 225,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.[21] On November 19, 2022, he proposed to his now Fiancé, Oklahoma Sooners Softball All-American Grace Lyons, on the field following the OU-OSU Bedlam football game.[21]

References
  1. "D1 Athlete Day in the Life: Oklahoma Football Player". youtube.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. "Keeping the Faith: Michael Turk's unlikely return to Tempe". arizonastate.rivals.com. 12 October 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  3. "2017 All-Patriot League Football Teams and Major Awards Announced". patriotleague.org. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  4. "Turk 'staying humble' after earning Pac-12 honor in ASU debut". Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  5. "GPR Analytics". Gpr2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  6. "ASU punter Michael Turk will declare for the 2020 NFL Draft". arizonasports.com. 7 January 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  7. "Michael Turk Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  8. "Michael Turk, Arizona State, P, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  9. "Michael Turk back, ready to punt for ASU after leaving for NFL draft". azcentral. Retrieved October 21, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "NFL combine: Punter Michael Turk shows up TEs, WRs in bench press". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  11. "ASU punter Michael Turk puts up 25 bench reps at NFL Draft Combine". arizonasports.com. 27 February 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  12. "Arizona State punter Michael Turk has NCAA eligibility restored after going undrafted, unsigned by NFL". ESPN. 4 June 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. "Michael Turk to return to ASU football after special NCAA waiver". azcentral.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  14. Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  15. Hummer, Chris. "Star Arizona State punter Michael Turk enters transfer portal". 247Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. Young, Mason. "OU football: Former Arizona State punter Michael Turk announces transfer to Sooners". OU Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. World, Eric Bailey Tulsa. "OU's Michael Turk gains a rare 'second' NFL Scouting Combine invite". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  18. "Michael Turk - P - Oklahoma - 2023 Draft Scout/NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  19. "Michael Turk Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  20. "Meet Michael Turk: ASU Football's New Fan Favorite". Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  21. "Hangtime - YouTube". YouTube.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
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