Update: 12/7/2016
Tre Turner, the football and basketball athlete for Northwest Guilford High School, finished the 2016 football season recording 52 catches, 1,065 yards (20.5 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns in addition to 30 tackles (24 solo), eight passes defensed and an interception. The Northwest Guilford Vikings finished the season at 7-5 (3-2 Conference).
Turner is now the sixth best athlete and fifth best player in North Carolina according to the 247Sports Composite as a four-star 2018 recruit.
He now has 18 scholarship offers to his name, having picked up offers from Ole Miss and Penn State in the last two months.,
Tre Turner is an outstanding football and basketball athlete for Northwest Guilford High School/Greensboro, North Carolina. Off the field and the court, he is known for being a bright young man.
The recruiting process for football has been more of a surprise than anything else for Turner because he was just coming to Northwest Guilford High to play.
“…I wasn’t coming in expecting anything to happen. I was just coming to play football for the school. I wasn’t thinking about [playing in] college or anything but once all the interest and offers started coming in, I realized how blessed I was.”
He has high interest in North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Florida, Louisville and Miami at the moment.
“I like North Carolina because Coach [Gunter] Brewer, he’s the most influential person I’ve talked to. Virginia Tech because I like the whole new coaching staff they’ve got coming in, they like throwing the ball more and I know North Carolina and Louisville [do as well],” he said. “Florida because I like the whole system they have going on there too and I like the state of Florida. I go there for two weeks every summer. [Also], Miami, their receivers coach, he speaks more on religion than probably anything else and I like the kind of [conversations] I have with him.”
He hasn’t set a date for his commitment just yet but said he probably will make it after his travel basketball season is over. Other things to note: he wants to major in kinesiology or engineering and wants to go to a school that cares equally about academics and athletics. Teammate chemistry is a big thing he’s looking for in a school as well.
“I can bring a high GPA to any sports team that I play on. I maintain at least a 4.0 every year of school. I don’t use that as a joke, I take sports seriously and I take academics seriously too. I could bring a lot to a school.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUVGS8I8cVs]
Turner’s first year playing football for the Northwest Guilford Vikings was a good one. In 2015, 60 receptions, 990 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception on defense. He has only played 13 games. His head coach, Jared Rolfes, raved about the six-foot-four, 175 pound, wide receiver’s ability given that he has only one season under his belt.
“…He came in a year ago with extreme athleticism and attributes that big time wide receivers have. He was really raw as a football player through the first 5-6 games, but even then showed signs of greatness. As he went beyond game 5-6 he was lights out and very comfortable,” he said. “What I have seen in the weight room, on the practice field, at camps, at 7 on 7’s, and just in his approach is that he will be on a whole different level this year. Those things will allow him to take the next step with experience as a player.”
Turner, a Greensboro, North Carolina native, didn’t realize he was good until the playoffs last year. He scored two touchdowns in a 29-28 win against Garner Magnet High School/Garner, North Carolina and three touchdowns in a 35-20 loss to Fuquay-Varina High School/Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.
Right now, he’s trying to battle back from an ankle injury that happened early in the summer.
“… I’ve been recovering from that ever since. It’s hard watching everybody play when I can’t.”
According to the 247Sports Composite, Tre Turner is the ninth best athlete and sixth best player in North Carolina as a 2018 recruit. He has a total of 16 offers from Duke, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, USC, Virginia Tech, Florida, Florida State, Miami and more.
He wants to play both basketball and football at the college level unless a better opportunity arises in basketball. Maryland and North Carolina are the only two schools that will allow him to play both according to him.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgoZWJXgtko]
On the basketball court, he averaged 19.3 points per game, 3.1 assists per game and 5.7 rebounds per game as the Vikings basketball team went 23-4 overall (9-1 Conference) and lost narrowly to Butler High School/Matthews, North Carolina, 84-83.
Vikings head basketball coach Lee Reavis said that Tre Turner is an outstanding young man who genuinely cares about his classmates, teammates and coaches.
“…He is a first class individual,” Reavis added.
On the court, Reavis wants his point guard to continue to be a leader through showing effort, attitude and positive communication with teammates on and off the court.
Here is how Turner said football and basketball intertwine for him.
“I pretty much play football on the basketball court. Being aggressive, going up to get passes, going up to get a rebound, going up to catch a touchdown. Playing defense, you have to watch their hips in both sports. As long as you’re athletic you can play both sports and you can do [well] in both sports. That’s the way I see it.”
Turner said he likes making big plays against smaller cornerbacks and it feels great to have the ball in his hands and the ability to make moves to score.
“The best part of my game is I don’t drop that many passes. My first step after I catch a pass is pretty crazy. That’s what all the coaches tell me. They say that my first step is the best thing that they’ve seen in a while. I feel like I’m good at getting outside releases or little things like coming off of screens and taking off because my speed, it’s pretty good compared to a lot of other receivers.”
For his junior year, his goals are to be an All-Conference player for the second year in a row, an All-State player and win a state championship.
“We have a bunch of seniors and I want to win the whole [thing] for them.”
Coach Rolfes said that college coaches that he has spoken too love Turner’s size.
“They love his size. Most think in person he even looks bigger than he does on film. They have commented on his hands and reaction after the catch for a guy of his height. Most are just shocked he has only played 13 games of HS football and know his upside and developmental upside is very high as a football player.”
He is going to miss a lot of things about Tre Turner when his time is up at Northwest Guilford.
“…I have spent a lot of time with Tre over the last year both here at school on trips to camps and practices and I feel we have a good relationship. He could walk out of the doors of NW high school as a senior as the best overall athlete to come through dominating on the gridiron and hardwood. He went from a freshman who I hounded daily about playing as a sophomore to one of the top players on our team, top recruits in the state, and a nationally ranked recruit. It’s a cool story, but he is a great kid from a great family who I really enjoy coaching.”