Will Anderson is the unquestioned leader for Alabama’s defense, but Dallas Turner is about to reach another level in sacking quarterbacks in the fall.
Turner, a former five-star, arrived in the Crimson Tide’s 2021 signing class from South Florida.
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He played in all 15 games, including three starts. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder quickly emerged as the No. 2 sack specialist on the team. Turner and Anderson competed to bring nightmares to opposing signal-callers. His dominance in Alabama’s final five games of the season allowed him to earn Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors. Turner finished with 30 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery. He had a hunger to learn from Anderson and Coach Nick Saban saw Turner assist his defense to a Southeastern Conference title and a victory in the Cotton Bowl.
Turner is about to turn things up as a sophomore. He’s been with a certified pass rush specialist from Flordia this offseason.
Javon Gopie, also known as “Sack Sensei” on social media, trains outside linebackers and defensive linemen.
As a South Florida native, Gopie was diagnosed with dominant optic atrophy at 4 years old. It would affect his vision, but he defied the odds and became First Team All-State and First Team All-County in South Florida as a high school athlete. Gopie played college football at Lane College, but he also wanted to mentor others. For four years, he has been a defensive line coach and strength and conditioning coach for North Miami Beach Senior High School. Gopie now has a training facility where he has inspired young men and continues to change the game for edge rushers. He has Turner with a faster first step, marquee explosiveness, elite ability to turn speed into power, and violent hands/bending moves.
Gopie has posted a few videos of Turner in action, and he looks highly impressive.
#Sacksensei#NoMovesNoSacks #sacksensei #dline #dlinedrills #football #passrush #DL #DE #sports #NFL #collegefootball #highschoolfootball #explorepage #speed #agility #linemen #trenches #gridiron #strength #sack #tacklefootball #youthfootball #Passrushfamily pic.twitter.com/Fqc5vjjHaz
— Javon Gopie (@TheSackSensei) May 26, 2022
Year 2 loading @UnoErra #sacksensei #dline #dlinedrills #football #passrush #DL #DE #sports #NFL #collegefootball #highschoolfootball #explorepage #speed #agility #linemen #trenches #gridiron #strength #sack #tacklefootball #youthfootball #Nomovesnosacks #NFLDRAFT pic.twitter.com/WI5dg5v2m1
— Javon Gopie (@TheSackSensei) May 12, 2022
He was not a full-time starter last year, but Turner got 8.5 sacks.
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The work he’s putting in with Gopie and being a complete starter in the fall is going to be huge for him.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
