Sophomore Tre Turner on rapid rise
Greensboro (N.C.) Northwest Guilford sophomore Tre Turner first gained acclaim in basketball, but now he is really starting to collect scholarship offers in football.
Turner has imposing size at 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds and has seen an impressive spike in his recruitment this past month. He attended NC State’s Junior Day on Jan. 30 and earned an offer, which is his fifth thus far. Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, West Virginia and East Carolina have all offered the dual-sport standout.
NC State safeties and co-special teams coordinator Clayton White swung by Northwest Guilford prior to the junior day. White recruits the Triad for the Wolfpack.
“It was a shocking week, and I got three offers in one day,” said Turner, 15. “I want to learn more about NC State and how everyone bonds and gets together.”
Turner’s father, William Turner, played at NC State, and the youngster has been following the Wolfpack for a long time.
“To be honest, I liked NC State when I was growing up,” Turner said. “I liked them in basketball, and I liked them in football because my dad played there. I like wearing black and red.”
Turner’s half-brother is P.J. Hairston, who played basketball at North Carolina and was traded Tuesday from the Charlotte Hornets to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I’m not going to go there just because my brother went there,” Turner said.
Turner’s journey is somewhat similar to another Greensboro dual-sport standout. Turner is friends with Greensboro Page High senior wide receiver and small forward Diondre Overton, who signed with Clemson football. The big difference is Overton didn’t go out for football until his junior year, so Turner is getting recruiting attention at a much younger age.
“I’ve heard that comparison before, but I’m trying not to believe that yet,” Turner said.
Duke was the first college to offer him after he attended the Pittsburgh at Duke game on Nov. 19. He also attended the North Carolina at Virginia Tech contest Nov. 21.
“It was kind of shocking but my coach said, ‘Just be ready for it because more is coming,’” Turner said. “Getting that first offer was exciting.”
Turner’s prep coach was correct, and more offers will likely be coming down the road.
“My coach had told me that Wake Forest and ECU were going to offer, but West Virginia came out of nowhere,” Turner said. “They just showed up at the school.
“I know new ECU coach Scottie Montgomery from when he was at Duke and I visited. As soon as he got to ECU, he sent a coach to Greensboro to offer me. That was funny and special.”
Turner said he started playing rec football at nine years old and began to really enjoy the sport in middle school. He injured his knee in the ninth grade, or perhaps he would have made more noise in the sport sooner.
Instead, Turner established his reputation in basketball. He also plays for the Chris Paul All-Stars traveling team. Virginia, Maryland, Wake Forest and Richmond have shown interest in Turner on the hardwood.
Turner's Vikings are off to a 19-3 start and start their conference tournament on Thursday.