Freshman Kaiden Turner Gives Glimpse of Future at Linebacker

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
The Indiana Hoosiers were without starters Cam Jones and Aaron Casey against Purdue Saturday afternoon, which lead IUto start true freshman Kaiden Turner. Turner ended up leading the Hoosiers with nine total tackles (seven solo). It’s not what IU wanted, but it gives the Hoosiers a glimpse into the future of a player who has been compared to former IU linebacker Micah McFadden.

The start for Turner was a game time decision as Aaron Casey just could not go on Saturday.

“I hated to throw him in that situation. Didn't know until after pregame the situation there that we were going to have to do that.” Indiana head coach Tom Allen said after the game.

While it was a game time decision, the start was not all that big of a surprise for Turner who was practicing with the first team last week.

“Throughout the week I was with the ones. It was kind of a game time decision. Honestly, today, I was told Ace (Aaron Casey) can’t go and they said it’s on you.” Turner said after the game.

In 2022 Turner played in four games with one start, so he does preserve his redshirt. He made 15 total tackles and gained valuable experience heading into the offseason.

“I thought Kaiden stepped up. He's got a lot of room to grow, but he's a tough, physical kid that cares and loves this game, and he'll be a good player for us moving forward.” Allen added after the game.

While the result was not what anyone wanted, Turner still proved he could be a valuable piece for the future of the program.

“Personally, I felt I could have done better. It’s never good enough. I just need to work this offseason and just continue to work on some things.” Turner said.

With Cam Jones and Bradley Jennings graduating there will be playing time up for grabs in 2023. Turner will be going through his second spring practice with the Hoosiers and there is room for improvement and optimism about the young linebacker.