Signed: Ryan Turner Comes to Ohio State As An Under-The-Radar Corner With High Ceiling

When Ohio State first saw Ryan Turner's tape, he was a three-star prospect ranked just No. 55 at his position and No. 561 overall in the 2022 class.

But the ratings didn't matter to Kerry Coombs, Matt Barnes and the rest of the Buckeye coaching staff. They loved what they saw on film, knew he could play, and made him a priority target.

“They value me high,” Turner told Eleven Warriors back in March. “Coach Barnes, the first meeting I had with him, he was saying he doesn’t look at rankings. That was when I was a low three-star. He said he doesn’t usually look at rankings, but it got sent to him and he was like, ‘no way this kid is a three-star.’ They value me a lot. They don’t really care about the rankings. They offered me when I was a low three-star. They know talent when they see it.”

When the Buckeyes offered Turner in February, Coombs told the 6-foot, 180-pound corner that Ohio State was only offering about seven cornerbacks this recruiting cycle and that "he doesn’t offer just anybody."

And Turner is not just anybody.

He has the natural athleticism – posting times of 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 10.9 seconds in the 100-meter – but what's most impressive about Turner is that he doesn't rely on his physical gifts on the field, instead leaning on his excellent technique.

“Every coach I’ve talked to, they talk about my technique,” Turner said. “They say my technique always stands out on my film compared to other high school kids. They say other high school players play strictly off talent, really no coaching basically. But with me, I play off my technique, and I make my job way easier because I’m not running with my guy. I’m jamming them off the line, and that makes my job way easier."

With his physical gifts and polished technique, Turner was a diamond in the rough, but he didn't stay hidden for long. Turner quickly became a sought-after prospect, vaulting over 200 spots up the recruiting rankings, earning a fourth star, and pitting national powerhouses Clemson and Ohio State in a recruiting battle for his services.

It's a battle the Buckeyes ultimately won with Turner pledging himself to Ohio State in early May, marking the Buckeyes' second recruiting win over Clemson for a defensive back after Jordan Hancock signed with Ohio State the year before.

Turner has been a prospect on the rise since the Buckeyes took notice nearly a year ago. Now, he'll need to continue that upward trajectory if he's to make an impact in Columbus. But Ohio State wouldn't be bringing him in if he didn't have that potential.