Shemar Turner: The Face of Texas A&M's Defense

Defensive lineman Shemar Turner enters the 2024 season as the face of Texas A&M's defense under new coach Mike Elko.

The senior was recruited by Elko and briefly played for him during his tenure as the Aggies' defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher. Since then, Turner has blossomed into a productive player on the Aggies' defensive front, and the team believes he is on the cusp of stardom.

"To see his growth both on and off the field has been truly extraordinary," Elko told the media at the Southereastern Conference Media Days earlier this month. "He has gone on to start 24 games for the Aggies and he was a second team All-SEC player for us last year, so he's poised to have a big senior season."

Shemar Turner's Career

Turner was a highly-recruited high school player out of DeSoto, Texas, in 2021, ranked in the top 10 in the state according to 247Sports. He appeared in seven games as a freshman in College Station, collecting 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks and was part of the 2021 coaches' freshman All-SEC team.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior is entering his third season as a starter on the A&M defensive line. He has made 23 starts over the last two seasons as a defensive end. Last year was his best season yet as he earned second team All-SEC honors with 33 tackles, 6 sacks, 10 tackles for loss (TFL) and 2 forced fumbles.

Position Versatility, NFL Future

While he has spent most of his collegiate career at defensive end, Elko has said Turner will move inside to defensive tackle this season. That's the same position he played as a freshman, and the coach believes it gives him a chance to improve his draft stock for the NFL by showing he can fit in multiple positions at a high level.

Turner told reporters at media days that his conversations with Elko about improving his draft stock were a key factor in his returning for his senior season.

"Everything he was saying was making sense," Turner said. "I had stuff on and off the field I had to fix to higher my draft grade. If I can boost my stock in any kind of way and do better, I will."

Part of the move is also because the Aggies welcomed two accomplished pass-rushers this offseason with Purdue transfer Nic Scourton and Bowling Green transfer Cashius Howell. The two combined for 19.5 sacks last season.

Defensive Line Outlook

According to projections from Ourlads.com, Turner, Scourton and Howell will be joined by Albert Regis on the defensive line, a senior with two career starts. While the production is there with the transfers, Turner is by far and away Texas A&M's most experienced player along the line.

The defensive line is deep, and many others have at least appeared in games for A&M, with junior Shemar Stewart leading the way with 25 appearances and seven starts.

There are other seniors across the defense as well, but this is Turner's unit. And everyone knows it.