Dallas Turner is going to be turning up the heat on quarterbacks in the SEC West going forward.

That’s the projection for the elite 2021 OLB prospect after he made his college commitment known via a live stream with CBS Sports on Wednesday. He’s going to play for Nick Saban at Alabama.

“I really just trust that program a lot and the amount of greatness they had at the school,” Turner said on that live stream. “They have high expectations for their players on and off the field. It is very special to me up there and I can really see myself playing in that defense and that type of environment.”

 

Turner chose the Crimson Tide over a final five which also featured Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Oklahoma.

The nation’s No. 2 weak-side DE prospect per the 247Sports Composite played last fall at American Heritage but has transferred for his senior season to St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. That slots him as the nation’s No. 44 overall prospect.

Turner was named the Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Broward County Class 1A-5A Defensive Player of the Year after his 2019 season. He finished with 74 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior had frequently publicly stated that Alabama and Georgia were his top two schools.

“They are just the best schools that fit me,” he said back in May.

The Crimson Tide always just held the slightest of edges in that head-to-head comparison. The reason? Turner discussed that last month with DawgNation.

“Alabama is slightly ahead of Georgia,” Turner said. “They are very similar but numbers don’t lie in the amount of championships and draftees.”

It really did feel like a trophy case and NFL pipeline lead for the Tide. When asked if he could put his finger on anything else why the Tide is slightly ahead, he gave an honest answer.

“Nothing in particular,” he said earlier this year.

The call here for Turner just can down to that “trust” he mentioned while making that choice live with CBS Sports HQ.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior is a former basketball player. He had been one of the “top targets” for 2021 on DawgNation’s weekly “Before the Hedges” program since the debut of the 2021 chart back in February.

RELATED: Here’s a curious piece of off-the-field info. Turner likes to bake and sell cakes in his spare time

Turner now becomes the 10th commitment for the 2021 class in this class for the Crimson Tide. Alabama came into the day with the nation’s No. 19 recruiting class so far in this cycle on the 247Sports Team Composite rankings.

The decision made by Turner marked the second straight day that the Bulldogs lost out on a recruiting race for one of its top targets on the board. 5-star CB Tony Grimes chose the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday. 

In both cases, there was certainly the chance for the Bulldogs to improve their standing or even win the recruiting race outright with the benefit of on-campus visits. Those elements are just not in place and will not be restored until at least September 1 according to the most recent NCAA mandates made for such activity.

Check out the impressive junior film for Turner below.

Turner has been one of the “top targets” for 2021 on DawgNation’s weekly “Before the Hedges” program since the debut of the 2021 chart after National Signing Day for the 2020 class back in February.

RELATED: Here’s a curious piece of off-the-field info. Turner likes to bake and sell cakes in his spare time

SENTELL’S INTEL

(the recent reads on DawgNation.com)