Fayetteville junior linebacker Kaiden Turner became the ninth in-state prospect to receive an offer from Arkansas in the 2022 class Tuesday.
Turner, 6-1, 217 pounds, received offers from Kansas and Indiana in May, but the Arkansas offer was one he soon won’t forget.
“My heart is going a million miles an hour right now,” Turner said after receiving the Arkansas offer. “It was huge offer and it’s a team that I grew up watching. I’ve been to a ton of games. I haven't gone to any other college team's games. It’s just been Arkansas my whole life.”
Turner was born in Sacramento, Calif., but moved to Fayetteville as an infant. Fayetteville coach Casey Dick — a former Arkansas quarterback — told Turner to call Razorbacks linebackers coach Rion Rhoades, who added Arkansas coach Sam Pittman to the conversation.
“I called Coach Rhoades and we were talking for a little bit and he got Pittman on the phone and we got to talking and he said, 'We truly believe you can help us win a national championship, so we want you to stay in state and we’re going to offer you a scholarship,'" Turner said. "At that point I got goosebumps and I started shivering.”
Turner recorded 87 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 9 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles and 2 pass breakups as a sophomore. He said there was no temptation to immediately commit to the Razorbacks.
“I want to be able to keep my options open, whatever God tells me, you know,” Turner said. “I want to pray about it with my family. This is huge. I’m so excited.”