Swinney offers son of former Alabama teammate who is battling ALS

By foxsports
Published

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is looking to build his team of the future by reaching into his past.

On Jan. 21, Swinney extended an offer to Nolan Turner, son of former Alabama teammate, Kevin Turner, who was a fullback with the Tide and is currently battling ALS.

Nolan Turner is a 6-2, 180-pound unranked safety from Vestavia Hills High in Alabama who was initially invited to Clemson as a walk-on before receiving a scholarship offer.

The safety position became a priority for Swinney when starters Jayron Kearse and T.J. Green both declared for the NFL Draft.

Per Sports Illustrated: 

“I sat down with Dabo, and he started explaining to me how they had two of their safeties leave for the draft and another just transferred, and he was talking about how that opened up a scholarship,” Turner said. “He told he was offering me a full scholarship to come play at Clemson. I didn’t know what to say. I was speechless.”