'I love to compete': Canton native Charles Turner III ready for Senior Bowl, NFL Combine

Charles Turner III is ready to show up and show out to NFL teams as he seeks a pro career after playing five seasons at LSU, starting at center the last two years.

The Canton native had been training in Dallas and before leaving for Birmingham, Alabama, to play in the Senior Bowl set for noon, Saturday. Then he focuses on the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where offensive lineman take the spotlight March 3.

“I’m just ready to compete,” Turner said. “I love to compete. I love to be productive and put myself in position where you got to see who the best man is. Going to places like the Senior Bowl, and doing stuff at the combine and stuff like that, that always shows who is at the top. Me being the competitor that I am, I’m looking to go into the Senior Bowl and showcase my abilities and showcase that I belong in the NFL.”

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Turner is excited to compete in the Senior Bowl.

Turner knows he'll see talented SEC players he went toe-to-toe with the last few seasons. One of his toughest opponents to block was McKinnley Jackson of Texas A&M, who also will play in the Senior Bowl.

“He was a good player," Turner said. "In the last two years, we had two great battles against each other. That game against Texas A&M has always been marked up on our board because it’s an SEC rivalry. Every time we face each other, we give it our all against each other. Much respect for him. He’s a good player."

Turner began his high school football career at McKinley, starting at left tackle his sophomore season, before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for his final two years. From there, he became an LSU Tiger, where he enjoyed quite a ride.

One of Turner's fondest college memories is being a member of the 2019 LSU national championship team. He was only a redshirt freshman and played just four games that season.

Turner knew from the beginning of camp that year, LSU was destined to win a national title. Some notable players on that roster included 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. However, Turner was also fortunate enough to play behind one of the top offensive lines in the country. He mentioned how Saahdiq Charles and Lloyd Cushenberry took him under their wings and helped develop his game, physically and intellectually.

“Being around those guys kind of really molded my mindset in what I really want out of this football lifestyle,” Turner said. “Seeing those guys attacking and grinding every day, and me attacking and grinding with them every day kind of just molded me into competing at the highest level just to become a winner.”

After three years as a reserve player, Turner’s name was called. He became LSU’s starting center in his final two years with the Tigers. He started 26 of his 40 games in his career and the Tigers were 20-6 with him as a starter.

“I was ready to go,” Turner said. “I prepared like a starter every day for the last two years once I got my body right and developed enough that they felt I could handle the position. I’ve always been a confident guy.”

In those two years, he snapped the ball to Jayden Daniels, who is projected to be a first-round pick after winning the 2023 Heisman Trophy. Turner enjoyed the experience and explained his chemistry with the star quarterback.

“He is an amazing guy, great character and just great chemistry between us two," Turner said. "We were all on the same page a lot. If he sees something that he didn’t like, he would switch it up, or if that’s case, if something I felt I could put him in good position, I would switch it up. We kind of balance each other off the backs of each other. Intellectually, we would give each other some thoughts the same way about schemes, blitzes and how to pick them up.

"Jayden was a great, great, great quarterback to have. He is also a very calm, collected dude. Never out of character, never out of pocket. He was just a smooth-sailing dude who just love to play ball.”

Going into this past season, Turner was projected as one of the top interior linemen in the SEC. According to PFF, he was ranked third among centers in pass-blocking protection and only allowed one sack in 763 snaps. As he moves on to the next level, he reflects on the five seasons as a Tiger and the environment he experienced.

“The biggest thing for me is the culture, and how much impact the fans have on the university,” Turner said. “It’s 102,391 people in that stadium every home game. So that’s something that got me prepared for the next level as far as crowd noise and things like that.”

This article originally appeared on The Repository: LSU football helps prepare Canton native Charles Turner III for NFL