SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 19, 2023

Dallas Turner

Alabama Crimson Tide

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have Dallas from Alabama.

We'll start with questions.

Q. Obviously on the offensive side of the ball, you lose Bryce. On the defensive end of the ball, you lose Will. You had a dynamic duo team going with him last year. What has he taught you about your game, things you can add to your pass-rushing abilities? Ultimately, what are you going to do moving forward to make sure his loss isn't a gaping hole?

DALLAS TURNER: I mean, more importantly, like, Will, he has paved the way for a lot of guys in the linebacker room. There are also guys that can come and fill those shoes, replace him in some way, like Chris Braswell, Keanu Koht, Quandarrius Robinson, Jeremiah Alexander, guys like that.

A lot of guys like that looked up to Will, seeing what he did, seeing him grow, make mistakes. We just learned from that, keep going off of it.

Q. Where did you get your name Dallas from?

DALLAS TURNER: You got to ask my dad that, honestly (smiling). I asked my dad that question every day. He just say the same answer, so...

Q. A lot of fans have been looking for Alabama to get back to Joyless Murderball, as they call it. A lot of good talent on the defense this year. How do you see the team getting back to that?

DALLAS TURNER: The expectations, Joyless Murderball, pre-season, of course. There's a lot of guys on the defense that can run around, fly around, make good plays.

Q. Will Campbell at LSU said that you were probably the best defensive lineman on Alabama last year. That game, exciting as it was, the finish, does that resonate with you?

DALLAS TURNER: We just fell up short when we played LSU. Will is a very good tackle. Coming in as a freshman, he opened a lot of eyes. He did a lot of good things when he played against us.

Q. What is it about the way you guys match up with Texas A&M? The past couple years have been close. How much are you looking forward to playing them this year?

DALLAS TURNER: It's always a battle when we play them, of course. Jimbo is doing a very good job over there, leading the guys in the right direction. There's a lot of talent over there, a lot of good things they're doing over there, so yeah.

Q. Iron Bowl is back in Auburn this year. You were at the game in 2021 as a freshman. What do you remember? Are you excited to go back this year?

DALLAS TURNER: Honestly, I didn't know how important and how deep the rivalry was till I actually, like, ran out the tunnel in the stadium. Once I ran out the tunnel, I seen, like, all those people. They really did not like us. It was kind of eye-opening.

I'm looking forward to that game. It's going to be a good game every year, especially at Jordan-Hare. The atmosphere is very crazy over there, very loud. They call it the Jungle, so it's definitely the jungle, for sure.

Q. What's the biggest difference you've noticed between Kevin Steele and Pete Golding heading into the season?

DALLAS TURNER: They're both very good defensive coordinators. I'll say that first and foremost. Kevin Steele, he has more experience, I would say that. With Alabama, he understands the standard, he knows what we supposed to be doing as a defense. Being under Coach Saban, just being there for a long time.

Also, he's been a defensive coordinator for a very long time, just been in the game for a very long time, as well.

Q. What is your favorite quote from Saban? If you could impersonate him, how would it sound?

DALLAS TURNER: There's a lot of things I can impersonate, but I can't say it in the mic in front of all these people. I apologize. I can't (smiling).

Q. How important was Will to your development? What did he teach you so you can teach the new guys?

DALLAS TURNER: I feel like Will taught me a lot. We taught each other a lot, I'll say that. But just seeing him grow, him seeing me grow, it's been very good. I took a lot of things for him. I feel like I wouldn't be who I am today without him. I'll say that.

He's a very important person in my transition from high school to college football. I'll say that, yeah.

Q. 'Bama doesn't lose, they reload. Losing Will and Jordan to the draft, we know what the defense brings this year. How are you hoping to reload and go out there this year?

DALLAS TURNER: We just hope to lead by example every day. We got new guys coming in. We just show the new guys how it is supposed to be at the University of Alabama, the type of football we play, the type of attitude we have day in and day out.

Q. There's a tremendous amount of hype for Caleb Downs coming in, obviously. One of the highest-ranked players coming into Alabama. A lot of Minkah Fitzpatrick comparisons. What can fans expect from him? Do you expect him to be an immediate impact player for your defense?

DALLAS TURNER: Yeah, Caleb has the possibilities to be an immediate impact player. Very smart, very cerebral. On the field he's a guy that you can also depend on as well. He's a young guy, but he also knows what he's doing. Communicates very well. Very confident, too, in his game.

If you look at him physically on the field, you can tell he's ready to play, so...

Q. Coaches move around a lot. Pete Golding has moved to Ole Miss out in Oxford. Is it going to be weird for you seeing your old coach on a different sideline this year?

DALLAS TURNER: Of course. Pete Golding was my first defensive coordinator when I came to Alabama. It's going to be a little weird to see him at Ole Miss. But he had to do what he had to do for him and his family. I hope for the best for him.

Q. There's an expectation at Alabama that you guys will play for championships. After missing that last year, what kind of taste that left in your mouth or what kind of memory did that leave in your head?

DALLAS TURNER: I mean, I would say that we have a new season coming up with a lot of new opportunities, a lot of new doors that we can open. We plan on going 1-0, laying that foundation now in the summer and during the off-season should be important going into the season as far as camp and stuff like that. I feel like it should all be good.

Q. We didn't see you in the spring because of injury. How are you feeling physically?

DALLAS TURNER: I feel great. That time off really helped get my body together physically after playing a very hard, long season. I feel like that rest of kind of sitting out for the spring kind of benefited me in a way.

Q. Did you watch the national championship this year? Not sure if you saw the moment with David Pollack where he said there's new kings of college football in Georgia. What did that mean?

DALLAS TURNER: I mean, I didn't watch it. I mean, everybody has the freedom of speech, so...

Q. You go up against the offense daily in practice. What have you seen out of them and their progression?

DALLAS TURNER: I mean, every day in practice, it's always a battle between the offense and defense. A lot of very competitive guys on that side of the ball as well.

I'm seeing a lot of great progress with all the quarterbacks we have going on. A lot of good things. Being seen on that side of the ball and just seeing them grow and come together, just having that same chemistry on the offensive line.

THE MODERATOR: Dallas, thank you very much.

DALLAS TURNER: Appreciate it.