Student Athlete of the Week: Turnage Back To Dominant Form

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) —Striving to be a great athlete on and off the field.

That comes from senior defensive back Brandon Turnage, whose career at Lafayette County High School has been a good one.

“It’s been really great because those guys that I played with we all grew up together over all the playground competing against each other,” said Brandon Turnage. “It’s just amazing to see how far we’ve come, and it’s been a great journey to see how much we’ve come along.”

Two seasons ago Brandon and his team won the school’s third state title in program history. Turnage says that was huge for him.

“It was big because that was my first season of playing all of varsity,” Turnage said. “And like it was just incredible to be starting on that team with those guys.”

Injuries can be devastating for athletes. Last season, Brandon had a foot injury in the first quarter of the first game that sidelined him for the rest of his junior year, but since that tragic incident, it’s motivated him.

“I feel a hundred percent,” Turnage said. “Because even when I was hurt to just sit back and watch, and like actually pay close attention to certain things, and I feel like that made me a better player too.”

For the senior defensive back, his coach and teammate have seen him grow and mature into a leader that can be expected from others.

“He’s one of the guys that you want your kids to hang around,” said head coach Michael Fair. “He’s a good influence. A good role model for the younger kids. He pushes everybody in that locker room to do their best. He’s a true leader for us on the field, and you know not just on the field, but off the field as well.”

“People watch what Brandon does,” adds senior teammate Jamie Shaw Jr. “They say that Lafayette is a football school, so any football player that’s in the classroom you got a whole bunch of people watching you, and he brings great sportsmanship on the field. He brings great character on the field. It’s just fun always being around Brandon.”

Following high school, he plans to major in secondary education, and has his sights set on playing for the Crimson Tide and competing against some of the best players in the country.

“It’s going to be fun competing against those top guys,” Turnage said. “So it’s like I know if I can go there and start and compete against the best guys, I can be the best player.”

Brandon and his team will go for a third straight win on Friday when they host Grenada.