In the days of football past, the nickel was a team’s third-best cornerback, only deployed to match the offense when it brought extra receivers onto the field. Those days are long gone. Popularized by former Alabama coach Nick Saban, the star position, as it is sometimes referred to, is an entirely different role, one often characterized by its complete lack of specialization altogether. The fifth defensive back hence the original nickel name takes the place of a linebacker, bringing extra range in coverage, without sacrificing physicality in the run game. For these reasons, the hybrid role is often dubbed one of the hardest to succeed in. Two of Northwestern’s own experts on the matter coach David Braun and nickels coach Drew Gray both agree. “Playing slot man coverage is a hard enough task as it is, so you gotta have someone who’s athletic enough to do that. And then also he’s gotta be in the run fit. He’s gotta go tackle people in the B gap and in the A gap. It’s such a versatile position, with the zone drops, the man coverage and then the run fits. There’s a lot of stuff involved,” Gray said after practice Tuesday. Braun previously came to the same conclusion, calling it one of the most difficult positions to play in college football ahead of the USC game. Their man slotted for the difficult task this year is redshirt junior defensive back Braden Turner, who has emerged as a playmaker on the backend for the ’Cats with an expanded role this season. The Mobile, Alabama native played exclusively on the boundary during his high school days at McGill-Toolen Catholic, and it was there that he first captured the attention of his current position coach. During the 2021 season, Gray was an assistant coach at Samford University, a few hours north of where Turner grew up, and he evaluated the then-high schooler’s tape. Gray said that his athleticism came across in that first impression and that he understood the potential he had at the next level. A few years later, the two met at an important crux. Gray was brought in ahead of the 2024 season to fill the nickels coach role in Braun’s first full offseason with the program, and Turner made the move inside for the first time after primarily playing on special teams the prior year. “(In) high school, I strictly played corner and a little punt return,” Turner said. “Maybe some Wildcat QB, but never in the nickel position. So it was something new that they wanted me to try out, and I’m glad they wanted me, and showed that they thought I had the ability to do it.” So far, Turner has excelled at the position, garnering praise from both coaches and the national media as of late. Following a standout performance against Michigan, he was named to PFF’s Big Ten Team of the Week for the second time this season. Turner has been the ’Cats’ primary starter inside for the entire season, but following a Yannis Karlaftis’ season-ending injury against Louisiana-Monroe, the defensive back has seen his role continue to grow, as Braun and his staff have elected to start five in the secondary and Turner in each game since. “Like they say, next man up,” Turner said about the injury. “It was hard to have Yanni out for the season, but it was an opportunity for me to embrace that role and come in with the team needing me, and just doing what I can.” In the first game after Karlaftis went down, Turner tallied a career-high seven tackles and his effort helped propel NU’s defense to new heights in its upset win over Penn State. The following week, he hawked down a Purdue receiver and a textbook peanut punch turned what would’ve been a 48-yard gain at his behest into teach tape. “You can solve a lot of issues with just incredible effort. That was a special play,” Braun had to say following the game. Since then, Turner has shown a propensity for making a big play when his team needs him most, and the incredible effort his coach noticed has become a hallmark for his brand of football. Against Nebraska, Turner got the right hook to land again, punching one out of quarterback Dylan Raiola’s hands on a 4th-and-1 deep in ’Cats’ territory to keep the Cornhuskers off the board. Met with an eerily similar situation versus Michigan on Saturday 4th-and-1 from NU’s 24-yard line he crashed down in run support and got to be on the receiving end of a fumble, corralling an errant handoff from the Wolverines’ quarterback Bryce Underwood and notching his second takeaway of the quarter, after nabbing his first career interception two drives prior. Adding an added edge of physicality to his game to be more sound in the run game was an emphasis for Turner this past offseason, and it’s been a coaching point between him and Gray. Turner cited Gray as a key influence for his development playing the position and noted that he feels more comfortable in the role this year with the added reps. “I feel like last year, I was still kinda figuring the position out, and now I’ve gained that confidence in myself,” Turner said. “He’s helped me grow a lot. He’s learning as well, coaching me up and making sure that I can get the coaching points I need. I’m here because of him. Every day, we just keep balling and keep getting better.” The two have formed a strong relationship and have been able to use their connection to a region outside of the Chicago area to bolster it. Gray’s fiancée hails from the Birmingham area, and coupled with his own time at Samford, he says that his knowledge of Alabama has helped in developing their bond. With that connection, the two have put in the work in practice and in the film room, and Turner says he’s seen the biggest improvement in his own game with the mentality he brings to approaching the run. Gray mentioned he’s seen strides in his tape across the board, but pointed to his work in man coverage as his personal favorite to break down. “I enjoy watching him just being locked up one-on-one,” Gray said. “Like he knows he’s one-on-one and it’s a critical situation just watching him compete one-on-one, man oh man I enjoy that.” Regardless of where he’s grown the most, Gray said that Turner’s hunger to learn and improve is striking, even distracting at times. “He always has a growth mindset. He’s gonna come up immediately when he makes a mistake and he’s gonna look right at me. He knows he made that mistake, and sometimes I gotta tell him ‘Hey man, quit looking at me. Go play the next play, quit looking at me,’” Gray said. While that mindset may not be easy for those not attending practice to see, the growth certainly is. Stuffing the stat sheet in recent weeks helps with that, but Braun’s admiration of him is the clearest indication. “We’re asking a lot out of BT,” Braun told reporters during his weekly press conference. “Whether it be in coverage, whether it be in run fits, whether it be asking him to play against 12 personnel. We’re asking a lot out of him, and he’s answered that challenge.” Alexander Kim contributed reporting. Email: alexboyko2026@u. northwestern. edu X: @aboyko_nu Related Stories: Pachuta: Saying good riddance to Northwestern football’s Wrigley Field games Football: Hunter Welcing proves himself in sixth season with Wildcats.
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/11/18/lateststories/football-fostering-connection-with-nickels-coach-drew-gray-turner-finds-form-in-elevated-2025-role/
Football: Fostering connection with nickels coach Drew Gray, Turner finds form in elevated 2025 role
