A 'timeless memory' and a magical year for Florida State OL Jazston Turnetine
Jazston Turnetine has watched the viral video clips. The ones that show Florida State’s entire team rushing out onto the field to shower him with hugs and words of encouragement.
He understands the emotions Seminole fans must feel when they see that moment. When they witness the love between teammates after his frightening injury near the end of the Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma.
Those videos, which have been shared and liked thousands and thousands of times on social media, mean a lot to Turnetine as well. But rest assured, even a few weeks later, they are nothing like the real thing.
“In person was way better,” Turnetine said with a laugh late last week, before reliving the entire scene.
It started with linebacker Kalen DeLoach and a few other players coming over to the medical cart Turnetine was sitting on before he was taken back to the locker room. DeLoach tapped the lineman twice on the chest, at which point Turnetine grabbed his teammate by the jersey and pulled him close for a hug.
“I just told him, ‘Don’t worry about me. Go win the game,'” Turnetine said. “‘We came here for a reason.’ Next thing you know, everyone came over. It was a very timeless memory. It will be saved in my memory forever.”
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A few moments earlier, the entire crowd at Camping World Stadium stood silent. The Florida State Seminoles and Oklahoma Sooners had been slugging it out for more than three hours, and the score was tied at 32-32 with 1:27 remaining.
Turnetine, who was playing right tackle, had just crumpled to the ground after running back Trey Benson was tackled into the back of his legs. Aside from the pain of the injury, the first thing Turnetine recalled was the hush of the crowd.
He also remembers seeing some fans crying in the stands as he was being carted off the field.
But the indelible part — the thing that likely will be in Turnetine’s mind and heart for the rest of his life — was the heartfelt reaction from his teammates.
Even nearly three weeks later, the fact that dozens of them came from across the field just to show their love and support leaves the massive offensive lineman nearly speechless
“At that moment, I knew everyone actually cared,” said Turnetine, who transferred from South Carolina to Florida State this past summer. “It’s indescribable. I’ve really never felt this feeling before — to actually be loved by the team and the staff.
“It’s … I don’t know.”
‘Like I’ve been here for years’
Jazston Turnetine felt good about the opportunity Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins outlined for him last summer.
The Seminoles needed another veteran presence in the offensive line room, the coaches explained. And if he agreed to provide that, Atkins vowed to help Turnetine become a better player during his final season of college football.
As he looks back on that decision less than seven months later, Turnetine feels great about the way both sides lived up to their sides of the bargain. He knows Atkins and the Florida State staff helped him become a better player, and he believes he played a role in the Seminoles improving from five wins in 2021 to 10 wins in 2022.
But in the end, Turnetine says, this relationship was — and is — so much more than that.
“I wasn’t promised anything, but I’ve loved every bit of the process,” Turnetine said. “And I’ve loved building these wonderful relationships with my teammates that I call my brothers.”
After entering the transfer portal last May, Turnetine visited Florida State in June and had a good feeling about what Norvell, Atkins and company had brewing in Tallahassee. He liked the players and staff he met, and he knew Atkins could help take his game to another level.
What he didn’t know was how quickly he might feel accepted by his new teammates and coaches.
After all, he would only be on the team for a few months before exhausting his eligibility. And he didn’t exactly feel welcomed as soon as he arrived at South Carolina from junior college, so there was no real reason to expect things at Florida State would be much different.
“But when I came here, everyone treated me like family,” Turnetine said. “I can really say that from my heart. Like real talk. People treated me like family. Like I’ve been here for years.”
That acceptance extended far beyond the Florida State locker room and practice fields, the massive offensive tackle said. He said he was amazed by the love he received from random strangers on the street and around campus.
“It was magnificent, actually,” Turnetine said. “Very beautiful experience.”
It wasn’t perfect by any means. The 6-foot-7, 336-pound senior started eight of 13 games at Florida State, but he also split time with redshirt sophomore Darius Washington at various points. So it wasn’t as if Turnetine emerged as a breakout star during his one season in Tallahassee.
Compared to where he was when he entered the transfer portal, however, Turnetine said it’s like night and day. While giving credit to his position coach, Alex Atkins, head coach Mike Norvell, graduate assistant Cooper Williams and senior OL analyst Gabe Fertitta, the South Carolina transfer said he has improved in many areas.
And the Pro Football Focus ratings bear that out. After grading out above 70.0 just once in his two seasons with the Gamecocks, Turnetine did it four times this season — including twice in the last three games. He also posted an overall grade of 62.6, which is better than average, compared to a 49.4 in 2021.
“I got exceptionally better as a player,” Turnetine said. “I think I became way better than what I used to be in terms of football knowledge and playing style. Every day was a wonderful journey. All of them coached me as if I was their son.”
Even brighter days ahead
Turnetine was back in the Camping World Stadium locker room when Florida State was finishing off its 35-32 victory over Oklahoma, but he didn’t stay there for long.
“I hobbled my crippled self onto the field and came out there and enjoyed it with the team,” he laughed. “Just tried my best to get back out there.”
Sure enough, with a boot on his lower left leg and walking with the aid of crutches, Turnetine was able to soak up his first and only college bowl victory. After the game, he shared pictures on social media of him standing with his fellow offensive linemen and also sharing a few words with Norvell.
“I never experienced that type of moment in my life,” Turnetine said. “Seeing everyone come together and all celebrate the victory. And having fans on the field. Confetti everywhere. Man, it was gorgeous.”
The news was promising for Turnetine after the game as well.
Exams revealed that he sustained no broken bones and escaped other serious damage when he was injured against Oklahoma. And he fills his days now by going through the rehabilitation process with the help of Florida State’s athletic training staff.
“They still treat me like family, even though I’m technically not a part of the team anymore,” Turnetine said, while once again giving Norvell credit for establishing such a warm culture in the Florida State program. “I’ve never had that close relationship with my head coach before, until I came here.”
While choosing not to offer specifics about his injury, Turnetine didn’t hesitate to say he plans to take part in Florida State’s Pro Day event in front of NFL scouts. He expects to be a full participant.
“Absolutely,” the offensive tackle said.
And all the while, he will keep one eye on what’s happening with the Seminoles as they prepare for the 2023 season.
Turnetine is well aware that the vast majority of his teammates have announced they are returning next season, and he is also is keeping up with Florida State’s latest transfer acquisitions — including a pair of his former South Carolina teammates, tight end Jaheim Bell and defensive end Gilber Edmond.
He was only on the Florida State roster for a few months, but Turnetine considers himself a Seminole for life. And he says he is confident even better days are ahead.
“I’m very excited,” the lineman said of Florida State’s future. “When I first got here, truthfully, I underestimated how powerful the culture was here — what they were building here and what they were transforming into. Until I became a part of it.
“I’ve got real high hopes for them. And I know they will achieve them.”
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
