Stanford CB Salim Turner-Muhammad couldn't say 'no' to Ryan Walters second time
Salim Turner-Muhammad and Ryan Walters go way back. All the way to 2018, to be exact.
Back then, Turner-Muhammad was a ballyhooed cornerback recruit at Episcopal High in Alexandria, Va., and Walters was defensive coordinator at Missouri who was in pursuit. Each went their separate ways, with Turner-Muhammad signing with Stanford and Walters eventually leaving for Illinois to be defensive coordinator–and then Purdue as head coach.
Now, almost five years later, the two are together in West Lafayette with Turner-Muhammad committing to Walters on Wednesday.
“I have a real strong bond with Coach Walters,” said Turner-Muhammad, a Corona, N.Y., native who is good friends with fellow New York natives Sanoussi Kane and Khordae Sydnor. In fact, all three have trained together in the offseason.
Why Purdue for Turner-Muhammad?
“Purdue is a world class education,” said Turner-Muhammad. “Coming from Stanford, I didn’t want to drop off too much. Most importantly, I see the biggest opportunity, the biggest upside with this coaching staff. Really young, real competitive, a lot of drive. They all want to win. All great men from what I’ve gathered. I want to be around this energy.
“I feel like this defense is real DB friendly. Allows me to play man, allows me to show everybody what I can do. They have a history of putting out a lot of DBs, especially with Coach Walters. So, really excited about that.”
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Turner-Muhammad has two years of eligibility as a graduate transfer, entering the portal on December 1, 2022. He will remain at Stanford for the spring semester to finish course work, graduating in March. He will arrive at Purdue after that.
The 5-11, 190-pound Turner-Muhammad brings needed experience to Purdue’s cornerback ranks, where only sixth-year senior Jamari Brown is a seasoned veteran.
Turner-Muhammad played in 11 games with one start for the Cardinal in 2022, making 23 tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble. He played in only the last four games of 2021 and made one start. As a sophomore in 2020, he started five games and made 17 tackles with a PBU. Turner-Muhammad redshirted as a true freshman in 2019.
• Purdue transfer portal tracker
He is Purdue’s fifth portal addition since the end of the 2022 season, joining QB Hudson Card (Texas), S Anthony Brown (Arkansas), DE Isaiah Nichols (Arkansas) and G/C Jalen Grant (Bowling Green). Purdue is expected to be active in the portal when the second window opens May 1-15, likely adding more cornerback help as it looks to replace Cory Trice and Reese Taylor. How does Turner-Muhammad describe himself?
“Real athletic, very quick and very physical, as well,” said Turner-Muhammad, who may have potential for a third year of eligibility. “Super strong. Fast, athletic can jump. Got really good feet. I feel like I bring it all to the table. I also believe that I have good ball skills and am really instinctive. I understand the game, concepts and what to look out for. I think I bring it all to the field.”
Walters is just happy finally to have Turner-Muhammad, who attended four different high schools.
“When I was at Missouri, I was trying to recruit Salim,” said Walters. “I loved him as an athlete then and that hasn’t changed. And so, obviously, Sanoussi and he are from the same area. They actually work out together all the time when they’re back home.
“So, when Sanoussi had brought up the fact that he was getting into portal and had gotten into portal, I was like, ‘OK, let’s go.’ This recruiting process has come full circle for me. To get him and his family out and see what plan we have for them, and ultimately to get him signed, was huge.”
