Even though the Trojans won’t be playing tonight, Coffee fans will still have the opportunity to watch a Trojan take the field. At 7:30 p.m., former Trojan Maurice Turner and the Louisville Cardinals will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on ESPN.
Turner, a 2022 graduate of Coffee High, signed with Louisville and saw a fair amount of action last year for the Cardinals as a true freshman. Wearing #4 this year, he begins the season as the #2 running back on the depth chart.
Turner finished last year in spectacular fashion. He led the Cardinals in rushing against Cincinnati in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, rushing for 160 yards on 41 carries in Louisville’s 24-7 win. His longest run was a 48 yarder against the Bearcats.
For the season, Turner tallied 314 yards on 65 carries. He also caught 12 passes for 72 yards.
Turner, a native of Nicholls, is picking up where the last Nicholls product left off at Louisville. From 2005-2008, Adrian Grady, also of Nicholls and a Coffee High alum, terrorized the Big East on the Cardinals defensive line when he was healthy. Grady battled a few injuries but still had a fantastic career at Louisville. He finished his senior year starting 10 out of 11 games. He totaled 41 tackles and a sack that season. After his career ended at Louisville, he had opportunities with several NFL teams and finished his career in 2010 with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League.
Grady made a big impact on and off the field, and he set a tremendous example not only for Turner but for other Coffee High players as well. Thus far, Turner is ably following in Grady’s footsteps. However, Turner is well on his way of carving his own legacy with the Cardinals.
So far, he has yet to find the end zone. Maybe that will change tonight against Tech.