August 20, 2024
South Sumter High’s Ja’Kyrian Turner Announces Commitment To Pittsburgh
By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter High’s Ja’Kyrian Turner Announces Commitment To Pittsburgh
Bushnell, Fla. — Ja’Kyrian Turner, a senior at South Sumter High School, has committed to the University of Pittsburgh to play football. Turner, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound three-star recruit, made the announcement Sunday following his official visit to Pitt.
Turner, known for his speed and agility, chose Pitt over offers from Delaware, Eastern Michigan, FAU, Nebraska, Texas State, USF, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. Turner has been on Pitt’s radar since early last year and we are so happy and excited for him as he continues his academic and playing career.
(Ja’Kyrian Turner #9 talks with Rashad Johnson #4. Both players will be headed to NCAA Division 1 programs.) JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY
On the field last year, Turner recorded 50 carries for 533 yards and eight touchdowns, as well as 15 receptions for 203 yards and three touchdowns last season. He also contributed defensively with 37 tackles, three interceptions, and five pass breakups. His performance on the track has also been notable. Turner runs a blistering 4.39 in the 40-Yard Dash.
247Sports ranks Turner as the 66th athlete and 89th recruit from Florida, while On3 places him as the 85th athlete and 141st recruit from the state. I expect those numbers to improve further this season as Ja’Kyrian comes into 2024 looking the best he ever has.
(Ja’Kyrian Turner is a natural athlete and can play on both sides of the football. JOE OTT PHOTOGRAPY)
Turner’s commitment continues a trend of South Sumter High athletes headed to play NCAA Division 1 football. Rashad Johnson is headed to Georgia while Malakhi Boone is headed to UCF. South Sumter always has a talented roster and this year is no different. We look forward to a great year out of Ja’Kyrian Turner and the South Sumter Raiders!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
