Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Griffin Quinn / Northwestern Athletics
Braden Turner Steps Up as Northwestern’s Nickel in Breakout Campaign
11/20/2025 4:42:00 PM | Football
Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun considers the nickel star position in his defensive scheme among the most demanding on the field.
This season, redshirt junior defensive back Braden Turner has played the lion's share of the snaps at the nickel spot for Northwestern, emerging as one of the Big Ten's top players at the position.
"We're asking a lot out of BT – whether it be in coverage, in run fits, or playing against 12 personnel," Braun said. "And he's answered that challenge. Really encouraging and exciting to see."
Turner was a playmaker all over the field on Saturday against Michigan, logging three tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. He became the first Big Ten player to post that stat line since 2022. His interception, the first of his career, came early in the fourth quarter. His 29-yard return set up the Wildcats' go-ahead score.
Turner's rise becomes even more impressive when considering two years ago he had never played at the nickel, exclusively playing as an outside cornerback. His constant work at his new position has fueled a breakout 2025 campaign.
In spring ball of 2024, Nickels Coach Drew Grey joined the Northwestern coaching staff from Samford University. Upon entering the facility, he recognized a familiar face in Turner, as Grey evaluated Turner–a Mobile, Alabama native–during his time as the Samford assistant defensive backs coach.
When the two united in Evanston, Turner began playing the nickel for the first time in his life. Grey was key in Turner's transition from corner to nickel, teaching him the nuances of the new, challenging position.
"Playing slot man coverage is a hard enough task as is, you have to have somebody that's athletic enough to do that. And then also, he's got to be in the run fit," Grey said. "He's got to tackle people in the B-gap and 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."
Turner recorded his first-career start in the 2024 season opener against Miami (Ohio) and split reps at the nickel with then-redshirt sophomore Robert Fitzgerald as the season progressed.
With a full offseason to ramp up his development at nickel, Turner continued to watch film and hit the weight room. For Turner, coming from a boundary cornerback background, understanding the run game was a point of emphasis in his growth. He took the mindset of improving a little bit each day.
"Every day, I'm learning something new," Turner said. "Really, just being more physical in the run game, learning the run game [is] just a great position to be in. … Being at that nickel position, you have to read a lot more with the run game and run fits — and really just playing physical."
Entering the 2025 campaign, Turner had put on five pounds during his offseason training and felt as comfortable as ever in the NU scheme. His hard work has paid off, as he has started at nickel in all of Northwestern's 10 games.
So far this season, Turner has posted 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. To teammates like Fitzgerald, Turner's production and talent are hard to ignore.
"BT's a stud," Fitzgerald said. "It's very hard to be that good in man coverage but also be able to fill the run like he does, so he's a playmaker. He's a game changer. He's an elite athlete."
Turner feels he improves with each rep he takes. This Saturday provides him with another opportunity to showcase that growth, as Northwestern looks to secure bowl eligibility against Minnesota at 11 a.m. CT in Wrigley Field.
According to Grey, Turner's growth across the board this season–whether that be in run support, man coverage, or zone coverage–is a testament to his relentless work ethic. There's never a second that he isn't looking to improve.
"He's a hungry guy, he always has a growth mindset," Grey said. "He's going to come up immediately when he makes a mistake. He's gonna look right at me. He knows he made that mistake. Sometimes, I gotta tell him, 'Hey man, quit looking at me. Go play the next play.' Ultimately, he just wants to improve."
This season, redshirt junior defensive back Braden Turner has played the lion's share of the snaps at the nickel spot for Northwestern, emerging as one of the Big Ten's top players at the position.
"We're asking a lot out of BT – whether it be in coverage, in run fits, or playing against 12 personnel," Braun said. "And he's answered that challenge. Really encouraging and exciting to see."
Turner was a playmaker all over the field on Saturday against Michigan, logging three tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. He became the first Big Ten player to post that stat line since 2022. His interception, the first of his career, came early in the fourth quarter. His 29-yard return set up the Wildcats' go-ahead score.
OUR BALL ?? pic.twitter.com/s3UMciwyho
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) November 15, 2025
Turner's rise becomes even more impressive when considering two years ago he had never played at the nickel, exclusively playing as an outside cornerback. His constant work at his new position has fueled a breakout 2025 campaign.
In spring ball of 2024, Nickels Coach Drew Grey joined the Northwestern coaching staff from Samford University. Upon entering the facility, he recognized a familiar face in Turner, as Grey evaluated Turner–a Mobile, Alabama native–during his time as the Samford assistant defensive backs coach.
When the two united in Evanston, Turner began playing the nickel for the first time in his life. Grey was key in Turner's transition from corner to nickel, teaching him the nuances of the new, challenging position.
"Playing slot man coverage is a hard enough task as is, you have to have somebody that's athletic enough to do that. And then also, he's got to be in the run fit," Grey said. "He's got to tackle people in the B-gap and 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."
Turner recorded his first-career start in the 2024 season opener against Miami (Ohio) and split reps at the nickel with then-redshirt sophomore Robert Fitzgerald as the season progressed.
With a full offseason to ramp up his development at nickel, Turner continued to watch film and hit the weight room. For Turner, coming from a boundary cornerback background, understanding the run game was a point of emphasis in his growth. He took the mindset of improving a little bit each day.
"Every day, I'm learning something new," Turner said. "Really, just being more physical in the run game, learning the run game [is] just a great position to be in. … Being at that nickel position, you have to read a lot more with the run game and run fits — and really just playing physical."
Entering the 2025 campaign, Turner had put on five pounds during his offseason training and felt as comfortable as ever in the NU scheme. His hard work has paid off, as he has started at nickel in all of Northwestern's 10 games.
So far this season, Turner has posted 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one fumble recovery. To teammates like Fitzgerald, Turner's production and talent are hard to ignore.
"BT's a stud," Fitzgerald said. "It's very hard to be that good in man coverage but also be able to fill the run like he does, so he's a playmaker. He's a game changer. He's an elite athlete."
STUFFED & STRIPPED ?? pic.twitter.com/O5f8mqAQzw
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) November 15, 2025
Turner feels he improves with each rep he takes. This Saturday provides him with another opportunity to showcase that growth, as Northwestern looks to secure bowl eligibility against Minnesota at 11 a.m. CT in Wrigley Field.
According to Grey, Turner's growth across the board this season–whether that be in run support, man coverage, or zone coverage–is a testament to his relentless work ethic. There's never a second that he isn't looking to improve.
"He's a hungry guy, he always has a growth mindset," Grey said. "He's going to come up immediately when he makes a mistake. He's gonna look right at me. He knows he made that mistake. Sometimes, I gotta tell him, 'Hey man, quit looking at me. Go play the next play.' Ultimately, he just wants to improve."
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