Landon Turner (born May 15, 1993) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. His uncle Jim Braxton played for the Bills and

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in the 1970s.

Early life

Turner was a four-year starter at Harrisonburg High School in

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...

. He was All-State his junior and senior years, as he paved the way for running back Michael Holmes, who later played at

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, to rush for more than 5,000 yards combined in both seasons. In Turner's senior season, he helped Harrisonburg to the

VHSL The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor st ...

Division 4 state final, where they lost 41–21 to Alex Carter's

Briar Woods High School Briar Woods High School is a public secondary school located in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. The school serves students who live in the Broadlands, Bra ...

. Turner was named a U.S. Army All-American and ''

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'' All-American following his senior year.

College career

After redshirting his first year at North Carolina, Turner saw action in twelve games in 2012. He served as a backup his first eight games, before replacing an injured Brennan Williams at right guard for the final four games of the season. He would remain a starter throughout his four years. In his junior year, he was named 3rd team All-ACC by the media. As a senior, he was named consensus 1st-Team All-ACC and 1st Team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by the ''

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'' (AP) and won the

Jim Parker Trophy The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More ...

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Turner was signed by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

following the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. On September 2, 2017, Turner was waived by the Saints and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 16, 2018. On September 1, 2018, Turner was waived by the Saints. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 24, 2018, but was released three days later.

Minnesota Vikings

On October 30, 2018, Turner was signed to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

practice squad. He was released on November 8, 2018.

Carolina Panthers

On December 19, 2018, Turner was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on December 31, 2018. He was waived on May 29, 2019.

Seattle Seahawks

On August 20, 2019, Turner was signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Landon 1993 births Living people People from Harrisonburg, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia American football offensive guards North Carolina Tar Heels football players New Orleans Saints players Minnesota Vikings players Carolina Panthers players Seattle Seahawks players