Oklahoma football: Sooners’ add another Arizona State punter
By Chip Rouse
This offseason the Oklahoma football program added Arizona State backup punter/kicker Josh Plaster to the 2021 roster. Now the ASU starter at that position is headed to Norman.
Michael Turk of Arizona State announced last week that he was entering the transfer portal and on Thursday revealed that he intends to transfer to Oklahoma. He announced that intention Thursday night on Instagram.
Turk is a graduate transfer; however, it is unclear if he will be able to play in 2021 because July 1 was the deadline for entering the transfer portal and being granted immediate eligibility for this season.
It has been reported that Turk was opposed to the Arizona State requirement that its players receive the COVID-19 vaccine to participate in road games.
His sophomore season at ASU, in 2019, Turk averaged 46.0 yards per punt and dropped 36 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard-line. He also booted 23 punts of at least 50 yards. He only punted 14 times last season in four of the Sun Devils’ six games, averaging 47.2 yards.
Oklahoma would be Turk’s third school. He began his college career at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He transferred to Arizona State ahead of the 2019 season.
He was a second-team All-Patriot League selection in 2018 as a freshman and is on the Ray Guy preseason watch list this season. He was a semifinalist last season for the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the best punter in college football.
It is believed that Plaster will take over the Oklahoma kickoff duties for Gabe Brkic, who will concentrate on field-goal kicking in 2021. Reeves Mundschau has been the Sooner punter the past two seasons. He averaged just 39.1 yards per punt last season, down from 42.4 yards in 2019.
Plaster can also punt, so there may be a competition brewing for the lead punting role this season.