Huskies safeties Jojo McIntosh, Ezekiel Turner developed into smashing success
SEATTLE – Before they became the two most-feared hitters in Washington’s defensive secondary, before The Smash Bros. nickname was bestowed on them, Jojo McIntosh and Ezekiel Turner were just a couple of young dudes trying to figure out how to get on the field.
Turner arrived at UW in January 2015 after spending one season at a junior college in Los Angeles. McIntosh, as part of UW’s 2014 recruiting class, had arrived on campus about six months earlier out of Chaminade Prep in Canyon Country, California.
They spent their first season together, in 2015, commiserating with each other as they tried desperately to learn UW’s defensive schemes.
“We were both struggling,” McIntosh said this week. “We were like, ‘Man, we need to learn these plays.’ Gradually, we just got better and better. We started to pay more attention and improved our football IQ. We grew together.”
They have grown into valuable pieces on defense and special teams for the No. 12 Huskies.
“Those are two scary safeties that you would not want to run routes on or run the ball against,” UW co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said. “I just love how ferocious and love how tough they are.”
The Huskies’ secondary is in the spotlight this week as UCLA’s Josh Rosen, one of the top passers in the country, comes to town for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday at Husky Stadium. The Huskies are without both of their regular starting cornerbacks, Byron Murphy (broken foot) and Jordan Miller (broken ankle), and it should surprise no one if Rosen attempts 50-plus throws.
The Huskies say they’re confident in their depth. They have more reason to feel good about the safety position, where sophomore standout Taylor Rapp joins The Smash Bros. to form a formidable trio.
“We compete to see who can hit the hardest,” McIntosh said of Turner. “He’s always going hard. He might hit them harder than me, so I’ve got to go out there and be like, ‘All right, I’ve got to hit ’em too.’ It’s a friendly competition.”
McIntosh, a 6-foot-1, 219-pound fourth-year junior, is in his second season as the starting strong safety. Turner, a 6-2, 214-pound senior, is UW’s most valuable special-teams player for the second year in a row, and his tackles have a way of energizing the Huskies’ sideline.
“He’s a monster,” McIntosh said. “He practices like a monster. He plays like a monster. He has so much energy. You see him make a play and just go crazy, and it pumps everybody up.”
The paths McIntosh and Turner took to UW were strikingly different.
McIntosh helped Chaminade to a California state championship his senior season and was considered one of the best safeties in Southern California in the Class of 2014. He originally made an oral commitment to UCLA before opting out and signing on with Chris Petersen’s first UW class.
Turner was considered a nonprospect in the 2014 class. Growing up in Maryland, lacrosse was his first sport.
“In Maryland,” he said, “that is like a religion.”
At Glen Burnie High School, he picked up football but wound up playing for four coaches in four years. He didn’t have a single scholarship offer, so he moved cross country to play at L.A. Pierce College.
“I knew I could play at this level,” Turner said. “I didn’t doubt myself for a second, which is why I came all the way out to the West Coast to get the exposure I needed.”
In Los Angeles, he played well enough to finally attract the attention of college recruiters. Georgia State came in with his first scholarship. Indiana called. Then Arizona State and UW got in the mix.
“It’s been a crazy journey, just going through it all and seeing where I’ve come from,” he said. “Then I got out here and I had to learn a lot. I didn’t really know much about the defensive back position. Coach Lake and Coach Pete, they got me ready and got me to the point I’m at now, and I’m grateful for that.”