Michael Turk

Michael Turk

Personal information
Born:	(1998-03-14) March 14, 1998 (age 26) Davie, Florida, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:	Ridge Point (Sienna, Texas)
College:	Lafayette (2017) Arizona State (2018–2020) Oklahoma (2021–2023)
Position:	Punter
Undrafted:	2023
Career history
Miami Dolphins (2023)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Patriot League (2017) 2× First-team All-Pac-12 (2019, 2020) 2× First-team All-Big 12 (2021, 2022)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Michael Matthew-Paul Turk^[1] (born March 14, 1998) is an American professional football punter who is a free agent. He played college football for the Lafayette Leopards, Oklahoma Sooners, and Arizona State Sun Devils. Despite declaring for the 2020 NFL draft, he would regain two years of eligibility after not being selected and not being signed following the draft. After playing for two years at Oklahoma, he declared for the 2023 NFL draft and signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent, before being waived prior to the pre-season.

Hangtime
Spouse	Grace Turk ​ (m. 2023)​
YouTube information
Channels	Hangtime HangOn7 michaelturk9175
Years active	2020–present
Genre	Sports
Subscribers	1.5 Million[2]
Total views	206 Million[2]
Associated acts	Grace Turk, Dude Perfect, Ryan Trahan Nick DiGiovanni
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 1,000,000 subscribers 2024
Last updated: December 6, 2024

Early years

Turk attended Ridge Point High School, where he played safety, contributing to the school winning the 6A Region Championship in 2014 and 2015. In less than three years, Turk suffered three ACL tears, which hampered his ability to become a safety at the next level.^[3]

After graduating, he took a year off to train with his brother, Ben Turk, a former punter for Notre Dame, during which he decided that he wanted to become a punter.^[3]

College career

Lafayette

Turk accepted a football scholarship from Lafayette College. As a true freshman in 2017, where he registered over 2,800 punting yards and setting a school single-season record with an average of 42.7 yards per attempt.^[3] He received second-team All-Patriot League honors.^[4]

Arizona State

In 2018 after Turk's freshman season, he transferred to Arizona State University and was redshirted to comply with the NCAA transfer rules.

As a sophomore in 2019, against Kent State University, Turk recorded punts of 64, 62, 65, 49 and 75 yards, setting an NCAA single-game record with a 63.0-yard average per attempt.^[5] He earned honorable-mention All-American honors from GPR Analytics while ranking fourth in the nation with a 95.80 GPR Punt Rating.^[6]

On January 6, 2020, he opted to declare for the 2020 NFL draft.^[7] On June 3, 2020, after failing to be selected by a team, in an unprecedented decision, the NCAA restored Turk's remaining two years of eligibility and allowed him to return to Arizona State.^[8][9]

As a junior in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona State only played 4 contests during the season.^[10] He registered a career-high 47.2-yard average on 14 punts and received first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

On August 5, 2021, Turk entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, in part due to his opposition to Arizona State requiring the COVID-19 vaccine to travel to road games.^[11] On August 12, he announced that he would be transferring to the University of Oklahoma.^[12]

Oklahoma

As a senior in 2021, he appeared in 11 games, averaging 51.2 yards on 35 punts, with 16 punts downed inside 20-yard line. His 51.2-yard average would have ranked second nationally, but he did not have enough attempts to qualify. He received All-Big 12 honors. He had 20 punts that went over 50 yards and 8 that went over 60 yards. The team did not punt against Tulane University and Kansas State University. He had an 85-yard punt (tied for third in school history) and averaged 58 yards on three punts against the University of Texas.

As a super senior in 2022, he appeared in all 13 games, averaging 46.8 yards (ranked third nationally) on 63 punts, with 22 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He received All-Big 12 honors. He had 22 punts that went over 50 yards and 6 that went at least 60 yards. He also completed two passes on fake field goals plays, which included a 3-yarder for a first down against the University of Texas and a 2-yarder for a touchdown against Iowa State University. He averaged 49.3 yards on 6 punts, including two critical punts of at least 60 yards in the fourth quarter against Iowa State University, earning Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Professional career

2020 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m)	9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m)	4.79 s	1.68 s	2.78 s	4.72 s	34.5 in (0.88 m)	9 ft 0 in (2.74 m)	25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

On February 27, 2020, Turk set an NFL Scouting Combine record for punters, with 25 bench press repetitions of 225 pounds.^[15] Of those who participated, Turk's total bench reps were more than all 33 wide receivers, 12 out of 13 tight ends, with Josiah Deguara tying him, and 19 offensive lineman out of 34. His bench reps also tied for second among special teams participants since 2006.^[16][17]

2023 NFL Combine

On March 3, 2023, Turk competed in his second NFL Combine in preparation for the 2023 NFL draft.^[18]

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Vertical jump	Broad jump
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m)	10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m)	4.83 s	1.65 s	2.75 s	34 in (0.86 m)	9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)
All values from NFL Combine[19][20]

Miami Dolphins

After going undrafted, Turk signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2023.^[21] He was waived by the team in favor of Jake Bailey on August 2.^[22]

In November 2023, Turk worked out with the New England Patriots.^[23] As of November 29, 2023, Turk has not been signed.

Personal life

Turk's uncles are former NFL punter Matt Turk and former NFL long snapper Dan Turk.^[24] Turk has a YouTube channel called Hangtime, where he uploads videos about his experience playing for Oklahoma, fitness, and his Baptist faith, often mentioning some of his favorite Bible verses.^[25] As of December 29, 2024, he has over 1,540,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.^[25]

On November 19, 2022, he proposed to his now wife, Oklahoma Sooners softball All-American Grace Lyons, on the field following the Bedlam football game. The couple got married on June 23, 2023.^[25][26][27] They have one child.^[28]

References

1. "D1 Athlete Day in the Life: Oklahoma Football Player". youtube.com. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
2. "About Hangtime". YouTube.
3. "Keeping the Faith: Michael Turk's unlikely return to Tempe". arizonastate.rivals.com. October 12, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
4. "2017 All-Patriot League Football Teams and Major Awards Announced". patriotleague.org. November 21, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
5. "Turk 'staying humble' after earning Pac-12 honor in ASU debut". Retrieved October 20, 2019.^{[dead link‍]}
6. "GPR Analytics". Gpr2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
7. "ASU punter Michael Turk will declare for the 2020 NFL Draft". arizonasports.com. January 7, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
8. "Arizona State punter Michael Turk has NCAA eligibility restored after going undrafted, unsigned by NFL". ESPN. June 4, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
9. "Michael Turk to return to ASU football after special NCAA waiver". azcentral.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
10. Bromberg, Nick (July 10, 2020). "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
11. Hummer, Chris. "Star Arizona State punter Michael Turk enters transfer portal". 247Sports. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
12. Young, Mason (August 12, 2021). "OU football: Former Arizona State punter Michael Turk announces transfer to Sooners". OU Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
13. "Michael Turk Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
14. "Michael Turk, Arizona State, P, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
15. "Michael Turk back, ready to punt for ASU after leaving for NFL draft". azcentral. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
16. "NFL combine: Punter Michael Turk shows up TEs, WRs in bench press". sports.yahoo.com. February 28, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
17. "ASU punter Michael Turk puts up 25 bench reps at NFL Draft Combine". arizonasports.com. February 27, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
18. World, Eric Bailey Tulsa (February 8, 2023). "OU's Michael Turk gains a rare 'second' NFL Scouting Combine invite". Tulsa World. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
19. "Michael Turk - P - Oklahoma - 2023 Draft Scout/NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
20. "Michael Turk Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
21. "Miami Dolphins Sign 21 Undrafted College Free Agents". MiamiDolphins.com. May 12, 2023.
22. "Dolphins waive two players, sign another". SBNation.com. August 2, 2023.
23. Buchmasser, Bernd (November 29, 2023). "Patriots invite 13 players for workouts, including several kickers". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
24. "Meet Michael Turk: ASU Football's New Fan Favorite". Retrieved October 20, 2019.
25. "Hangtime - YouTube". YouTube.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
26. Hoover, John E. (November 20, 2022). "All-American Couple: Oklahoma P Michael Turk's Marriage Proposal to SS Grace Lyons Goes Viral". SI.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
27. Nguyen, Bob (November 20, 2022). "OU football: Sooners' Michael Turk proposes to Grace Lyons; Drake Stoops posts career night". The Oklahoma Daily. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
28. Hangtime (November 9, 2024). I Built A Secret Man-Cave In My House. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via YouTube.

External links

• Lafayette Leopards bio
• Arizona State Sun Devils bio
• Oklahoma Sooners bio
• Michael Turk's YouTube Channel - Hangtime
• Michael Turk on Twitter
• Michael Turk at IMDb