The youngest coordinator in the PSAC, Jawan Turner enters his second season as the defensive coordinator at California (PA) in 2023 after serving as the linebackers coach the previous two years.
Turner mentored a pair of All-PSAC West linebackers in 2021, as the Vulcans were among the elite defenses in the country. Cal ranked among the top 10 in NCAA Division II in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense while recording three shutouts – the most for the program in over 60 years.
A native of Pittsburgh, Turner started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) in 2017 under former Cal head coach Mike Kellar (2012-15). The following year, the Bears recorded an incredible nine-win improvement and finished 12-2 overall under first-year head coach Drew Cronic, who is now the head coach at Mercer (Ga.) – a NCAA FCS program. Lenoir-Rhyne posted a 7-0 league record to win the 2018 SAC Championship and advanced to quarterfinals of the NCAA Playoffs.
Turner worked with both outside linebackers and defensive ends while with the Bears. He aided in the development of All-American defensive end Jaquan Artis, who was a 2019 national finalist for both the Harlon Hill Trophy and Gene Upshaw Award. Artis closed his career with a school record 29.0 career sacks after leading the country with 14.5 sacks as a senior.
In 2019, Turner reunited with Kellar as the defensive line coach at Glenville State. The Pioneers finished with a 7-4 overall record after winning their last three games of the season, highlighted by a road upset of MEC Champion Notre Dame (Ohio). Glenville State featured the top scoring defense and red-zone defense in the league, plus finished fourth in the MEC in rushing defense and total defense.
Turner was a standout for the Vulcans, as he was a three-year starter on the defensive line from 2014-16. He earned All-PSAC West status three times at Cal and twice received first-team honors. He led the team and ranked among the top 10 in the league in TFL and sacks during his first year as a starter. As a senior, he finished with nearly 50 tackles and garnered all-region laurels from multiple organizations. Turner served as a captain in 2016 and helped anchor a unit that finished in the top 10 in the country in total defense and scoring defense, as the Vulcans captured the PSAC Championship and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Playoffs.
A product of Woodland Hills, Turner completed his bachelor's degree in communication studies with a concentration in speech communication from Cal in 2017. He later earned his master's degree in leadership from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2019.
Turner resides in the South Hills of Pittsburgh with his wife Tialiah and their daughter, Trinity.
