Eli Turner Jr

Biography

Eli Turner Jr. joined Scott Abell’s initial coaching staff in February of 2025 as an offensive graduate assistant, reuniting with coach Abell after serving as a co-captain and earning four letters at Davidson from 2018-21. Turner comes to Rice after coaching at the NFL Academy’s campus in Loughborough, UK, for two years, where he coached running backs and served in a quality control position. The NFL Academy is a major global initiative by the NFL to provide full-time high-school education alongside intensive training in American football. Turner joined the staff in 2023 while completing work on a master’s degree in Sport Business Management at Leeds Beckett University. He also assisted with a number of NFL UK events, including the NFL International Combine in 2022 and NFL FLAG UK regional tournaments and the national championship in 2023. Turner totaled 2,090 career all-purpose yards and scored 16 touchdowns in 39 career games while playing slot receiver at Davidson and helping lead the Wildcats to their first two appearances in the FCS playoffs. He is the older brother of graduate transfer slot receiver Aaron Turner.