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‘Fun to be around’: Two-year captain Nick Turner, first-year coach Landon Fox on same page for VU football

Nick Turner didn’t need to be convinced.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior linebacker was already leaning toward a fifth year of playing football at Valparaiso University. But a conversation with first-year coach Landon Fox didn’t hurt.

“He walked in with this thick book and talked about who he was,” Turner said of Fox. “And I believed in everything he was saying. I wouldn’t say he convinced me, but he influenced me to stay.”

Turner, a team captain for the second year, is one of several veteran players back for a VU program looking to move on from a disappointing 2018.

In 2017, the Crusaders posted their first winning season since 2003 by going 6-5. That success didn’t repeat in 2018 as VU lost its first five games en route to a 2-9 finish.

Adding to the frustration for Turner was an injury — he declined to elaborate on the details — that limited him to four games.

“I tried it out in the first three games but just couldn’t do it,” he said. “I sat out one game in hopes of resting a little bit. I came back against (Week 5 opponent) Butler, but it just wasn’t the same.”

Fox believes that Turner’s passion will be a positive influence on this year’s underclassmen.

“He enjoys practice,” Fox said of Turner. “Playing college football for 11 or 12 games is tough. You have to enjoy the journey, and he does. He’s fun to be around.”

While Turner has been a familiar face at VU, Fox arrived in March after Dave Cecchini left VU in February for Bucknell.

And Fox’s first season begins with the Crusaders part of a tie for ninth place among 10 teams in the Pioneer Football League preseason poll.

“Those polls mean nothing,” Fox said. “However, if you are picked first, you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished in the past — but it is in the past.

“It’s the same thing if you’re picked at the bottom. But there should be some extra motivation there.”

Once again, a competition exists for the starting spot at quarterback between redshirt juniors Jimmy Seewald and Chris Duncan.

An injured throwing (right) shoulder limited Seewald to four games in 2018, and he had a second operation during the offseason. When asked if he’s 100 percent, Seewald said he’s “getting there.”

As for Duncan, he maintained the ongoing QB battle hasn’t affected their personal relationship.

“We’re both trying to make ourselves into the best player we can be,” Duncan said. “From a competitive aspect, we do want to beat each other out. But we’re still pretty good friends off the field.”

Fox wouldn’t name a starting quarterback for Thursday’s season opener at Eastern Kentucky, but he maintained that position battles remain open across the roster.

“We’re continuing to evaluate (Seewald and Duncan), but that’s true at every position,” Fox said. “We have to remember that we still have more opportunities to go out and prove ourselves as football players.”

Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.