The Dragon: Kemoko Turay
Sep 01 | Football
As seen in the Sept. 1 edition of the game day program
Kemoko Turay doesn't take anything for granted. It's a lesson he learned as a child, and a lesson that has been reinforced as a Scarlet Knight.
It has been three years since "The Kemoko Dragon" was honored on two national Freshman All-America lists following a 7.5-sack season. But injuries have played a role in a decrease in playing time and stats valuable to a defensive end. Despite these setbacks hampering the potential of an up-and-coming, lightning fast, 6-foot-5 nightmare from a quarterback's restless night's sleep, Turay is dead-set on returning to form in 2017.
"Nothing is guaranteed in life," Turay says. "You have to learn from obstacles and slow down to take it one step at a time. When things weren't going my way, it was a process to learn how to mature every day, get better and get stronger."
In his first season on the field as a redshirt freshman, Turay became an overnight sensation with a heroic performance in one of Rutgers' signature wins, its first Big Ten victory on Oct. 4, 2014. His blocked field goal late in the fourth quarter prevented Michigan from going ahead with just three minutes left, sealing the 26-24 win at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Accolades poured in. Turay was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, and despite his name receiving a special shade of highlighter on opposing coaches' scouting reports, many quarterbacks and kickers could not escape the chase of "The Dragon." His 7.5 sacks led the Scarlet Knights and tied for seventh in the conference, while having 8.5 tackles for loss overall with four hurries and three total blocked kicks on special teams.
The media selected him to an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten awards list, the Big Ten Network named him to its All-Freshman Team, and Turay put a bow on 2014 with Second and Third Team Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of American and Scout, respectively.
"It made me tough," Turay recalled of the increased attention. "It made me believe in myself and made me grow into a mature man. I learned to appreciate every day, because weeks like that and seasons like that are really hard to come by."
With that mindset, Turay was well-equipped for what came next.
His redshirt sophomore season picked up where 2014 left off with a sack in the opening win over Norfolk State and his first career start against Washington State one week later. But to his standards – and the media's predictions – the rest of his season did not go as planned. Adding injury to insult, Turay suffered a physical setback leading into 2016, which hampered his performance and playing time in just eight games with three total tackles.
Turay has been in this situation before. Not shy to talk about a challenging childhood and upbringing, the Newark, New Jersey, native relates his early-life struggles to his maturation on the football field.
"I have an opportunity to get back on track," he said. "What sets me apart is where I came from. Everything that happened as I was growing up shaped who I am today. It was a tough time, but I'm tougher for it. I think about my mom and my dad and how they struggled."
He never just waited around for things to get better, however. And he's not going to do that now ahead of his final season "On The Banks."
"I had a creative mind and was constantly trying to create a way to make things better," Turay said. "Sports were a way to do that, and it became an end to a mean. I used to get up at 6 a.m. to dribble the basketball and work on my skills."
Now, with a focus on physical upkeep and a positive approach to a fresh campaign, Turay is primed to be a key weapon in defensive line coach Shane Burnham's packages.
"We're doing what we can to keep him uncovered and allow him to use his athleticism on the edge of our defense," Burnham said during preseason camp. "We're going to get creative with our packages to allow him to use his speed. I'm telling you, if you let him rush enough, that son-of-a-gun is going to win. It's a case of giving him enough at-bats, and he'll hit one out of the park. He has a lot of ability."
Turay's athletic ability was never in question. It was just a matter of which sport would channel that ability.
For most of his life, a basketball scholarship was the goal. Also a track and field standout at Barringer High School, it wasn't until his senior year that his shot put coach suggested his aggressiveness and agility would be perfect for football.
"I said, 'Who's going to look at this kid that hasn't played a down of football, and give him a scholarship?' My track coach said if I didn't get a scholarship, he'd pay my tuition. I shook on that!"
Turay broke out as a senior at Barringer with a state-leading 19 sacks and a selection to the Star-Ledger's All-State Third Team. He visited camps, ran a 4.4 in his 40-yard dash in Piscataway, and the answer to "Who's going to look at this kid?" was the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The State School of New Jersey has also been the place where Turay's entrepreneurism was born. He developed a passion for two things: information technology and bringing those tools to communities in Africa. The primary goal is to suit up for the NFL next year, which would only aid his mission to bring his business to Africa.
"If I go pro, I will have even more resources to help the community and bring them better technology, software, graphic design and coding," Turay said.
But before graduation, Turay has one more season to make his mark on the gridiron. Regardless of the psychology behind using past experiences to shape the future, Turay is focused on the present and joining "The Hunt" in 2017.
It has been three years since "The Kemoko Dragon" was honored on two national Freshman All-America lists following a 7.5-sack season. But injuries have played a role in a decrease in playing time and stats valuable to a defensive end. Despite these setbacks hampering the potential of an up-and-coming, lightning fast, 6-foot-5 nightmare from a quarterback's restless night's sleep, Turay is dead-set on returning to form in 2017.
"Nothing is guaranteed in life," Turay says. "You have to learn from obstacles and slow down to take it one step at a time. When things weren't going my way, it was a process to learn how to mature every day, get better and get stronger."
In his first season on the field as a redshirt freshman, Turay became an overnight sensation with a heroic performance in one of Rutgers' signature wins, its first Big Ten victory on Oct. 4, 2014. His blocked field goal late in the fourth quarter prevented Michigan from going ahead with just three minutes left, sealing the 26-24 win at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Accolades poured in. Turay was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, and despite his name receiving a special shade of highlighter on opposing coaches' scouting reports, many quarterbacks and kickers could not escape the chase of "The Dragon." His 7.5 sacks led the Scarlet Knights and tied for seventh in the conference, while having 8.5 tackles for loss overall with four hurries and three total blocked kicks on special teams.
The media selected him to an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten awards list, the Big Ten Network named him to its All-Freshman Team, and Turay put a bow on 2014 with Second and Third Team Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of American and Scout, respectively.
"It made me tough," Turay recalled of the increased attention. "It made me believe in myself and made me grow into a mature man. I learned to appreciate every day, because weeks like that and seasons like that are really hard to come by."
With that mindset, Turay was well-equipped for what came next.
His redshirt sophomore season picked up where 2014 left off with a sack in the opening win over Norfolk State and his first career start against Washington State one week later. But to his standards – and the media's predictions – the rest of his season did not go as planned. Adding injury to insult, Turay suffered a physical setback leading into 2016, which hampered his performance and playing time in just eight games with three total tackles.
Turay has been in this situation before. Not shy to talk about a challenging childhood and upbringing, the Newark, New Jersey, native relates his early-life struggles to his maturation on the football field.
"I have an opportunity to get back on track," he said. "What sets me apart is where I came from. Everything that happened as I was growing up shaped who I am today. It was a tough time, but I'm tougher for it. I think about my mom and my dad and how they struggled."
He never just waited around for things to get better, however. And he's not going to do that now ahead of his final season "On The Banks."
"I had a creative mind and was constantly trying to create a way to make things better," Turay said. "Sports were a way to do that, and it became an end to a mean. I used to get up at 6 a.m. to dribble the basketball and work on my skills."
Now, with a focus on physical upkeep and a positive approach to a fresh campaign, Turay is primed to be a key weapon in defensive line coach Shane Burnham's packages.
"We're doing what we can to keep him uncovered and allow him to use his athleticism on the edge of our defense," Burnham said during preseason camp. "We're going to get creative with our packages to allow him to use his speed. I'm telling you, if you let him rush enough, that son-of-a-gun is going to win. It's a case of giving him enough at-bats, and he'll hit one out of the park. He has a lot of ability."
Turay's athletic ability was never in question. It was just a matter of which sport would channel that ability.
For most of his life, a basketball scholarship was the goal. Also a track and field standout at Barringer High School, it wasn't until his senior year that his shot put coach suggested his aggressiveness and agility would be perfect for football.
"I said, 'Who's going to look at this kid that hasn't played a down of football, and give him a scholarship?' My track coach said if I didn't get a scholarship, he'd pay my tuition. I shook on that!"
Turay broke out as a senior at Barringer with a state-leading 19 sacks and a selection to the Star-Ledger's All-State Third Team. He visited camps, ran a 4.4 in his 40-yard dash in Piscataway, and the answer to "Who's going to look at this kid?" was the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The State School of New Jersey has also been the place where Turay's entrepreneurism was born. He developed a passion for two things: information technology and bringing those tools to communities in Africa. The primary goal is to suit up for the NFL next year, which would only aid his mission to bring his business to Africa.
"If I go pro, I will have even more resources to help the community and bring them better technology, software, graphic design and coding," Turay said.
But before graduation, Turay has one more season to make his mark on the gridiron. Regardless of the psychology behind using past experiences to shape the future, Turay is focused on the present and joining "The Hunt" in 2017.
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballDefensive Line Coach Dennis Dottin-Carter - 04/04/26
Saturday, April 04
Offensive Line Coach Jim Turner - 04/04/26
Saturday, April 04
Tight Ends Coach Scott Vallone - 04/02/26
Thursday, April 02
Defensive Coordinator Travis Johansen - 03/31/26
Tuesday, March 31
