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Have you heard of him? No. Do you need to know the name this year? No. Will he destroy opposing linebackers and kick returners some day? Probably.
Turner Pallissard – RS Freshman
Frankfurt, IL (Lincoln-Way East)
6’0”, 242 lbs
2019 Projection: Reserve FB
The foundation for Iowa football was built on unkown players who stepped up to contribute. You don’t get much more unkown than redshirt freshman Turner Pallissard.
How unkown is he? Well, you didn’t know who he was. Neither did we. Neither did the people who write the bios on Hawkeyesports.com. As of this writing, there is no bio. I mean, he’s on the roster and you can see where he’s from, but there’s none of the ordinary, “High school coach was John Doe. Parents are John and Jane Pallissard. Sports Studies major.” Instead, it’s just a link to buy tickets to upcoming games.
So is Turner Pallissard in fact a ticket scalper?
Consensus is no. Instead, he’s a walk on fullback from Frankfort, Illinois. That’d be a southwest suburb wedged between Joliet and Chicago Heights.
— Turner Pallissard (@t_pallissard) October 7, 2017
Pallissard is a redshirt freshman who obviously has yet to find the field. What he has done in his one season in Iowa City is manage to start the process of being compacted into a fullback. His 2018 profile lists him at 6’1” and 240 pounds. Now he has shrunk to 6’ flat while adding 2 pounds. That will happen when your job is to smash into oncoming traffic like a battering ram.
It’s plausible we see Pallissard get some run this season on special teams given his position, but the much more likely scenario is we enter 2020 with a bio that’s only slightly longer and an expectation he gets his first meaningful minutes as a special teams guy.
Speaking of special teams, Pallissard WAS a high school long snapper. So Hawkeye fans rejoice, this kid has some real potential at two of our favorite positions. Still efforting to find out if he can punt or play point guard.
Will he remain a full time fullback? Will he be our next great long snapper utilized for magnificent trick plays? Will he kill a man with a trident on kickoff team? Check back next summer to find out!