ASU's Michael Turk Regains Eligibility After Going Undrafted, Unsigned by NFL

Arizona State punter Michael Turk announced Wednesday his final two years of collegiate eligibility have been restored after he didn't get picked during the 2020 NFL draft and went unsigned in the weeks following the event in late April.

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura reported the NCAA made the "unprecedented move" of making Turk eligible to play for the Sun Devils again. An ASU spokesperson confirmed the school helped him draft the appeal, which was based on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and noted he hadn't received money from his agent.

Turk entered the draft as a redshirt sophomore after a strong 2019 season for Arizona State. He tied for 11th in the country with an average of 46 yards per punt and had a long of 75 yards, which came in a game against Kent State where he averaged 63 yards on five punts.

The Dallas native, the nephew of former NFL punter Matt Turk, was selected First Team All-Pac 12 during his first season with the Sun Devils.

Turk started his collegiate career at Lafayette College, an FCS program, in 2017. He averaged 42.9 yards per punt as a true freshman with the Leopards.

In January, he told Brad Denny of AZFamily.com he knew it was "unconventional" for a punter to declare for the draft early, but he wanted the chance to prove himself.

"One of my thought processes was that I know I'm going to work harder than I ever have in my life at becoming a better punter," Turk said. "I'm confident that, God willing, once I do get those workouts and opportunities to prove that I'm a professional punter, I'll be able to do that."

Although he did take part in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, the subsequent pro days and individual meetings with teams were wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now he'll return to the Sun Devils, who accepted punter Logan Tyler on a graduate transfer from Florida State last month after Turk's departure. Tyler is also expected to compete for ASU's kicking job, per Bonagura. That could leave room for both players to earn consistent playing time.

"Throughout the season, I started to understand different parts of the field, what I have to do, what type of punts I need to hit," Turk told Denny. "I'm by no means done, but at the end of the season, I have a much better comprehensive understanding of all the different dimensions of punting."

He'll be eligible to re-enter the NFL draft in either 2021 as a redshirt junior or in 2022 after his final collegiate campaign.