Voted on by all eight USFL head coaches, New Jersey Generals Wide Receiver/Returner KaVontae Turpin was named the USFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2022 season.
The former TCU standout, Turpin, led the USFL in receiving yards (540), yards after catch (316), punt return yardage (184), and average per punt return (15.3), including the USFL’s only punt return for a touchdown this season. Turpin had 921 all-purpose yards in ten games and scored six overall touchdowns, four receiving, one rushing, and one returning.
USFL MVP @KaVontaeTurpin has been absolutely electric this season ⚡️⚡️
Who's excited to watch the MVP in action this Saturday in the Inaugural Playoffs? ✋ pic.twitter.com/8DY4JMiyzV
KaVontae Turpin’s electrifying 4.3 speed, and big-play ability in the open field, have helped the 9-1 Generals produce the USFL’s #1 offensive attack.
Opposing defenses have had to pick their poison against New Jersey. Selling out against the Generals’ league-leading rushing attack has been challenging because Turpin has kept defenses honest by guarding for the deep ball and his ability to make plays in space running the football. Turpin rushed for 124 yards this season.
The USFL coaches are showing that they recognize the headaches involved in game planning for Turpin by voting him as the league’s most valuable player. It’s unconventional in pro football for a WR to be bestowed with this honor. However, You could argue that Cooper Kupp should have won NFL MVP this past season after amassing nearly 2,000 yards through the air and 16 touchdowns for the Super Bowl champion LA Rams. The USFL is bucking the traditional trend by bypassing a quarterback for the MVP honor.
The other side of this story is the rise of KaVontae Turpin after he fell hard during his college days at TCU.
In 2019 Turpin pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case against his former girlfriend, which occurred in October 2018. He was cut from the TCU football program by head coach Gary Patterson.
The ultra-talented Turpin, a big-time playmaker in college for the Horned Frogs, was labeled as a red flag player coming out of college, and NFL teams didn’t give him the green light to pursue a pro career. Many other leagues also passed on Kavontae because of his past transgressions. Turpin went undrafted in 2019 and struggled for two years to find a place to play football.
Turpin played in Fan Controlled Football and the Spring League for the Sea Lions in 2021 and the Wroclaw Panthers in Poland for the European League Of Football, where he scored seven touchdowns in five games as a mid-season replacement player.
A year later, the 5’9 160lb KaVontae Turpin stands tall as the USFL MVP.
The USFL has given players like Turpin a second chance to realize their dreams of playing pro football in the United States. Turpin’s play in the USFL could earn him another shot into the NFL. But even if it doesn’t, he has proven that he belongs on the big stage.
The New Jersey Generals are receiving a lot of individual accolades for their 9-1 regular season. Coach of the Year (Mike Riley), Offensive Player of the Year (Darius Victor), League MVP, and Seven All-USFL selections. Team success always leads to individual success. But the Generals’ most important team accomplishment still stands ahead of them. The Generals are looking to get to the USFL Championship game on July 3rd. But they will have to keep their significant momentum going by beating the Philadelphia Stars this Saturday afternoon in Canton, Ohio.
