FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin still can't open up his phone.
Well, he can, but not without being inundated with message notifications after his 99-yard kickoff return touchdown essentially ended his team's five-game losing streak in a 34-26 upset road win at the Washington Commanders in Week 12. To be fair, it's a play he's watched 20 times.
Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis tweeted that "only a psychopath can be this calm and do this" as Turpin exuded an air of calm before jogging into a sprint for the score.
"When I muffed it, I was 'Oh,'" Turpin said. "So when I picked it up, and I still had like 20 yards in front of me, I was like, 'Man, I can make something out of nothing at this point.' I was just calm, just being me. Being nonchalant and going out there trying to make a play."
Ironically, Turpin muffing the kickoff actually aided his go-ahead kickoff return.
"I feel like it was good because once I muffed it, they just started running free," Turpin said. They start getting out of their lanes and stuff like that."
Turpin takes an unorthodox approach to kickoff returns, starting off with a slow jog instead of going pedal to the metal as soon as the football touches his hands. That's his strength, one that's been amplified with the new kickoff rules that mitigate the running start a team's coverage team has coming downfield. Coverage teams being unable to pick up as much speed coming downfield creates an advantage for Turpin.
"That's my superpower man because when I get the ball all the guys are already fighting and all this, so by the time I do my jog and by the time I get free, they've already run at full speed. I'm here," Turpin said. "Once I hit the hole, [there's] nothing they can do at that point."
The spin move he utilized to free himself once he came in contact with the horde of Commanders on his return was reminiscent of a 49-yard punt return touchdown Turpin pulled off as a freshman down the road as a TCU Horned Frog back in 2015 against the Kansas Jayhawks. That's where he honed that move, and it's what helped him leave the Horned Frogs as their all-time leader in return touchdowns with six (four punt return scores and two on kickoffs). He now shares that record with current Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver/returner Derius Davis.
"The crazy thing is I used do that [the spin move] at TCU," Turpin said. "I used to just do the back juke in the USFL. During practice and stuff, I used to just mess around. That's how I got the spin move, and I don't really use it often. Just do it when I'm in trouble. The instinct just tells me to do it. It's really about instincts."
Those instincts received a boost with Turpin getting glasses this offseason, and now he wears contacts during games, with Cowboys athletic trainer Jim Maurer helping him put them on. He's near-sighted, so the real boost for Turpin is tracking the ball when it's high and far away and defenders when they're further away downfield.
"I was always blind, but my girl went to the eye doctor and told me I need to go," Turpin said. "I went and checked my eyes out and found out I needed glasses. ... I'm glad I did get them, though. I'm still learning to put my contacts in. ... I can see the ball, and I can see the end zone. I can't see long distance with words and stuff like this. ... I can see the ball, but when I'm in the film room and sitting in the back of the room, I can't see the board."
People have long thought of Miami Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill as the NFL's fastest player, but that crown may now belong to Turpin after his Houdini play on Sunday. He reached a top speed of 21.35 miles per hour on his 99-yard return score, and he is now the owner of three of the 20 fastest speed by a ball-carrier in 2024, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Turpin hit a top speed of 22.36 miles per hour on his 64-yard touchdown on a slant against the Houston Texans in Week 11. That's both the fastest this season and the fastest by a ball-carrier since 2020, per NGS.
"I've been saying that (I'm the fastest man in the NFL) over the years, man, but people had thought I've just been talking," Turpin said. "Even when I wasn't in the NFL, I've always been the fastest person on this planet. That's how I feel. I've been feeling like I'm the fastest person in the NFL."
He knew he was fast, but he also needed a chance. Turpin's time at TCU was cut short after the school dismissed him in 2018 due to a misdemeanor assault charge that he pled guilty to and served two years of adjudication probation. The Cowboys signed Turpin in the middle of training camp after he was named the 2022 USFL MVP. With one Pro Bowl season as a returner as a rookie in 2022 and another one on the way in 2024 -- he leads the NFL in yards per kickoff return (36.3) -- Turpin has rewarded head coach Mike McCarthy's faith.
Turpin co-leads the Cowboys in total touchdowns with four -- one kickoff return, one punt return and two receiving touchdowns -- along with All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb and receiver Jalen Tolbert. Turpin also paces the NFL in kickoff return yards (762) and is the only player in the league with both a kickoff return and punt return touchdown this season. This career year is also coming at right time in a contract year. That's what made their hug on the sideline Sunday more special than the average congratulatory embrace after a crucial touchdown.
"God blessed me," Turpin said. "I cherish all the opportunities I get. I'm taking advantage of them, and I feel like I'm doing great. Just especially the contract year, people have to respect me now. ... [McCarthy] my guy. ... Me and Mike, we've been close ever since I got here man. He showed me the most love, respect and gave me an opportunity. ... Man, I love that guy, man. That's my guy. ... He always says, 'That's my guy.' That's the thing we tell each other."
"I can't just say enough about Turp," McCarthy said Monday. "I remember the first day I met him at training camp, coming off the MVP season for the USFL. Just a bit overwhelming just for when he arrived at training camp. Some players you just connect with quicker than others, and just always encouraged him at those moments because he's special. That's a special young man. He's as dynamic of a player, not only as a returner, that I've been able to work with. It's just been really cool watching him grow. He's got a great personality. He lights up the room. He has a really great sense of humor. Just really enjoy him."
That support from McCarthy on top of his on-field success has allowed Turpin to play free in 2024, something he said was missing his first two years in the league.
"Just confidence," Turpin said when asked about his biggest improvement since joining the Cowboys in training camp in 2022. "My first two years, I [was] just doing too much thinking, not being myself. I just feel like this year, I'm way more calm. I'm way more poised and being myself and that players that I always was. ... Now I can be free and be me (as a receiver too) once I learned the playbook."
However, he may not have the chance to get free for another long return after Sunday, as he feels like teams may just take the touchback that will send the Cowboys offense on the field at their 30-yard line.
"I just feel that's my last chance on that kickoff," Turpin said. "I don't feel like I'm getting anymore."