Norwood made most of South Carolina's second chance

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If Eric Norwood had a chance to go to high school over again, he'd do some things totally different.

A lackadaisical attitude toward academics nearly cost him a college scholarship and, in turn, a chance to play in the NFL.

"In high school, I was just immature," said Norwood, who attended North Cobb High before going on to star at South Carolina. "I was a bright guy, but I just did enough to get by."

Norwood graduated in 2006 with an academic record that was so weak that he couldn't get into most universities.

"I had a 1.8 GPA coming out of high school," Norwood said.

South Carolina rejected him three times, but on the fourth time, his case went to the school's special admissions board and he was accepted.

"I took full advantage of it and graduated in three and half years," Norwood said. "I got my degree [in criminal justice], was an All-America with a lot of honors on and off the field."

Norwood credits Tyrone Nix, the Gamecocks' former defensive coordinator, with helping him navigate his bumpy recruiting process.

"The thing that is sad about this profession is that sometimes we are not allowed to talk to these young men until they are going into their senior year [of high school]," said Nix, who's currently the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Ole Miss. "Some of them don't know the requirements and what it takes academically to compete on the highest level of college athletics."

Once Nix got through to Norwood on the importance of academics, the proverbial academic light went on when he reached South Carolina.

"It seemed like the academics and the football kind of correlated," Norwood said. "If I was doing well in the classroom, taking care of my football business was no problem. I just utilized all of my resources academically. I had a great support staff. I just took complete advantage of it."

If some were surprised as Norwood began to excel in the classroom, Nix wasn't.

"He's a smart person," Nix said. "It was just a matter of giving him direction and him understanding that these things will give you a chance. Without these things, you don't have a chance."

Norwood, who measured 6-foot-7/8 and 247 pounds at the Senior Bowl, has been working out in Boca Raton, Fla., to prepare for NFL Scouting Combine that starts next Wednesday in Indianapolis. He is eager to show NFL scouts what fans across the SEC saw on a weekly basis for the last four years.

An first-team AP All-American his senior year as well as a three-time All-SEC performer, Norwood finished as South Carolina's all-time leader in sacks (29) and tackles for loss (54 1/2). He played strongside linebacker in the 4-3 alignment at the Senior Bowl. However, some 3-4 NFL teams may like him as an outside linebacker with his pass rushing ability.

"The linebacker position, when you start talking about (Alabama's) Rolondo McClain, Florida's (Brandon) Spikes, Texas' (Sergio) Kindle and Missouri's (Sean) Weatherspoon, you've got a real solid four or five first-round linebackers," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said.

Norwood falls into a secondary group, who could go in the second round or third rounds. He was a pretty popular player at the Senior Bowl, interviewing with at least 20 of the league's 32 teams.

"They see my pass rushing ability," Norwood said. "They definitely value that, but with all of the teams that I met, it's inside or outside linebacker in both schemes, 3-4 and 4-3. ... I just have to find the right fit and take advantage of it."

At South Carolina, Norwood rarely dropped into pass coverage. In the NFL, he'll have some pass coverage responsibilities.

Rated eighth out of 261 linebackers by Frank Cooney's NFLDraftScout.com, Norwood is hoping to move up on some NFL draft boards with a good showing in Indianapolis.

"I just want to show these people that every thing they are looking for, I've got," Norwood said. "I'm good off the field. I've got the character. I want them to know that I'm not a liability off the field and on the field. I'm what they are looking for.

"I'm a complete player. I'm a pass rusher. I can be a signal-caller. I can be what they need a linebacker to do and I can do it efficiently."

Nix believes that Norwood will be playing in the NFL.

"There is no doubt that he will be successful," Nix said. "He'll be a guy who will play for an extended period of time because he can do so many things well. He'll be a great [special] teams guy. An outstanding effort guy and he'll make plays. He'll show up on SportsCenter in the top plays."

And because he was afforded a chance academically, Norwood already has a plan if an injury might cut his career short.

"If he doesn't make it professionally, he has an education," Nix said, "something that he can be proud of and can help him get a real job in the real world."