The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/85079
Norman notched a team-high seven sacks and 30 quarterback hurries as a redshirt freshman this past fall. PHOTO BY ERIC LUSK Norman capped the season with another sack in the Belk Bowl win over Louisville Dec. 27. His seventh hit on the quarter- back tied Tyler Lawrence's 1990 school record for most sacks by a freshman. It's an impressive accomplishment for an un- heralded two-star recruit, but Norman is not surprised by his production. He admits that redshirting was needed. He grew an inch and added nearly 20 pounds, checking in at 242. Norman, whose older brother Warren is a running back at Vanderbilt, also needed some time to get used to the competition level. "When you redshirt, at least at NC State, you go up against the first- team offense," Norman noted. "I feel like I got so much better going up against the first-team offense. If I didn't redshirt I would have gone up against the scout team. I feel like the first team made me better. Jake Vermiglio, going up against him every day, R.J. Mattes, going up against him. "When I first started, they pushed me all the way to the sideline. By the end of the season, it was more like I didn't lose all the time." Perhaps that's why when Norman's num- ber was called last season he was ready. "I am surprised how much I played," he said, "but as far as how well I played, I had goals and I accomplished a lot of them." ■ MARCH 2012 ■ 51