Penn State makes top five with four-star DL Will Norman
Penn State is one of five schools still in the mix with Camden, N.J. native Will Norman.
On Tuesday evening the IMG Academy defensive tackle announced that Penn State, Florida, LSU, Michigan and Texas A&M were the five schools remaining in his recruitment.
Since the fall, Norman has taken two visits to Penn State. After attending Penn State’s infamous game against Illinois in October, he returned on March 19 for a more personal visit.
“It definitely was an eye-opener,” Norman said following his visit in March. “I’ve been there before, but just seeing everything I didn’t see last time, doing things I didn’t get to do last time, it opened my eyes for sure. When it’s game day, the focus isn’t totally on the recruit. The focus is on winning the game, so I let the coaches do their thing for those visits.
Related: Who is Penn State planning to host for an official visit in June?
“On visits like this, coming back in the springtime, you get to do so much more. I got to do a tour, got to do that photo shoot. I just got to see everything that I haven’t seen. Also, doing those one-on-one kind of meetings with Coach [James] Franklin and the defensive line coach, Coach [John] Scott. I feel like that was all an eye-opener.”
At 6-foot-4, 276 pounds, Norman would likely be a three-technique defensive tackle for Penn State.
“[Coach Scott] was just letting me know that if I made the move to Penn State, he wants to use me as a playmaker, not someone who would just fill space, fill the gap,” Norman said. “He likes D-linemen that get out and run and not just playing gaps. He wants guys to get after the ball and make plays. I would do that for him.”
In addition to Penn State, Norman also took two visits to Florida in January and April. The Gators are currently the favorite in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 54.2 percent chance. Texas A&M also got him on campus last month.
According to the On3 Consensus rankings, Norman is ranked No. 123 nationally. He’s the 24th-ranked player in Florida and the 17th-ranked defensive lineman.
