With 40 days left until South Carolina football, a look back at No. 40, Eric Norwood

South Carolina football will take the field for the first time in the 2025 season on August 31st when the Gamecocks take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That means kickoff is 40 days away.

There is an immediate correlation for many South Carolina fans when they see or hear the No. 40. During the Steve Spurrier era, an undersized EDGE player named Eric Norwood donned the 4-0. The Georgia native became one of the very best players in program history.

Stay on top of all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!

Norwood bounced between defensive end and outside linebacker at times during his career. He would play with his hand in the dirt, and he would stand up out wide. Sometimes, especially as an upperclassman, he played as a true off-ball linebacker, too. He would even kick inside to defensive tackle in certain pass-rush “rabbit” packages. And he did it all extremely well. In fact, Norwood earned first-team All-SEC honors three times, including selections at both defensive end and linebacker. He was an All-American and a Freshman All-American during his four years as a starter.

Listed at 6-1, Norwood didn’t have the same type of length as many other pass rushers. He also wasn’t the most athletic guy on the field, as he ran a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash at the 2010 NFL Draft Scouting Combine. Even without the natural advantages of some other players, he was an outstanding football player.

Better than almost anyone in program history, Norwood understood leverage and angles as a pass rusher. He could get underneath the pads of much bigger offensive tackles and move them wherever he needed them to go. In instances where they would adjust, Norwood would simply use his bend and football IQ to make a move to the inside or the outside, often making his lineman look silly in the process. In the off-chance that a blocker managed to get a good hold of him, Norwood was extremely good at block-shedding, and he could read the play in front of him effectively enough to make something happen.

When he was away from the ball, Norwood was a sure tackler and a smart decision-maker. He was second on the team in stops three seasons in a row from 2007-2009. He also found the end zone three times, twice on fumble recoveries against Kentucky in 2007 (still tied for an all-time, single-game NCAA record) and once on an interception against Georgia in 2009. Norwood was the only player to score in both ways while he was on campus, and he is one of just a handful of Gamecocks ever to do so.

Get USC Gamecocks app notifications

Statistically, it is hard to argue against Eric Norwood’s resume.

No. 40 finished his time in garnet and black with 29 sacks and 54.5 tackles for loss. Both are program records. He owned a share of the team lead in sacks all four years, joining John Abraham as the only two players to accomplish that feat. Despite playing so much of his career at or near the line of scrimmage, Norwood ranks in the top 10 in Gamecock history in unassisted tackles. The two-time Academic All-American also led South Carolina in interceptions as a senior.

A captain in 2008 and 2009, Norwood helped lead the charge in overhauling the perception of the Gamecock defense. In 2005, one year before his arrival, the South Carolina defense was 9th in the conference in yards allowed and 8th in scoring allowed. (The league had just 12 teams at the time.) With Norwood, both numbers were top-7 every season, including top-5 marks in 2009. By the time Norwood graduated, the defensive stage had been set for the record-setting 2010-2013 run.

In 2017, Eric Norwood earned induction into the University of South Carolina Lettermen’s Hall of Fame. Having been less than a decade since his last snap in Columbia, Norwood’s selection marked one of the fastest ever at USC. The next year, the Southeastern Conference selected Norwood as the team’s SEC Legend representative.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!