O-Line Standout Norman Becoming the Complete Package for Bulls
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, AUG. 6, 2018 – Each season, a new crop of leaders is popping up for USF football and it's hard to miss the maturation of
Marcus Norman this fall.
Standing tall at 6-foot-6, USF's trusty starting right tackle has already earned national preseason praise as an
Outland Trophy candidate for his all-conference talent. Now Norman is becoming the total package as a player coaches can lean on for extra motivation and guidance up front like they did with 2017 O-line leaders
Cameron Ruff and
Jeremi Hall.
"I want to be able to keep the line consistent, progressing and doing better. That's what Cameron and Jeremi told me when they were leaving," Norman said. "They were like, 'You have to step up and be the leader because the offensive line is the engine of the team.' If we don't run right, nothing runs right."
Keeping a bunch of big Bulls motoring in the right direction on and off the field requires someone to be a complete leader by example. Norman is exactly that because of how he handles his business on the field, in the classroom and as a valued community member.
"When I was young, my parents instilled in me to always strive to be the best," Norman said. "Cs aren't good enough. It's As and Bs."
Getting less than an A was something hard to swallow for USF's brawny 310-pound roadblock when he was a brainy middle schooler.
"I love math and on my math test I got a B," Norman said. "I started crying in the middle of the class because I thought I had an A when I took it."
Academic success still brings a smile to the face of a former Harvard hopeful who was a fixture on the USF Athletics Honor Roll and American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team from 2017-18. Now Norman is the man for any teammate who needs help in math (no tears are required) and he's steadily progressing in his major of information technology with a concentration in cyber security.
"I've always liked computers," he said. "I like how they work."
Growing Up and Getting Into Football
Have a conversation with Norman and you'll find USF's redshirt junior is wise beyond his years after gaining a well-rounded perspective of life from his globe-trotting parents.
Norman's father, Winston, is a native of England and an electrician who initially got his son into engineering, Norman's previous major. Norman's mother, Phillippa, hails from Jamaica, where Norman has constantly visited throughout his life for family reunions, trips to the beach and the place he always looked forward to going as a kid – grandma's house.
Norman's extended family members in Kingston are now big Bulls fans and catch games on the regular.
"My mom always tells them when I'm on TV. She always tells me they're screaming," he said. "After I call them on the phone they're like, 'Oh my God, I saw you on TV and we were screaming for you, good block!'"
Shutting down defensive ends is something Norman actually didn't start doing until he got to Sebastian River (Fla.) High School and his older brother, Phillip, gets the credit.
"I never played sports until high school. I saw my brother play football. I wanted to pretty much follow him and do what he did," Norman said. "He played offensive line, I played offensive line and just took it from there. I used my older brother as a role model."
Phillip continues to be Norman's hero to this day as a
rookie member of the CFL's BC Lions following a four-year career at Bethune-Cookman.
"He's always there for me. If I have a question, or I'm stressed out, I can just call him and he's always helping me get better," Norman said. "He always tells me, 'You can strive to be the greatest you can be.' He wants me to surpass him in a sense."
Norman 'Growing Into His Own'
USF's offensive line has been a popular destination for NFL teams to pick up talent throughout Bulls history. With two full seasons left to play, Norman is shaping into that pro mold, going from 285 pounds as a redshirt freshman to his current 310 with less body fat each fall.
"I'm talking to (assistant strength coach Brandon) Roberts about healthy eating, hydrating and all that, just to put me in the best shape I can be in," said Norman, who now only gets to enjoy one dessert per week.
Running used to be a thing Norman dreaded, but mobility is now a strength for a player that likes to lead when nobody is watching.
"During the dog days of camp last year and during the summer this year, there was no game looming or no prize at the end of the tunnel yet," fellow junior lineman
William Atterbury said. "He's always there every morning, 'Let's push it to the max. Let's do the best that we can.'"
What used to be a soft-spoken standout is turning into quite the vocal Bull after Norman put in the work through 21 straight starts in 24 games the past two seasons.
"He's kind of came into his own recently," Atterbury said.
That's a very promising sign for a team looking for leaders and a player becoming more outgoing like his supportive family.
"(My parents) always tell me to take it one step at a time," said Norman of striving in numerous avenues of life. "You can take steps at a time to make sure you can do the best you can do."
More Norman Notables
- USF-UCF CONNECTION: Norman is the middle child in his family and his younger sister, Christina, is a talented rugby player at rival UCF. "I don't cheer, I can't say it," said Norman, who always wears Bulls gear in Knights territory "I'll be like, 'Go Christina.'"
- SUPER USF SUPPORTER: Norman definitely likes cheering for USF teams and he's arguably one of the most supportive student-athletes on campus, attending tons of baseball, softball, basketball and volleyball matchups each year. "Any game that's playing, it's just interesting to me," Norman said. "I don't want to be home doing nothing when I can support the USF Bulls team."
- HIGH SCHOOL ACCOLADES: Despite not playing football until high school, Norman worked his way up to the Florida All-State Class 7A Second Team by the end of his Sebastian River career.
Up Next
Norman and the Bulls will practice for the fifth time this fall 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Morsani Complex.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
- #GoBulls
