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Kendrick Norton
DT - 6'2 292 - Jacksonville, Fl (Florida Trinity Christian)
Chose the 'Canes over FSU, Alabama, LSU, and a host of other schools.
Rated as a high 4 star prospect by most recruiting services.
Some fans think he is the best interior defensive lineman UM has recruited in a long time.
Kendrick Norton has the size and ability to be that shutdown Nose Tackle we be looking for. really interested to see his development.
— Water Fountain Sr. (@DaPhilosopherMF) June 28, 2015
And he certainly is not lacking in confidence.
DT Kendrick Norton: 'I Want to be a Freshman All-American' ($) http://t.co/pagChMt7Cx
— InsideTheU.com (@InsideTheU) May 2, 2015
And why not? The guy is freakishly large, strong as an ox, and plays the game with a mean streak.
Chances He Redshirts (1-10) - 1
As part of this series we will evaluate if the given newcomer stands a chance to sit out his first season to retain eligibility.
Norton is too big, too strong, and too good not to see the field in 2015.
Unless he has injury or eligibility or some other unexpected turn, I would be shocked not to see him get a lot of game action behind Michael Wyche, Courtel Jenkins, Calvin Heurtelou among others.
Summary: Some recruiting services list him over 300 pounds, so it will be interesting to see what kind of shape he is in come summer camp. Nortin allegedly already squats over 400 pounds, and from his game film he looked like a man among boys in H.S. For this reason I expect his transition to D1 to go rather smoothly. If DC Mark D'Onofrio and HC Al Golden switch to as rumored to more one gap schemes, this guy could make an instant impact. It might be a lot to ask for Norton to reach his own goal of freshman AA, but I could see him making his way up the depth chart and pitching in major contributions in 2015. Down the line he may just be the impact All Conference type DT this program has been starved for for years.