Norwood earning offers

Linebacker Eric Norwood out of Acworth (Ga.) North Cobb has received a lot of interest from a couple new schools in the past few weeks.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder has received interest from LSU, Auburn and Georgia Tech and stopped by to see the Yellow Jackets and Auburn for a visit.

"I went to visit Georgia Tech with a friend of mine and it was great. I really like the coaches and they were really laid back and great guys. I watched film with the defensive line coach who showed us the facilities and talked to coach Gailey which was good.

"The academics really stuck out there and coach Gailey told us straight up we're not a football school. We're an academic school with a good football team. With a degree there I can get a job anywhere. I haven't visited LSU, but I'm going to go out there for an official visit sometime in December. I talked about it with the coaches already. They've got a lot of talent and a good coaching staff. I just like playing in a big college town like that."

Recently, Norwood received an offer from Auburn after a solid camp performance.

"I've seen Auburn a lot and they were supposed to offer when I go up there and they did. I went there for passing camp in June and I did pretty well and they liked me a lot. The coaches are really good at turning not so highly-recruited players into first round draft picks," he said. "I'm headed to Arkansas too and I'm just looking forward to meeting the rest of the staff and seeing what it feels like there."

A few other schools in the mix for Norwood include North Carolina, Wake Forest and Boston College.

"I really like it up at Boston College. I like the city of Boston and the coaching staff and they are a pretty good team with very good academics. I think I would be able to get early playing time up there," he said. "North Carolina is a team on the rise. I like them and they have good facilities up there and a great campus from what I hear. I watched them a lot last year on TV and they had a lot of games they should have won.

"I like Wake Forest because it's a very good academic school. They beat some good teams recently and even have been to a couple bowl games the last couple years, they're building a good team there."

One school that could enter the race for the athlete is South Carolina.

"I wasn't able to attend their camp because I had the ACT that day, but they have a good program there," he said. "I would love to play for coach Spurrier and I'm good friends with coach Nix from when he was at Ole Miss. I've talked to him a lot and he's put a lot of guys into the NFL. He always has a top 10 defense every year."

The No. 54 player in Georgia is planning to wait awhile before a decision.

"I'll probably decide in late December or early January," he said. "I just want to take a couple visits and see what happens and if anything changes my mind."

Norwood's position is still in question too.

"I'm getting recruited for various positions including linebacker, tight end, defensive end and some think I can even grow into a defensive tackle," he said. "I like linebacker best because I'm a big time playmaker and I can see more of the field to make plays. I also like defensive end and coming off the edge."

Norwood accounted for 77 tackles, seven sacks, six deflected passes and two fumble recoveries as he was named all-county as a junior.