Interview: Arkansas 2017 CB Tre Norwood Gives Insight on Oklahoma Sooners Commitment

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Every year the football recruiting process gets a shakeup in January as high school players begin to receive more and more scouting attention from college coaches seeking to fill their rosters with top talent ahead of National Signing Day in February. Some recruiting gems that have been overlooked are unearthed while some well-known players are swayed from one program to another finding a better fit going forward. One top recruit who saw his recruiting stock soar in January was cornerback Tre Norwood.

Norwood is a nice mix of a well-known recruit and an overlooked gem. The Fort Smith Northside cover corner with 4.48 speed had a standout junior season pulling attention from programs outside of the Natural State. On May 16, Louisville offered Norwood accepting his verbal commitment on July 29. The Arkansas All-State performer helped his Grizzlies’ squad to a 7-3 mark in 2016 earning offers from Arkansas State, Memphis, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee State, and Minnesota.

A change at the defensive coordinator position at Louisville opened up opportunities for other programs to gain Norwood’s attention. With the recruiting rush on since December, the 6-0, 175 pound, recruit earned offers from Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Oklahoma State. The Fighting Irish dropped their offer on Jan. 10 leading to a Jan. 12 decommitment by Norwood. On Jan. 15, Oklahoma offered five days ahead of Norwood’s official visit to South Bend. All of the excitement built up with Norwood announcing his commitment to Oklahoma on Jan. 23, four days ahead of his scheduled official to Norman and one day after his return from officially visiting the Fighting Irish.

Seeking to find out how Norwood’s recruiting process played out behind the scenes, I sat down with the three-star recruit for an exclusive interview.

Interview

Tre, congratulations on your commitment to Oklahoma.

“Thank you.”

Let us set everything up. How many offers have you received since December?

“I got offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, and Tennessee.”

Did Arkansas ever offer you?

“No.”

Which schools did you officially visit?

“Louisville (Dec. 10), Wake Forest (Jan. 13), Notre Dame (Jan. 20), and I am going to Oklahoma this weekend (Jan. 27).”

What was your process setting up which schools you would officially visit?

“I sat down with my parents. We went through my top schools and I picked the schools I was most interested in visiting.”

What led you to Oklahoma?

“Ever since OU offered, Coach (Kerry) Cooks (defensive backs coach) and I have been talking almost every day. I had been leaning towards Oklahoma. I had made a decision I thought was best for me.”

When did you actually commit?

“I committed three or four days before I announced it. My parents wanted me to wait until I came back from my official visit to Notre Dame. Notre Dame was great, but it was just not for me. I felt like Oklahoma was best for me. Coach Cooks came down for a home visit. I committed to him then.”

So you were a silent commit to Oklahoma before your official to Notre Dame?

“Yes. I let Coach Cooks know about it ahead of time. I was silent because I wanted to make sure about my decision.”

How did Coach Cooks react when you committed to him?

“He was very excited about it. He was pumped, he is a defensive backs coach so he was happy. I can’t wait to get up there and work with him.”

Which position is Oklahoma recruiting you to play?

“Cornerback.”

With all that you have been through in the last couple of months with recruiting, how did it feel when you verbally committed to Oklahoma?

“I felt excited. I was happy to end the process. It was a blessing to experience this process. This is a once in a lifetime experience. I embraced it. The past six months, especially the last month, things got wild. My family and I are happy. I’m glad it is coming to an end.”

What has you excited about the OU visit? What are you excited to see, learn, or do while you are there?

“I am really excited to see the campus and the facilities. I am excited to get to know the rest of the staff and the players. I am excited to get a feel for the school and the program.”

Do you know what you will do on your visit yet?

“No, sir. I’m not for sure yet. I will get the itinerary in next day or two.”

Are your parents going with you to Norman?

“Yes.”

Did you and your family do anything to celebrate your commitment to Oklahoma?

“We did not do too much. I had family over when Coach Cook was over, but not too much. When I announced it on Twitter I got a lot of love off that.”

Have you started your off-season workouts yet?

“I’m playing basketball right now. I do workout about two to three times a week in the mornings. I will start working out heavy when the basketball season ends.”

What are you averaging on the court?

“Not much, like eight points – somewhere around there.”

Have you dunked on anyone yet?

“I have not yet, but I plan on it.”

Tre, good luck with the rest of your basketball season and on your visit to Oklahome.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credit: Norwood family; Tre Norwood (right) with Coach Kerry Cooks.

Photo credit: Great American Rivalry Series; No. 11 Tre Norwood wins MVP Award (2016).