Kevin Norwood: Alabama's Next Great Playmaker

When receiver Kevin Norwood signed the dotted line to play for the University of Alabama, he joined a blockbuster signing class including three other gifted wideouts: Louisiana speedster Kenny Bell, tall, muscular receiver Michael Bowman, and explosive route-runner Kendall Kelly.

All four wideouts were given a four-star rating on a five-star scale from Rivals.com.  However, with so many other talented players in Alabama’s signing class, Norwood was almost forgotten in the escalating hype for more touted signees such as running back Trent Richardson and offensive tackle D.J. Fluker.

During Alabama’s spring practice and throughout the summer of 2009, many Alabama fans were hoping another wide receiver would step up and keep defenses from keying in on Julio Jones, Alabama’s phenomenal sophomore wideout. 

Mike McCoy, Darius Hanks, Earl Alexander and Marquis Maze all battled to be that guy. 

At the end of spring practice, the speedy Maze was sitting at the top of the heap, but the entire receiving corps knew they would be challenged for playing time by the incoming freshmen.

Some 'Bama fans figured it would be the fleet-footed Bell who would make a difference with his speed, or Bowman with his impressive size and statistics. 

Some predicted that if Kelly could successfully recover from injury problems, which he did, he would be able to crack the rotation and earn considerable playing time. 

Few bet on Norwood, who began quietly earning praise from teammates and coaches for his dedication to learning the playbook and getting better as a football player.

When Alabama released the statistics from its first fall scrimmage, Norwood wowed fans with a 60-yard performance on only three catches, including a 44-yard touchdown.  That put him in the rotation with the top receivers the following week of practice.

He caught everything thrown his way and delivered big in the second scrimmage, netting 85 yards and a touchdown. 

“Kevin Norwood has probably shown the most consistency of the young guys—not that he's any better than the rest of them,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban said, “He just has a little more maturity and is able to handle the circumstances he's in, trying to learn and managing two-a-days and the heat and everything else, he's shown the most consistency probably to this point.”

It looks like Norwood, who has also been praised for his big-play ability, has earned a significant amount of playing time this year. But he will need to continue to hold off competition and play at a high level to earn a starting role. 

Mike McCoy, Marquis Maze, and Julio Jones are still the top pass-catchers, but don’t be surprised if Norwood is able to bump a rather incumbent McCoy for a starting role. 

If he doesn’t, you can still count on seeing Kevin Norwood wearing No. 83 in crimson, making huge plays in 2010 and beyond.

Photo courtesy of Rivals.com