Stanley Norman is a wanted man up and down the West Coast, thanks to his ability to play either offense or defense.
Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra High School WR/CB Stanley Norman is already drawing interest up and down Pac-12 country. As of February, USC, UCLA and Cal have already offered the in-state product, not to mention Arizona State, Washington and Washington State. Even Florida State has thrown its hat in the ring.
The four major recruiting services are, unsurprisingly, high on Norman's ability. According to 247sports' composite rankings, the 6'0, 172-pounder is the No. 88 overall prospect in the country, and No. 8 athlete. Scout rates Norman as the No. 6 cornerback in the country, and No. 48 overall player. Rivals rates Norman as the No. 7 athlete in the country, and No. 79 overall player.
ESPN and 247sports bring down Norman's average a bit. The latter has him pegged as the No. 13 athlete and No. 113 player in the country. ESPN is the starkest outlier, however, slotting Norman as the 10th-best cornerback and 171st-best player in the country.
Derrell Warren, West Coast Recruiting Analyst (@yssd): Norman is a two-way athlete who projects favorably as both a defensive back or slot wide receiver at the next level.
Norman isn't the the tallest recruit, appearing a shade shorter than his listed height. He makes up for it with core strength, balance and a compact build that allows him to stay on his feet through contact.
From a speed perspective, Norman may not be an elite track-type blazer, but he can run stride for stride downfield with most receivers.
Playing receiver, Norman has a good first step off the line of scrimmage and quickly gets into his route, gaining leverage on his defender. This enables him to quickly break down a defensive back's cushion and gain an advantage.
In general, Norman has good short-area quickness. He shows plenty of wiggle both when releasing off the line of scrimmage and at the top of his route stem. However, it's his lateral burst and explosiveness which allows him to separate from defenders while running routes or eluding tackles in the open field on punt returns.
On defense, Norman primarily plays corner. At this stage, he probably projects better in off-man or zone schemes at the next level with his ability to plant and drive down on short routes and keep receivers from crossing his face on in-breaking patterns.
There are some plays on tape during which Norman is seen in press-man coverage but too often allows free releases at the line. That habit would need to be corrected against the bigger, stronger receivers at the college level, who are more experienced banging the inside against aggressive coverage.