Indiana Football: Madison Norris Working To Make Name For Himself At IU
Shortly after arriving on campus, IU freshman defensive end Madison Norris went to the local Walmart to pick up a few items.
Except he didn't leave with them.
A routine trip turned into frustration as he was mistaken several times for five-star men's basketball signee and fellowing incoming freshman Romeo Langford - because of a similar haircut - while inside the store. He was so angry, he wound up putting his would-be purchases back on the shelves and left.
“Oh my goodness,” Norris said in late June, laughing. “For the past like two weeks, before (Langford) got here, I’ve been mistaken for him all the time. I went into Walmart, and I had a group of 15 people just come up to me like I was him.”
If he has his way, though, he'll make a name for himself in his own right. Look no further than his decorated preps career prior to arriving at IU.
He tallied 105 tackles, including 11 for loss, with two sacks and 22 quarterback hurries over his final two seasons at Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern, including helping the school to a 6-4 overall record and sectional championship appearance in 2016.
Norris also excelled as a dual-sport athlete, competing on the Royals' track and field team. He won the state championship in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.02 seconds.
Just today, he announced he was headed to the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame with his dad and uncle.
"My dad and my uncle really inspired me to do (track and field)," Norris said. "I wanted to be like them."
In following in his dad and uncle's footsteps while also playing football, Norris developed rare speed for a player at his position. It was a big reason why he attracted the attention of Indiana head coach Tom Allen and defensive line coach Mark Hagen, among other college programs.
“They said I could have an impact because I’m a lot faster than the other linemen are,” Norris said of Allen and Hagen. “That they’ve always had a bunch of big guys, but they’ve never really had people fast like me.”
For now, the focus the rest of the summer is balancing maintaining his speed while adding weight to hold his own against the large tackles in the Big Ten.
Norris said he weighs about 198 pounds right now and his goal is to get to 210 by fall camp. Accomplishing that feat has him tasked with consuming 5,000 calories per day.
However, he also recognizes how much his speed sets him apart, which is why he wants to gain enough weight to have some size against conference offensive lineman but not so much that he loses what's considered his strongest attribute.
“I like to bring a lot of speed to the line, since I’m not all that big right now,” Norris said. “I can show a little bit more speed. Since most of these tackles are just used to facing big, meaty guys, I can bring a little more quickness around the line to get to the quarterback quicker.”
In due time, Norris will be recognized for that rather than a faint (if any) resemblance to a fellow IU student-athlete.
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