Joshua Norwood Is A Bearcat

First it was Quintin Hampton, an outside linebacker / defensive end hybrid. Now it is Joshua Norwood, a rangy 6'0" 160 pound corner from the storied Valdosta Wildcats program in Valdosta, Georgia. There are two really interesting things about this commitment to me.

One is where Norwood hails from, Valdosta is a storied program that has won many multiples of titles, produced high caliber recruits at a fantastic clip and has never before had anything to do with the Cincinnati Bearcats. That Tuberville was able to get into business with Norwood is a testament to this staff.

Another is that the Bearcats are recruiting rural Georgia now, that's also new. Since the start of the Butch Jones era Georgia has become a target for the Bearcats. But up until this season that territory has been limited to the metro atlanta area. Now the Bearcats are branching out to new and ever more remote areas of the state. Consider this an ancillary benefit of having a staff that has spent so much time recruiting in the deep south.

Lastly and perhaps most interestingly the is yet another big and rangy cornerback to be recruited to the Bearcats. Under Butch Jones the Bearcats favored corners that were slightly shorter, but with devastating short area quickness. Camerron Cheatham was a BK recruit, but he found a lot success and playing time under Jones and became somewhat emblematic of what Jones's staff wanted from the position, quickness above all. In the 18 months since Tommy Tuberville took the job he has gone about recruiting a different kind of cornerback. Bigger and more physical with good athleticism and immensely long arms. Norwood is the model for the newest breed of Bearcat cornerbacks.