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Oklahoma DB Tre Norwood declares for NFL Draft

After missing last season with a knee injury, Sooners DB had five interceptions in his team's last six games, including the Big 12 championship and the Cotton Bowl

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma defensive back Tre Norwood has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Tre Norwood
Tre Norwood / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

“Sooner Nation - where to begin. From the day I stepped on campus, it has been nothing but love,” Norwood said in a statement on Twitter. “I will forever remember the feelings and passion you bring to Norman on Saturday’s as well as the constant love and support throughout my career.”

After missing the 2019 season with a knee injury, Norwood returned to make big play after big play for the Oklahoma secondary.

Even though he didn’t start until midway through the season, Norwood tied for third in the country with five interceptions, including a 45-yard pick-six off of Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask in the Sooners 55-20 beatdown of the Florida Gators in Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl.

Alex Grinch compared the addition of Norwood back to the secondary in the middle of the year to a “free agent pickup,” and acknowledged just how hard it was for Norwood to return from injury with the disruptions surrounding this year.

Playing a big role in Oklahoma’s 62-28 win over Texas Tech, Norwood made a statement, returning and hauling in two interceptions.

“An offseason where your first football snaps should have been in spring football, and all of a sudden now it’s gone until, whatever it was in August, and so there was a delay,” Grinch earlier this season.

“We’re talking about a guy who can play at a high level,” Grinch said. “I was thrilled for him as much as anything just to have some success as he has kind of continued this journey back.”

Arriving on campus in 2017, Norwood oversaw the culture change ushered in by Grinch. The 2018 version of the Oklahoma defense was the worst in school history. Yet, just two seasons later the Sooners will likely finish ranked in the top 30 in total defense.

“Just seeing culture change from our first two years to these last two years has been huge. And as a guy that plays defense, you have to love that,” Norwood said after the Cotton Bowl. “It means a lot.”

Standing 6-foot and weighing in at 194 pounds, Norwood has the build NFL teams desire at the cornerback position, and could represent a change in the type of athlete the Sooners send to the league on the back end.

Grinch was dejected to lose him for the 2019 season, as Norwood possesses the size and length Grinch and the defensive staff look for out of their corners.

Norwood is the third Sooner to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft, following senior cornerback Tre Brown, who opted out of the Cotton Bowl, and center Creed Humphrey, who declared Thursday. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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