Why Jonah Norris Should Win Mr. Football 2022
In this article:
Jonah Norris Jonah Norris 5'11" | 200 lbs | RB Lexington | 2023 State SC was devastated a season ago. A year that started out promising ended in the fifth game of the season when he suffered a broken arm…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingJonah Norris Jonah Norris 5'11" | 200 lbs | RB Lexington | 2023 State SC was devastated a season ago. A year that started out promising ended in the fifth game of the season when he suffered a broken arm against Irmo. Norris had to stand on the sideline and watch as his team finished with a 10-3 record and advanced to the third round of the Class 5A playoffs.
But he didn’t do it quietly. Norris was still a huge part of the team, becoming a de facto coach as he bided his time to return this season.
“He missed most of last season, but he was still a huge part of our success,” Lexington coach Perry Woolbright said. “He was our biggest cheerleader and was right there at each practice, film study, and game, helping any way that he could.”
To say Norris has come all the way back would be an understatement. It was apparent when he had two 300-yard rushing games in the first four games of the season. Norris went for 328 yards and five touchdowns in a 63-56 win over South Aiken and followed that up with a career-best 337 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Blythewood.
So far this year, he’s run for 1,862 yards and 27 touchdowns in leading the Wildcats to a 9-2 record.
He was selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl and has picked up preferred walk-on offers from South Carolina and Coastal Carolina. Furman, Wofford, The Citadel and Newberry are also showing interest in the 6-foot, 200-pound bruiser.
Woolbright believes wherever Norris ends up, the school will be getting an outstanding player on the field and an even better person off.
“If you read the description for Mr. Football in South Carolina, it’s what they do on and off the field for the team,” Woolbright said. “Jonah checks off every single box that is required to be considered the best player in the state. He’s a complete student-athlete. He leads bible study. He organizes activities with the guys. That doesn’t even begin to talk about what he does on the field for us.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a seven-part series breaking down the finalists for South Carolina’s Mr. Football award for this fall. Our scouts have seen these players this season and have in some cases tracked them from prior to their varsity playing days. The 2022 Mr. Football Award will be announced and presented at halftime of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl on December 10.
2022 Mr. Football Finalists
Jarvis Green Jarvis Green 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Dutch Fork | 2023 State SC RB, Dutch Fork
Bryson James RB, Clinton
Raheim Jeter Raheim Jeter 6'3" | 220 lbs | QB Spartanburg | 2023 State SC QB, Spartanburg
Xzavier McLeod Xzavier McLeod 6'5" | 320 lbs | DL Camden | 2023 State SC DL, Camden
Jonah Norris Jonah Norris 5'11" | 200 lbs | RB Lexington | 2023 State SC RB, Lexington
LaNorris Sellers LaNorris Sellers 6'3" | 215 lbs | QB South Florence | 2023 State SC QB, South Florence
Tyler J Smith Tyler J Smith 6'1" | 200 lbs | RB Barnwell | 2023 State SC RB, Barnwell