The University of Hawaii football team wasted little time in adding to its offensive line.
Fullerton College’s Matt "Moose" Norman visited UH this past weekend, agreed to accept a football scholarship, and will join the Warriors on Tuesday afternoon. He will attend UH classes on Wednesday morning.
"It’s a quick turnaround," said Norman, who was raised in California.
Norman will participate in the Warriors’ offseason conditioning program and spring training.
Norman, who is 6 feet 6 and about 250 pounds, hopes to gain at least 30 pounds this semester. He is expected to compete at offensive tackle.
Norman met the NCAA eligibility requirements as a Monrovia (Calif.) High senior in 2013. But he opted to attend a junior college to improve his football value. As an NCAA qualifier, he is able to transfer after three semesters at Fullerton. He will have three years to play two UH seasons.
Norman was primarily a basketball player until high school, when he focused solely on football. He played right tackle for Monrovia.
At Fullerton, he was the left tackle in a West Coast offense that was similar schematically to Oregon State’s. This past season, Norman relinquished one sack in 11 games. That occurred on a broken play when a defender sneaked past while he was back-pedaling on a quarterback rollout.
His frame, footwork and work ethic drew interest from the Warriors, who made a scholarship offer a month ago. But Norman wanted to wait until after an official visit before making a decision.
Of the 48-hour trip that ended Saturday, Norman said, "It was awesome, man. It was a great experience. I liked the coaches. That was definitely a big thing."
He noted he was the only recruit who visited Hawaii this weekend.
"I felt special," he said. "They took me to a lot of places. The food was good. Everywhere I went there was rice and beef. That’s what I need."
He also said he is prepared for strength/conditioning coordinator Gary Beemer’s grueling workouts.
"He seems really cool," Norman said. "I’m definitely getting in the weight room. That’s the No. 1 thing. The weight room is what I need to focus on."
Norman said Monrovia teammates began calling him "Moose" after learning his mother was from Canada.
"It kind of stuck with me," Norman said.
