Norman Whitley
Running back
Rockingham (NC) Richmond County
Height: 5-foot-8 (Nike)
Weight: 177 pounds (Nike)
40-yard dash: 4.46 seconds (Nike)
Bench reps: 23 (Nike)
Bench max: 310 pounds
Squat max: 435 pounds
Vertical leap: 32 inches (Nike)
Shuttle time: 4.00 seconds (Nike)
SPARQ: 88.35 (Nike)
2004 stats: 3,540 all-purpose yards, 39 total TD's
2005 stats: 2,159 yards rushing, 24 TD's
Whitely has interest in a host of southern schools, and also Ohio State; his only current offer is from North Carolina. His 3,540 all-purpose yards in 2004 (2,666 rushing, 268 receiving, 606 returning) set a single-season record in the state of North Carolina.
As you might expect from a player who scored 39 times last season, Norman's videos are quite impressive. He can cut on a dime and has an amazing ability to weave through traffic, and once he gets into the open it's a footrace that Norman will win almost every time. Whitley has a decent amount of power for his size, and can break the occasional tackle; but speed and quickness is his game, and he can usually outrun the defense, or avoid contact with a well-timed juke or spin move. The big question concerning Norman is obviously his size.
Norman performed well at the recent Athens Nike combine, running 4.4 forties, 4.0 shuttles, and confirming the excellent cutting ability, agility, and lateral speed which he demonstrates on the football field.
UNC Rivals (05/16/05)
Richmond County has a very cool website, complete with several very high quality photos and videos of Norman Whitley and the Raiders' other D-1 prospects.
Richmond Raiders Football
