UPDATE: After the release of this story Footballscoop.com was able to confirm that Brian Norwood will be both the Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs coach for Kansas State.
K-StateOnline has confirmed through multiple sources that Tulsa assistant Brian Norwood will be joining the Kansas State football coaching staff.
The belief is he will fill the role of defensive backs coach for the Wildcats, but we are not yet certain as to whether or not that will be his only responsibility.
KSO has reported for the last week, including in Sunday's Off The Record, that we believed a coach with Baylor ties (Norwood coached at Baylor from 2008-15) had interviewed for the job recently and may be the front-runner for the position.
We also reported last night on The Foundation that we knew former Missouri defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross had been informed by Bill Snyder the Wildcats had made their decision on a hire, and it was to go in a different direction than Cross.
We had contacted both Joe Gordon and Dante Barnett, each of which confirmed to us they were not being considered for the job. This left the yet-to-be confirmed coach from Baylor - ultimately proving to be Norwood - as the only known option for the position.
Norwood brings an impressive resume with him to Manhattan.
Most recently an associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Tulsa, the 1988 Hawaii graduate spent seven years at Big 12 for Baylor prior to moving to Tulsa. In Waco, he held positions that varied from defensive coordinator to associate head coach/safeties coach.
Before coaching for the Bears, Norwood spent time coaching defensive backs at Navy, Texas Tech and an extended stint at Penn State.
His son, Jordan Norwood, starred for the Nittany Lions before moving on to the NFL.
Norwood's recent work coaching defensive backs, specifically, may have helped him earn the position - at least that’s the indication Cross was provided when informed K-State would go in a different direction. Recent work coaching in the secondary was said to be a factor.
On the recruiting front, Norwood is accomplished.
He had a hand in securing the pledges of several four-star prospects while at Baylor and Penn State, including defensive end Maurice Evans while in Happy Valley and then Andrew Billings in Waco.
Norwood's best recruiting work was probably at Tulsa. Despite not being a Power Five program, Norwood played an integral role in landing class of 2015 four-star and Rivals250 quarterback Chad President of Texas. Tulsa defeated the likes of Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma for his services.
He makes the most sense, from a geographical standpoint, because it gives the Wildcats a staff member that has recruited the state of Oklahoma for multiple years - something K-State lost when defensive coordinator Tom Hayes retired.
Norwood's recruiting expertise lies in the states of Oklahoma and Texas. Coaching at both Tulsa and Baylor since 2008, those are the two areas he put virtually all of his work into - the Golden Hurricane and Bears typically don't recruit nationally.
However, during his stint at Penn State from 2001-2007, Norwood was very active in New York for the Nittany Lions.
Gopowercat.com was the first to report this morning that Norwood could potentially be added to K-State's staff.
