Chris Norman Class: Junior Hometown: Detroit, Mich. High School: Renaissance Height / Weight: 6-1 / 227 Position: LB Experience: 2L

Career Stats | Game-by-Game Statistics: 2009 | 2010 | 2011

CAREER NOTES: Two-year letterwinner is in his second year as the starting Star (weakside) linebacker . . . has made 141 tackles in 36 career games (3.9 avg.), including 22 starts.

2011 NOTES: Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection (media) . . . tied for fourth on the team with a career-high 71 tackles (6.5 avg.), including 5.0 for losses (17 yards) . . . ranked eighth on the team with 121 production points during the regular season . . . has started 11 games (missed the Minnesota and Nebraska games due to shoulder injury) . . . recipient of the team's Jim Adams Award on defense (unsung hero) . . . compiled nine stops in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin . . . collected seven tackles in win at Northwestern . . . produced five stops, including a half tackle for loss, against Indiana . . . registered six tackles and two pass break-ups in win at Iowa . . . compiled nine tackles, including one for a 1-yard loss, in victory over No. 4 Wisconsin . . . tied a career high with a game-high 10 tackles in the win over Michigan . . . earned honorable mention College Football Performance Awards Linebacker of the Week accolades after producing career highs in tackles for loss (3.0 for 15 yards) and sacks (2.0 for 13 yards), to go along with seven tackles (all solos) overall, in MSU's 10-7 win at Ohio State . . . collected seven tackles at Notre Dame . . . recorded six tackles in the season opener against Youngstown State.

CAREER IN BOWL GAMES: Suffered a sprained elbow early in the first quarter vs. Alabama in the 2011 Capital One Bowl and missed the remainder of the game . . . had two tackles in the 2010 Alamo Bowl against Texas Tech.

PRESEASON NOTES: Participated only in non-contact drills during the spring while continuing to recover from an elbow injury . . . preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon Sports (third team) and Phil Steele's College Football Preview (fourth team) . . . ranked among the nation's top draft eligible outside linebackers by Phil Steele's College Football Preview (No. 43).

2010 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Saw action in 12 games in 2010, including 10 starts at Star linebacker . . . ranked sixth on the team with 59 tackles (23 solos, 36 assists) . . . suffered a sprained elbow early in the first quarter vs. No. 15 Alabama in the 2011 Capital One Bowl and missed the remainder of the game . . . registered four tackles and a career-high two pass break-ups at Penn State . . . recorded six tackles and his first career interception vs. Purdue . . . intercepted Rob Henry's fourth-down pass at the MSU 17 with less than a minute to play to secure a 35-31 come-from-behind win over the Boilermakers . . . made five stops at No. 18 Iowa, including a half tackle for loss . . . collected four tackles each vs. Illinois and Northwestern . . . produced seven tackles at No. 18 Michigan . . . played an excellent all-around game vs. Notre Dame, as he posted eight stops, forced a fumble in the second quarter and recovered another Irish fumble in the fourth quarter . . . totaled a career-best 10 tackles vs. Florida Atlantic while playing in his hometown at Detroit's Ford Field . . . contributed eight stops in the season opener vs. Western Michigan.

2009 SEASON (FRESHMAN): True freshman appeared in all 13 games in 2009 and recorded 11 tackles . . . tallied two tackles in the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Texas Tech . . . also recorded two tackles each at Minnesota and at Wisconsin . . . made his first career start at will linebacker at Notre Dame . . . collected one tackle each vs. Purdue, Michigan, Notre Dame, Central Michigan and Montana State.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Earned a gold medal (along with MSU incoming freshman Micajah Reynolds) as Team USA won the inaugural International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio . . . named to IFAF Junior World Championship All-Tournament Team (first-team defense) after totaling eight tackles in three games, with two resulting in losses . . . recorded two solo stops in the championship game vs. Canada, including a touchdown-saving tackle late in the first quarter . . . had the honor of carrying the American flag while leading Team USA onto the field for the gold-medal game . . . produced three solo tackles in the semifinals vs. Mexico, including a 4-yard sack . . . Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report, SuperPrep and PrepStar All-American . . . ranked among the nation's top prospects by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report (No. 36) . . . rated among the country's top outside linebackers by Tom Lemming (No. 3), Rivals.com (No. 6) and Scouts, Inc. (No. 28) . . . listed among the nation's top strongside linebackers by Max Emfinger Recruiting (No. 8) and Scout.com (No. 8) . . . ranked among the country's top linebackers by SuperPrep (No. 27) . . . named high school finalist for the 2008 Butkus Award . . . rated among the Midwest's top prospects by SuperPrep (No. 18) . . . listed among the state's top seniors by the Lansing State Journal (No. 2), Rivals.com (No. 3), Detroit Free Press (No. 3) and The Detroit News (No. 10) . . . three-year starter for Coach Antonio Watts at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich. . . . Associated Press Division 5-6 All-State first-team selection in 2008 . . . first-team All-Detroit pick by the Detroit Free Press as a senior . . . recorded 109 tackles (51 solos, 58 assists) in 2008, with 34 resulting in losses including 6.5 sacks (58 yards) . . . posted double-figure tackles in six games as a senior . . . registered 15 tackles vs. Detroit Central, including two sacks (13 yards) . . . made 14 stops and recovered a fumble in a 20-0 victory over Denby Tech . . . produced a career-best 18 tackles vs. Mumford, including two sacks (19 yards) . . . credited with 13 stops, including a sack, and a fumble recovery vs. Detroit Pershing . . . recorded 97 tackles, three interceptions and five pass break-ups as a junior while anchoring a Phoenix defensive unit that allowed just 12 points per game . . . notched 19 tackles for loss in 2007, including seven sacks . . . contributed 42 tackles (13 solos, 29 assists) as a sophomore . . . produced double-digit tackles in 11 career games . . . also lettered in track and field . . . graduated from high school with a 3.2 grade-point average . . . son of Ronnette Black . . . born May 31, 1991 . . . participated in the July 2010 Heroes for Kids golf outing, benefiting Saginaw (Mich.) youth recreation programs . . . participates in Athletes in Action sports ministry. . . economics major.