Jared Norris is playing out of his mind this year. He’s averaging almost eight tackles per game and is tied for sixth most tackles in the Pac-12.
Norris no doubt strikes fear in opposing offenses when he takes the field. But he may not terrify his competition as much as a scary movie gets to him.
Norris took some time after Wednesday’s practice to tell me about his last scary movie experience, his taste in music, and the rivalry between his dog and his roommate Adam Schulz.
CM: I talked to your roommate Adam Schulz last week, and he told me that you’re from the armpit of California. Do you agree?
Norris: It’s way better than Wisconsin. Wisconsin is nothin’ but hills and terrible snow. It’s terrible. Bakersfield, I’m close to the beach, close to L.A., close to Disneyland, a bunch of great places. We’ve got the worst air quality in America, but that’s all he’s got.
CM: I hear you’re a big skateboarder and even went to Camp Woodward when you were younger.
Norris: I skated ever since I was about five, just because my cousins and everybody did it. I was never super good, but I started pursuing it, like a lot. I would do it everyday. And then in like, eighth grade I went to Woodward and I was, like, the biggest kid there. All these little skater kids were like, short, skinny kids, and I’m just like this linebacker out there skateboarding. I still hung with everybody, and I got invited back to the camp and everything, it was fun. Even now if you give me a skateboard I can do some stuff, it’s just been a long time.
CM: Do you snowboard too?
Norris: I actually got a snowboard last year and got a pass to Park City, and I’m probably gonna get one again this year. With workouts and everything, you have limited time going, but I’m gonna try and go as much as I can this year.
CM: You have a huge tattoo on your arm. What does it mean?
Norris: This is my only tattoo. It’s for my grandma, who passed away when I was in high school. My parents were pretty young when they had me, and I was raised a lot by my grandparents. When she passed away it was pretty tough for me. It was my senior year of high school. I got poinsettia flowers because she really liked those, and then the two hands crossing is like the two hands crossing our chests was like a way that we told each other that we loved each other, and then just the sky and all that and the rays of sun are like heaven.
CM: What’s the most fun you’ve had away from the football field lately?
Norris: I went to Oktoberfest with my parents, that was pretty fun. Up in Snowbird, the beer festival. That’s probably it. I don’t really know. I just stay around here and stay at my house. I haven’t really gone to do anything. When the snow gets here, I guess that’s when all the fun stuff starts.
CM: You told me Schulz and your dog are always goin’ at it. What kind of dog do you have?
Norris: I have a chocolate pit bull, and they hate each other. He’ll just go into Schulz’s room and get on his bed and just lay on there. It’s like [Schulz’s] pet peeve, he hates it. Or like I’ll just put [my dog] in his room and close the door and [Schulz] will just freak out. But [Schulz] has a secret love for him. He’ll never tell you, but he does.
CM: What’s your dog’s name?
Norris: Chuck. Chuck Norris.
CM: Why Chuck Norris? Are you a fan of his movies?
Norris: I was just tryin’ to think of a badass name, so Chuck came to mind because of Chuck Norris.
CM: Chuck Norris is a badass in action movies. Is that the kind of movie you like the most?
Norris: I like comedies more. Like anything with Will Ferrell or Vince Vaughn. Vince Vaughn is like the funniest guy ever. I’m into scary movies. Like I’ll be pumped about a scary movie until I’m like sitting in the seat, and then when the scary movie comes on I’m like such a woman about it. It’s awful. I hate it.
CM: What’s the last scary movie you saw that actually scared you?
Norris: Insidious 2. And my girlfriend wanted to go see it, so we went. When we got in there I was like, ‘Oh it’s not gonna be that bad,’ and then as soon as it started, I was like ‘I hate this, this is awful.’ I was just sittin’ there and had the popcorn shaking. I couldn’t do it.
CM: So you like movies, do you like music?
Norris: I like music. More like a laid-back music guy. I hate rap music. There’s no rap song that’s new that I like.
CM: Being on the football team, you probably hear it all the time, too.
Norris: That’s probably what I listen to the most, yeah. I hate it so much just because it’s like non-stop playing in the locker room. I can’t stand it anymore. I listen mostly to like reggae, kind of alternative rock, I guess. Like Sublime and stuff like that.
CM: Do you like Rebelution?
Norris: Yes. They’re like my favorite reggae band of all time. Them and like Sublime is kinda reggae, just some of their songs. I’ll listen to country too, but rap, I can’t stand it.
CM: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Norris: Honestly, if I didn’t play football, I would probably lose about forty pounds and start skateboarding again. That’s one thing that I really enjoy. That and snowboarding. They’re pretty similar together. I don’t really have another hobby besides those two. Like I said, if I didn’t play football, I wouldn’t be as big as I was. I would try and slim down a little bit so I could ride around on a skateboard. I’d be doin’ that every day.