Jan. 13, 2016
Highly regarded Fresno State assistant Cameron Norcross has joined Derek Mason’s Vanderbilt staff as offensive line coach.
Norcross comes to the Southeastern Conference after serving four years at Fresno State and 11 years at his alma mater, the University of Nevada.
“We are very pleased to welcome Coach Norcross to campus,” Mason said. “He’s one of the nation’s top young offensive line coaches, a fantastic recruiter and excellent teacher. Cameron also brings a blue-collar mentality and strong work ethic to the role.
“Cameron has earned a tremendous reputation from his time at Fresno State and Nevada. At the same time, he has been influenced by several outstanding mentors, coaches like Chris Ault and Pat Hill. He brings the energy, knowledge and maturity necessary to take our offensive line to another level. Coach Norcross is a tremendous addition to the Vanderbilt staff,” Mason added.
As a Fresno State staffer, Norcross helped the Bulldogs to a 29-23 overall record and three bowl appearances. Norcross’ tenure at Fresno State featured an 11-2 campaign in 2013 that ended with the No. 21 Bulldogs facing Southern California in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Hill, who guided Fresno State to 112 victories and 11 bowl appearances over a 15-year career and spent last year working on the Bulldogs’ radio analyst, is impressed with Norcross’ abilities.
“I’ve watched Cameron closely and I have tremendous respect for his coaching abilities. He is a great teacher and motivator, and will truly develop toughness in the Vanderbilt line,” Hill said.
The Fresno State offensive line under Norcross were the backbone of a potent offensive attack. From 2012-14, the unit helped Fresno to put up 500 or more yards of offense 18 times. The offense also tallied at least 40 points in 18 games.
The line helped Fresno State to one of its best seasons in program history in 2013, as the Bulldogs tied the school record for wins and captured the Mountain West Conference championship. With Norcross’ aid, the Bulldog offense established nearly 20 school records during the season, including new marks for total offense and points. The Fresno State line also allowed just 11 sacks in 13 games, ranking No. 7 in the NCAA. Remarkably, the Bulldogs threw 675 passes in 2013, nearly 250 more attempts than any of the six teams ranked ahead of the ‘Dogs.
Norcross has mentored multiple all-conference linemen at Fresno State. In 2014, senior Alex Fifita earned second team All-Mountain West honors. Another pupil, senior tackle Justin Northern, became the sixth Academic All-America in Fresno State history. Left tackle Austin Wentworth received first-team all-conference accolades in 2012 and 2013 while also picking up honorable mention All-America accolades from Sports Illustrated his senior year. Guard Cody Wichmann was an honorable mention All-MWC pick in 2013 and a second-team honoree in 2014 while Richard Helepiko earned the same distinction in 2012. Wichmann and Wentworth both went on to the NFL after their days as Bulldogs. Wentworth played in seven games for Minnesota Vikings in 2014 after signing as an undrafted free agent. Wichmann contributed as a rookie after getting drafted by St. Louis in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Durability has been an important ingredient in the success of Norcross’ offensive lines. Fifita, Northern, Wentworth and Wichmann started more than 35 games during their `Dog careers, topped by Wichmann’s 50 career starts from 2011-14. Norcross’ 2014 front five also enjoyed the rare achievement of starting every game together as a unit.
Before joining the Fresno State staff, Norcross served at Nevada, helping his alma mater to seven consecutive bowl appearances from 2005-11. A three-year letterman on the Wolf Pack offensive line (1997-99), Norcross was an All-Big West selection in 1998.
Norcross started at Nevada as a graduate assistant under coach Chris Tormey in 2001-02. In 2003, he was hired on full time as tight ends and co-offensive line coach. Wolf Pack Hall of Fame Head Coach Ault returned to the program as head coach in 2004, keeping Norcross on his staff in the same role all the way up until 2010 when he was promoted to the run-game coordinator and offensive line coach.
Norcross played an important role in the development of Ault’s innovative Pistol Offense since its inception in 2005.
Nevada led the nation in rushing in 2009, a year in which the Wolf Pack became the first team in NCAA history to have three 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. Under the direction of Norcross in 2010, the Wolf Pack ranked third nationally in rushing and fourth in total offense. The 2010 squad was paced by running back Vai Taua, who finished seventh in the nation in rushing, and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who became the first quarterback in NCAA history to rush for over 1,000 yards three straight years.
In nine seasons coaching offensive linemen at Nevada, Norcross mentored eight players to first-team all-conference honors and another eight to second-team accolades.
Prior to joining Tim DeRuyter’s staff at Fresno State in 2012, the two had previously worked together at Nevada in 2005 and 2006. Over those two seasons, Norcross helped lead Nevada to a 17-8 record, a share of the 2005 WAC Championship and two bowl appearances.
A native of Ely, Nev., Norcross holds a bachelor’s degree from Nevada in management. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters, Kylie and Madison, and one son, Jacob.