PORT ORANGE — Delly Norris had a moment of blunder in front of a room full of family, friends, teammates and coaches.
Norris, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound rising senior defensive lineman from Spruce Creek, took a Miami hat from his father, placed it on his head and tossed it away. Then Norris reached under the table and chose another ACC program instead.
Norris verbally committed to Georgia Tech on Friday night, choosing the Yellow Jackets over Miami as well as Big Ten rivals Minnesota and Purdue. He took official visits to all four schools in June, but Georgia Tech set a precedent that no other program could clear.
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“I've always had a soft spot for Miami, but I feel like Georgia Tech is the best choice for me,” said Norris, who plans to study engineering while playing for the Yellow Jackets.
“I just wanted to go somewhere where I could be myself. I visited a lot of different schools, looked at a lot of different things, compared a lot of different schools. I feel like Georgia Tech just hit all the marks without me having to ask.”
Norris recorded 13 tackles for loss, 9½ sacks and 20 quarterback pressures and was nominated for Volusia-Flagler Area Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. Norris, who has more than 30 Division I offers, is the No. 74 player overall in the USA Today Florida Network's Top 100 for the 2025 class.
Hawks coach Andy Price expects Norris to add size in college and play on the interior of the defense.
“He's explosive, he's very fast. He ran two 4.6-second (40-yard dash) lasers last year,” Price said. “He uses his hands well, he attacks guys, he's strong against the run and he's a very good pass rusher. Obviously the next level will be a little more specialized, but I think he'll be useful early on as both a run stopper and a pass rusher.”
Spruce Creek's roster currently features three seniors playing in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs: Norris, wide receiver Tony Kinsler (Pittsburgh) and defensive back Kamron Chamble (Kennesaw State). The Hawks went 7-4 last season and made it to the FHSAA Region 3-4S playoffs.
Kinsler is looking forward to the possibility of going head-to-head with Norris after their last matchup. According to the ACC's future football schedule model, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech are scheduled to meet three times between 2025 and 2028.
“I've played with him since I was 10U,” Kinsler said. “It'll be kind of a reunion moment.”
“They're definitely going to get a dog.”
Georgia Tech is currently ranked among the top 20 in the nation for its class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Norris becomes the Yellow Jackets' 20th verbal commitment and fourth defensive lineman from the Peach State, joining edge rushers Andre Fuller (Loganville, Ga.) and Carrington Coombs (Dacula, Ga.) and defensive tackle Kamron Cullins (Kennesaw, Ga.).
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 7-6 season with a 30-17 win over UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl last December and will open the 2024 season with a trip to the Irish to take on conference rival Florida State.
“With me coming in and helping them recruit, their freshman recruiting class is definitely going to explode,” Norris said. “It's on the rise. By the time I get there, we should be really deep and doing a lot.”
