Kiyaunta Goodwin with his mother and mentor/trainer Chris Vaughn after announcing he would play at Kentucky
He had over 60 major scholarship offers but the one defining moment of his recruiting process came when he went to a University of Kentucky camp the summer after his seventh-grade year.
“I walked into camp and introduced myself to (UK assistant) coach (Vince) Marrow and he offered me,” said Kiyaunta Goodwin, a 6-7, 300-pound offensive tackle from Charlestown, Ind., who verbally committed to Kentucky Saturday. “That was the best moment of my recruiting process. I knew then I would be able to go to college and take care of my family.”
He is ranked as a consensus top 100 player in the 2022 recruiting class and 247Sports Composite has him as No. 54 overall and the seventh-best offensive tackle.
Goodwin, a Louisville native, had narrowed his college choices to UK, Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Michigan State. Just like Frederick Douglass offensive lineman Jager Burton did a year ago, he picked the Cats over Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.
During his announcement on CBSSports HQ, he called himself a “relationship person” and said UK head coach Mark Stoops and Marrow, UK’s recruiting coordinator, were always there for him, including when his weight ballooned to over 400 pounds and he wasn’t sure if he would play college football.
“They have always shown love and always been there. The love never changed,” Goodwin said. “I feel like they have a great fan base. I am from Kentucky and always wanted to play for my home state.”
He said Kentucky is getting a team player who wants to be a game-changer and win a national championship.
Steve Wiltfong, director of recruiting for 247Sports, said Goodwin is a potential top 10 NFL draft pick because he can run the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, completed the shuttle run in 4.5 seconds and can easily bench press 225 pounds 25 or more times.
“He’s physically impressive and ferocious. His numbers are elite. He can bend, move and run,” Wiltfong said. “He’s just an incredibly hard worker. His dedication to the game and working out are second to none. Tie it all together and you have a special prospect.
Wiltfong had predicted his familiarity with the program at UK made Kentucky the favorite even though at times he had loved both Ohio State and Clemson. However, UK’s track record with offensive linemen under Stoops and the chance to make an impact early — UK will lose All-American tackle Darian Kinnard after the 2020 season — drew him to the Cats.
Goodwin had his parents — his mother cried during his announcement — with him along with his mentor/trainer Chris Vaughn of Aspirations Gym where he made the announcement and Jason Hawkins, his high school football coach. He also had a portrait of his late grandmother who passed in 2016 close by.
“I just never thought it would turn out like this where I would be able to go to any school in the country,” Goodwin said.
