AFC Championship Odds
Four-star edge rusher Dylan Gooden is the type of football player that can be a difference-maker on a team one day. Gooden is an edge player that not only can get after the quarterback but has the size to be a force in the run game as well. And now Gooden’s list of potential landing spots has solidified at eight.
According to a post on Twitter from Monday, Gooden’s top eight list consist of Texas A&M, West Virginia, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Tennessee.
Gooden, a consensus four-star prospect across On3, 247 Sports, Rivals, and ESPN, is from Good Counsel High School in Olney, MD. According to 247, Gooden is ranked as the second-overall player from the state of Maryland and the 11th best edge rusher in the class overall.
Dylan is the son of former MLB star pitcher Dwight Gooden. Dylan’s father, Dwight, was a 16-year major league pitcher with three World Series rings and the 1985 Cy Young trophy.
https://twitter.com/DylanGooden4/status/1478094864772440064?s=20
Gooden already has tremendous size standing at six-foot-six and weighing in at 204-pounds.
As a player, Dylan Gooden is a playmaker coming off of the edge. Additionally, 247 Sports’ National Recruiting Analyst Brian Dohn said that Gooden has an ideal frame for an edge rusher or outside linebacker position.
“Possesses high level athleticism with fast-twitch muscles,” Dohn said for 247 Sports’ recruiting. “Has length and shows speed coming off edge. At best as stand up rusher. Has plus change of direction and accelerates well. Learning to use hands to keep offensive lineman from engaging. Shows ability to track down play on back side. Has to work in weight room to add mass and upper body strength.”
See Also from RTI: WATCH: Josh Heupel Dishes on ‘Comical’ Referee Interactions
To this day, Tennessee is the only school that Gooden has gone on a visit to. Even though he has several Division-I offers on the table, Gooden has taken no official visits and only one unofficial visit.
After Tennessee extended a scholarship offer to Gooden on June 28, Gooden took an unofficial visit to Tennessee on July 31.
Of the 16 teams that have given a scholarship to Gooden, four are from the SEC: Texas A&M, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. However, as seen in Gooden’s Top 8, only Texas A&M and Tennessee have made the most recent cut.
Currently, the Vols have two commitments already in the class of 2023. Three-star safety and jack-of-all-trades Jack Luttrell was the first commitment to the class after making his announcement on the last day of July. Then, on Dec. 12, four-star tight end Ethan Davis made his commitment to Tennessee.
According to 247 Sports, the Vols’ 2023 class is ranked fourth in the SEC and 17th nationally at this time.
