Third Highest Ranked Player Ever At Kentucky
Currently, Mark Stoops and the Wildcats have the highest-ranked class in history heading into next season. As it stands right now the Cats rank 13th in the nation and fifth in the SEC with 18 commitments. A big reason for that lofty rating is a big-time offensive lineman commit from Indiana. Let’s introduce you to him and what he brings to Lexington as Kentucky signs five-star Kiyaunta Goodwin.
Sweating It Out
Goodwin picked the Cats back on April 17th in a ceremony broadcast on CBS Sports HQ. In the process, he chose the Cats over a who’s who of college football. Those schools included Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State, and Ohio State among others. In addition, Goodwin had offers from 71 different schools which is more than half of all FBS schools.
However, in nearly eight months since Goodwin committed he’s visited many of the top schools in the country. In fact, over the last month, he traveled to SEC powers Alabama and Texas A&M. Furthermore, Goodwin hit the state of Michigan visiting the Wolverines and Michigan State this past weekend. In the end, score another recruiting victory for Vince Marrow who held onto him even after his early commitment.
High Impact Player
Playing at Charlestown High School the six-foot-eight, 340 pound Goodwin ranks as the 25th best player in America by 247 Sports. Furthermore, he’s the top player in the Hoosier State and the fourth-best offensive tackle in the nation. He’s lost over 100 pounds getting his body in better shape for the college football game. He’ll finish out his high school career playing in the 2022 All-American Bowl alongside future Cat Keaten Wade.
Big Man is Official ✅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kiyaunta Goodwin (@K_Goodwin2022) has committed to the 2022 All-American Bowl @NBCSports #AllAmericanBowl 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/AR4GaNkhh7
— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) November 17, 2020
Goodwin’s the third highest-rated player ever for Kentucky according to 247 Sports. Only Antonio Hall in 2000 and Micah Johnson in 2006 are higher than Goodwin’s 98.7 rating. Ironically Hall’s son Nikolas is also a part of the 2022 class and also an offensive lineman.
Where He Fits In
Goodwin’s the type of talent who commands playing time from day one, even in the SEC. He’s another huge building block in Kentucky’s “Big Blue Wall” for coach Eric Wilford. The Cats have several top linemen on the roster but lose All-American Darian Kinnard to next year’s draft. UK also has another offensive line commit from Johnson Central’s Grant Bingham.
Again Kentucky signs five-star Kiyaunta Goodwin and is a major reason why Mark Stoops has his greatest recruiting class ever. Of their 18 commitments, UK has one five-star, seven four-star, and nine three-star players. Stay tuned to Last Word On College Football all day as we’ll have more recruiting profiles and a full recap at the end of the day.
