6-7, 370lb 8th grader already has 5 scholarship offers

BleedGopher

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per Bleacher Report:

He first appears inside Room 208 of Olmsted Academy North on a Thursday in mid-March, sitting at the corner of a table his legs can't fit under.

Kiyaunta Goodwin is fully engaged in art class. But unlike his eighth-grade classmates, he doesn't draw on a sheet of paper. Because of the size and strength of his unusually large hands, the 14-year-old uses poster board because it allows him more room to operate.

As Goodwin shifts his 6'7", 370-pound body, the 10 a.m. bell rings. Wearing a bright purple collared shirt and tan khakis, he walks toward the door, holding the black case that houses his bass clarinet in his left hand. His size 18 shoes and long strides reach the doorway in a matter of steps. He's a foot taller and 200 pounds heavier than anyone in the room.As he exits, it's easy to see why Goodwin already has five verbal football scholarship offers—including one from Georgia, one of the hottest college football programs in the country. Local schools Louisville, Kentucky and Western Kentucky have offered as well.

They see what cannot be unseen: that this eighth-grader is already larger than most NFL linemen. He's taller than large college players and even NFL Hall of Fame lineman Anthony Munoz.

"He's a real college lineman right now," says Raesean Bruce, Goodwin's middle school coach. When Goodwin gives you a "bro-like" handshake, Bruce says your head basically bashes into his shoulder. "He's just so big, and he doesn't know his real strength yet."

In the strange, proactive and often uncomfortable world of college football recruiting, Goodwin is definitely on the radar of college coaches. While it all seems to be too much, too soon, those closest to Goodwin have been busy preparing him for what may lie ahead.

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

Go Gophers!!
 



He's like a Newfoundland Puppy. It's hard not to get noticed or to get coaches to pop out of their chairs salivating. I'd swear Urban Meyer is drooling.
 



He's already bigger than Orlando Pace (6' 7", 324 lbs, 1994-1996) - a former Ohio State Outland Trophy Winner who was an NFL Pro Bowl Player for the Rams and then Bears (1997-2008, 2009) .
 

He probably has as many offers to do Hungry Man dinners as well. Wow. Big kid.
 


An eighth grader? How many kids have you seen who have shown a cross over dribble or stuffed a ball as an eighth grader and never made the varsity team? That is the rule not the exception. Give me the player who comes on as a junior in high school the late bloomer who projects as a college player. I am not saying this kid cannot succeed, but get back to me.
 



An eighth grader? How many kids have you seen who have shown a cross over dribble or stuffed a ball as an eighth grader and never made the varsity team? That is the rule not the exception. Give me the player who comes on as a junior in high school the late bloomer who projects as a college player. I am not saying this kid cannot succeed, but get back to me.

How many 14-year-olds have you seen who are 6'7" and 370 lbs.? Yup, dime a dozen.
 

Hope he succeeds. But as a 14 year old and 370 lbs there is minimal muscle mass, that is a serious obesity issue and likely childhood diabetic onset by the time he is 18. That’s like 50-60% body fat!
 

Hope he succeeds. But as a 14 year old and 370 lbs there is minimal muscle mass, that is a serious obesity issue and likely childhood diabetic onset by the time he is 18. That’s like 50-60% body fat!

And if he’s going to grow upwards of 7 feet at that size do you think he will grow himself out of football.
 




Not sure how that is even relevant to my point.

Yeah it really wasn’t. I got rushed (drive through isn’t the ideal place to start writing a reply) and I Agree with the point above. This kid has a ton of work to do on his body. His 6’7” 370 lb body is not a healthy form right now. I’m shocked he is getting scholarship offers but they are just as easy to pull as they are to offer I guess.
 

Hopefully the kid has access to a nutritionist and maybe non-football conditioning too.

Compare him to Daniel Faalele. Faalele is thick, but he is muscular.
 

He should work on his agility, foot speed, weight, and strength. If he grows taller, he can play center in basketball. If he doesn't get taller, then you've found a tackle.
 

He should work on his agility, foot speed, weight, and strength. If he grows taller, he can play center in basketball. If he doesn't get taller, then you've found a tackle.

Not that we know anything about his medical condition, but no matter what your frame/build is, that is an awful lot of weight to carry around at that age, for that many years, while you are still maturing. The laws of physics and physiology still apply...it would probably be advised for his long term health to avoid football so he focus on something that does not require him to carry so much weight and put extreme stress on his joints/ligaments.
 

2 things

Why does any coach ever bother recruiting an 8th grader? Many coaches are gone within 5 years anyway and they would never benefit from their efforts unless selfishly they want to build relationships knowing they may end up recruiting to the next team. But seems their time is better spent not loosing recruiting battles in the mean time that they need to win in order to keep their job for 5+ years.

Next thing. SCFE.
 




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