Dylan Gooden, a four-star EDGE prospect from the Class of 2023 who attends Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, and has Penn State in his top four, has pushed back his commitment date.
I will be pushing back my commitment, recruitment is 100% open.
— Dylan Gooden (@DylanGooden4) August 1, 2022
Gooden (6-foot-4, 204 pounds), has Penn State as a finalist along with Maryland, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Penn State offered him in May of 2021.
247Sports’ composite rankings have Gooden as the fifth-ranked Class of 2023 prospect from the state of Maryland.
Interestingly enough, 247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn compared Gooden to former Penn State player and current New York Giant Cam Brown, who was also a Maryland prospect, coming out of the Bullis School in Potomac.
Don’s scouting report reads;
“Ideal size, frame and athleticism for edge rusher. Is long and has plus athleticism. Saw practice and play in Fall 2021. Can physically develop into 230-pound player. Son of former major league baseball player Dwight Gooden. Plenty of room for frame growth. Limited experience in football after making transition from basketball. Plays standing up on edge and accelerates quickly at snap. Uses speed to gain edge. Dips shoulder and explodes to turn corner. Plays balanced and is springy when changing direction. Has closing speed. Effective in space and shows ability to chase down plays on back side. Has athleticism to drop into coverage in certain packages. Willing to try different moves, including a spin. Is able to disengage at times but needs to get stronger throughout his frame, particularly in upper body. Needs to be able to anchor and stack and shed with consistency. Refining moves is important and continued technique development is necessary. Will take time to develop in college but has talent to be multi-year starter at high-level program. Middle round NFL draft pick potential.”
Gooden is the son of former National League Cy Young Award winner Dwight “Doc” Gooden, who helped the New York Mets to a World Series championship on 1986 and then with the New York Yankees in 1996 and 2000.
If Gooden commits to Penn State, he’d be the third EDGE prospect to do so, joining four-stars Jameial Lyons and TJ Parker.
