One Former 5-Star Recruit Who Is Ready to Break Out for Penn State

The Nittany Lions need a new left tackle, and redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman looks to win the job.

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Malachi Goodman (78) warms up before a game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Early in spring practice, Penn State offensive line coach Ryan Clanton squared up against tackle Malachi Goodman. Clanton wants linemen willing to run through anyone, including him. And that's what Goodman did during that practice.

“I like to play defense so that you can feel the contact and see the communication piece of it,” Clanton said. “But that didn’t feel good. … He put his hands through my heart.”

That's the kind of offensive line Clanton wants to build at Penn State ("If you don't have it, you'd better find it," he said), and so far Goodman has tuned into the message. As the only 5-star recruit on Penn State's roster, Goodman has plenty of incentive to do that.

Goodman, a 6-6, 330-pound redshirt freshman, is set to become one of the offense's most important players this season. He finished spring drills as the lead candidate to replace Drew Shelton as Penn State's starting left tackle. However, Goodman's next snap of college football will be his first.

The Bloomfield, N.J., native enrolled at Penn State last year as the 19th-ranked player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 5 offensive tackle. He was the Nittany Lions' only 5-star recruit of the 2025 class, which led him into a role on the Paramout+ series 5-STAR that followed some of the top freshmen in the Big Ten.

Goodman, though, was the only freshman in the docuseries who did not play last season. The cameras followed as Goodman readied to play, particularly during the non-conference schedule, but did not get onto the field. He called that a difficult but necessary part of his transition to college and expects the experience to make him a better player. His new coaches already have seen a difference.

"He can glide," Clanton said. "He’s long, he’s aggressive and he’s smart. He does a good job of retaining information. Put him out there on the field, and he plays confident. You forget how young he is sometimes."

What's going to happen at left tackle?

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Malachi Goodman (78) warms up before the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Goodman added weight but lowered his bodyfat during winter workouts, prompting head coach Matt Campbell to say that the tackle is 330 "but looks like he's 250." Campbell added that he saw an "evolution" from Goodman in the weight room and on the practice field.

"He may be a redshirt freshman, but I feel like his maturity and physical ability is way beyond that," Campbell said.

Though Goodman was the primary left tackle during spring drills, Campbell isn't ready to name him the starter yet. That comes with pushing the redshirt freshman through training camp in one of the key position battles on the team.

During a recent appearance on the Goon & Ironhead radio show, Campbell said that left tackle will be a "fun" position to watch during camp. Goodman will get competition from redshirt sophomore Garrett Sexton and fellow 2025 recruit Owen Aliciene. Campbell long has been impressed with Sexton, having recruited Sexton while at Iowa State, and called Aliciene a talented, multi-positional player.

"What’s going to happen there?" Campbell asked on the radio show. "There's a lot of talent there. There are a lot of guys who are proving the value of their youth. It's a little bit unknown, but I think the talent and the physicality of that room is exciting."

Goodman enters training camp as the frontrunner at left tackle, though he still has to earn the job. And there's pressure as a former 5-star recruit with a promising future. Penn State's last two left tackles have been drafted, including Olu Fashanu in the 2025 first round.

Could Goodman be next in a few years? Here's some foreshadowing.

"Malachi Goodman is one of the most talented guys I've ever seen with my own two eyes," Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said.

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Malachi Goodman warms up before the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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