Top-25 Prospect Goodwine Discusses Strong Recruiting Push from Tennessee, Other Top Contenders

Top-25 Monkell Goodwine has a long list of suitors, but Tennessee has made a strong push

Monkell Goodwine

Monkell Goodwine is one of the elite edge rushers in the 2021 class, he holds over 20 offers and has multiple national powers battling for his services. Goodwine released a top list of 8 schools in November, but Tennessee was not on that list. However, the Vols have made a move in recent months. Goodwine discusses Tennessee, the other teams standing out, and more here.

Goodwine said on his recruitment, "the schools really keeping in contact with me the most are Alabama, Tennessee, of course, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and LSU."

All of the teams mentioned above, except Tennessee, were all on his November list of schools. He said on what the Vols have done to make a move, "they have not given up. Since coach Rocker left, Coach Brumbaugh came in and was like I need this kid. He came from Maryland, then he went to Colorado, and now he is at Tennessee. It was just like I need this kid, and I need to get him. Since then, they have just been talking to. Also, the recruiter for this area, coach Os, we have been building a great relationship, and he is staying on me. I have started talking to the whole staff, even coach (Jeremy) Pruitt, like at least three times. I talk to coach (Brandon) Deaderick a lot, he is an assistant d-line coach, and I am really close to him. We talk a lot. They have really been recruiting me hard."

Goodwine added on Pruitt, "he is coming from all of these other top power schools. It is a big thing. If he is coming from a school like that, then I can trust this coach. Going to a school that is ranked defensive wise, and he runs the defense, then if I was to go there, the defense would be off the chain."

Alabama has been in Goodwine's recruitment for over a year. He said on the Crimson Tide, "of course they are a great team, but on top of that, the communication with them is great. I talk to coach Sal and coach Roach- we chat it up a lot. I talked to coach Saban about two times a couple of months ago. The relationship with Alabama is good for me. I haven't put my top 5 out yet, but I might put them in my top 5."

The reigning National Champions, LSU, have recruited Maryland heavy during Ed Orgeron's tenure, and they have made Goodwine a priority. He said on the Bayou Bengals, "They are great as well. They won a national championship. Coach O is great, and we talk a lot. He is a great guy. He is not a scripted guy. We can talk about my day or whatever, and I like that part of it. Coach Johnson, the defensive line coach, we stay in touch a whole lot. All I can say is Go Tigers."

Goodwine is very familiar with Jimbo Fisher's program, and he said, "I love Texas A&M. I love it. I went down there, that was one of the schools I went to see during my 11th-grade year, and I loved it. It was an unofficial, but it felt like an official. They treated me like a family down there, and it was all love. I got to meet some of the players, and they were like you have to come down here and see for yourself. On top of that, I talked to coach Robinson a lot. We chat it up a lot. I talk to the whole staff really, and it is really cool."

The non-SEC school on Goodwine is Oklahoma, and he has a strong connection with Lincoln Riley's program and sees an opportunity to make a big impact. He said, "Oklahoma, they do produce a lot of good defensive linemen, wide receivers, offensive linemen, just all around. I mean, if I go there, I feel like I could make an impact like Chase Young did. I just want to try to do what I could do up there. I have never been to a Big 12 school. I have only seen the SEC, ACC, and Big 10 schools, but I could see myself going there because I really mess with coach Thibs- we chat it up a lot. I was just on FaceTime with Coach Riley and Coach Thibs like a day ago. We chat it up a whole lot. That is what I like about them, just the relationship I have going with them."

Goodwine had a lot of plans set in place before Covid-19 shut down the recruiting world, and he said, "The virus has got in the way a lot. I was supposed to take a lot of officials and unofficials. First, I was supposed to go down to Tennessee, then to Alabama, then head down to Georgia, and then down to LSU. It really messed things up because I have not been down to those schools in a while, and I wanted to get down there and see what was going on. Hopefully, when the virus calms down, I can get my butt to those places."

Goodwine is adjusting to life with online classes while trying to balance his recruitment and training workload at the same time. He is not letting the slow down effect his recruitment, if at all possible.

Goodwine said, " when I start going down on my officials and unofficials, I am going to have my coach have a checkbox for me. How are the facilities working, how is the fan base, how is the coaches and players. Just to check out what is really going to be for me. That is how I am going to narrow down my schools, other than just how the relationship is with them."

6'4, 265lbs, star from The National Christian Academy (MD) is rated as the 25th overall prospect on Rivals.com, 4th strong-side defensive end, and the top prospect from the state of Maryland for 2020.