Goodrich headed to Clemson

The highest ranked prospect to come out of Kansas City since five-star Ondre Pipkins in the 2012 class, Mario Goodrich ended up taking this recruitment all the way out until National Signing Day and selected Clemson on local TV. He ended a six-month commitment to Nebraska just hours before the Cornhuskers announced the hiring of Scott Frost as head coach, but it was the departure of defensive backs coach Donte Williams that played the biggest role in his decision.

Although overtures were made by Frost’s staff, Goodrich decided soon after that Nebraska was out. SEC programs like Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss were in, and programs like Arkansas, Clemson and Oregon offered late and were added to the consideration. Official visits were taken to LSU, Georgia and Clemson in January, after which Goodrich decided to narrow his focus to those schools.

For the second class in a row, Clemson does not have the ability to sign big numbers. That hurts depth across the board, but especially at defensive back where they had just one prospect signed or committed coming into the day. Cornerbacks of Goodrich’s size and athleticism are rare. College coaches love to recruit tall defensive backs thinking they can coach the stiffness out of them, but in general the taller the player the more difficult he has flipping his hips. Goodrich is that rare mix of height and fluidity and he was listed as an athlete prospect until the post-senior season ratings update because of his skills at wide receiver. Cornerback is clearly where his highest upside lies, but that previous designation speaks both to his ball skills and versatility.

As talented as Goodrich is, both Georgia and LSU will survive. Ed Orgeron and Co. still have a shot to land five-star Patrick Surtain later on Wednesday and are doing some juggling down the stretch with their numbers anyhow. Goodrich would have been a nice addition, no doubt, but does not ruin the day or leave the class incomplete in Baton Rouge. Down in Athens, the Kansas City native would have been more of a cherry on the sundae than a critical piece of the puzzle in Georgia’s class.