Eddie Goldman's explosive footwork has made him a top-level recruit at defensive tackle. Geography is playing a large role in the D.C. recruit's choice, as he is pretty much committed to going somewhere in the south.
Photo by Jim Stout
Defensive tackle
Size: 6-foot-4, 315 pounds
Tom Lemming's Top 100: No. 17 (
No. 2 DT)
Finalists (alphabetical): Alabama, Auburn, Florida State
More uncommitted players: D.J. Foster,
Josh Garnett,
Aziz Shittu,
Darius Hamilton,
Trae Elston,
Devin Fuller,
Josh Harvey-Clemons,
Joel Caleb and
Kwon Alexander.
Eddie Goldman is the first to admit he doesn't like talking to reporters. And who can blame him? After all, he does all his talking on the field. And not with his mouth.
Goldman is a ferocious defensive tackle who has a first step that would impress Michael Jordan.
Eddie Goldman
Photo by Tom Lemming
"His first step is very explosive," Friendship Collegiate coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim told MaxPreps. "He has great ‘twitches' as they say. Even at the college level he'll be one of the quicker guys for his size and explosiveness."
To what college those twitches take him to remains to be seen. Goldman, who recorded 42 tackles and 15 sacks his senior season (33 career sacks), was in no rush to commit to any of the more than 50 scholarship offers he received. Instead, he wanted to be thorough during the recruiting experience.
"It is fun, but it gets repetitive at times," Goldman told MaxPreps shortly after returning from an official visit to Florida State. "You hear the same things and coaches ask the same questions. It can get annoying, but that comes with the territory. You can't just pick a school randomly; you have to take the time to pick out the pros and cons."
Goldman made an official visit to Auburn — where he also earlier made an unofficial visit — and had the opportunity to attend the Auburn vs. Alabama game. Despite seeing up close one of the greatest rivalries in college football on the field, Goldman's father, Eddie Muhammad, was more impressed with what he felt off it.
"You feel like it's part of the family," Muhammad told the Washington Post. "It is a business trip, don't get me wrong, but it feels like a family. It felt like much more of a warm reception. Gene Chizik is a straight shooter and telling you how it is. You can't say enough positive things about the coaching staff."
Goldman's first scholarship offer came from his home-state Terrapins. But in the end, the University of Maryland did not make the final cut.
"Eddie has always had his nose toward the south," Abdul-Rahim said. "I don't think it was anything Maryland did wrong, it was more just where he wants to go."
Abdul-Rahim said Goldman will announce his final choice on Feb. 1, and that his star player has not yet reached a final decision.
"He is taking into consideration the coaching pedigree of the defensive line coach, potential playing time, the depth chart, and an overall feel for the school," Abdul-Rahim said.
Here's what we are thinking:
Florida State (doubtful): Compared to his other two more-likely choices, Florida State is like a minor league team.
Alabama (possibility): Goldman raved about Sal Sunseri during the recruiting process, but the former Tide assistant coach recently rolled to the defensive coordinator position at Tennessee.
Auburn (bank on it): The defensive linemen on the depth chart are young and not entrenched into the starting lineup, which means Goldman has a shot to make an impact quickly.
He made two visits to Auburn, and his father publicly raved about the Tigers' coaching staff. Goldman turned down opportunities to play for several high school football powerhouses and instead chose to play at a school that didn't have its own football field and used traffic barrels as practice dummies. Why? "Because I trusted the coaches," he said. His family clearly trusts the coaching staff at Auburn.
Final take: MaxPreps recruiting expert Tom Lemming says of Goldman: "I'm convinced he'll become an impact player at the next level. This guy gets off the ball like no one's business, is quick as a cat, has super strong hands, and dominates the point of attack."
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
