Five-star OT Kiyaunta Goodwin: "Kentucky is the best place for me."

2022 five-star offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin is not only one of the highest-rated players in the senior class, he’s one of the highest-rated players to ever commit to the Kentucky football program.

Goodwin is listed as the No. 16 overall prospect and No. 1 offensive tackle in the class of 2022 by On3. Across all recruiting services, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound lineman is a consensus top-75 prospect.

With prestige comes recruiting attention from the best of the best, even as a committed player. Goodwin is no exception.

The five-star standout has over 60 scholarship offers from every major program in America, but is being courted the hardest by Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. Those are the four programs – along with Kentucky – that will be getting his five official visits this fall.

Some coaches forbid players from taking visits while committed to their respective programs. Kentucky, on the other hand, is encouraging it for Goodwin.

Kiyaunta Goodwin knows best place for him

“It was like not even 30 seconds after I committed, I was talking to [head coach Mark Stoops, associate head coach Vince Marrow, and offensive line coach Eric Wolford]. And they told me they want me to take my official visits anyways,” Goodwin told On3’s Zack Carpenter. “They wanted me to find the best fit that’s for me. That’s something that I respect about them. They know the relationship that they’ve built with me over the years is strong enough. They don’t have to tell me, ‘No, you can’t go visit somewhere else.’”

He will take the visits and maintains strong relationships with the coaches of other schools, namely Alabama and Ohio State. He wants the process to play out completely leading up to signing day.

But when it’s all said and done, he knows Lexington is home.

“They care about me. It’s more than just football,” Goodwin told On3. “That’s something that I always talk about. [Kentucky] isn’t saying, ‘you can’t go visit another school.’ They’re saying ‘we actually want you to go visit another school because if this isn’t the best place for you then we want you to go somewhere else.’

“But Kentucky is the best place for me.”

Read On3’s complete piece on the future Wildcat here.