Rivals250 offensive tackle Malachi Goodman is off the board. The four-star prospect announced his pledge to Penn State on Tuesday.
The Paramus Catholic High School (Paramus, New Jersey) standout ranks as the No. 4 player in the Garden State, the No. 24 offensive tackle and the No. 243 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle.
Goodman’s three finalists were Penn State, Auburn and USC, but it was ultimately the Nittany Lions who won out in his recruitment.
He will now take his talents to Happy Valley and play under head coach James Franklin, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and the rest of the staff.
Goodman took several official visits throughout the spring and summer. He was at Auburn during the weekend of May 17, at Penn State during the weekend of May 31, at Georgia during the weekend of June 7, at Alabama during the weekend of June 14 and at USC during the weekend of June 21.
“I hung out with the O-line coach (Phil Trautwein) a lot and got to watch a lot of film with him,” Goodman told Rivals following his Penn State official visit. “I also got to hang out with the players.”
Additionally, Goodman had scholarship offers from Boston College, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Maryland, Miami (FL.), Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Goodman provides good size and power, but he is also athletic and moves well in the run game, as he is able to quickly get to the second level and block linebackers after his initial block. Goodman is also strong in pass protection. He has positional versatility at the college level and could slide inside as an interior offensive lineman if needed.
Goodman previously told Rivals he is looking for “education, development and stability” within a program, and after taking some time to make his decision, he felt he has found that with Penn State.
Goodman helped lead Paramus Catholic to a 1-0 start on the 2024 campaign, with a close 48-47 victory over St. Peter’s Prep on Aug. 30.
With Goodman’s pledge, Penn State’s 2025 class now includes 25 total commits and ranks in the top-12 nationally.
