Penn State Football is 1-0 to start the 2024 season and now 2-0 on the recruiting trail in three days to follow, as James Franklin and his coaching staff continue to draw maximum momentum from the hot start.

The latest domino to fall was Tuesday in Malachi Goodman, a four-star offensive tackle from New Jersey power Paramus Catholic.

Goodman passes the eye test with flying colors with dimensions listed at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds. He is a consensus four-star talent across all four major recruiting services, as well as in the On3 industry rankings and 247Sports Composite Rankings. Goodman has the core tangibles to be a building block at one (or both) of the tackle spots or as an interior player, where 247Sports lists him.

On3 Scouting Director Charles Power indicated that Goodman might not be a top-shelf athlete for the tackle position. That conclusion has Power projecting Goodman to end up on the right side of the line. Franklin would gently call any such talk premature until Goodman gets on campus. .

The team’s starter at right tackle against West Virginia was redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh, who graded out as a guard coming out of Lightridge (Va.) High School. He’s a great recent example of projections missing a key piece about, as Franklin raves, his athleticism and intelligence. That can happen again with Goodman at left tackle.

Franklin and position coach Phil Trautwein are just fine cross-training Goodman in the future, which could mean testing the waters at guard, as well.

Goodman’s true position might not be known until his second or third year on campus, but the core ingredients are there to see a path on the left and/or right side.

At first glance, Goodman does look more adept at being a nasty finisher in the run game who can still grow into a high-level pass blocker as he adds reps and training.

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Penn State’s Offensive Tackles

So, what’s the situation when Goodman arrives in Happy Valley, presumably next summer? These are current classifications of primary tackles, both on the Penn State roster and committed in the Lions’ 2025 and ’26 classes.

There’s a “rising tide” feeling from most of the names on the list below. Sexton and J’ven Williams are in reserve roles in 2024, but still offer a ton of upside for the future of the position group.

The presence of Donkoh as a young building block can bring stability at tackle for 2-3 more years, and so could the athletic prowess of Nolan Rucci as a former five-star recruit who arrived after spending three seasons at Wisconsin.

RS-Jr. Nolan Rucci

Jr. Drew Shelton

RS-Fr. Anthony Donkoh

RS-Fr. J’ven Williams

RS-Fr. Chimdy Onoh

Fr. Eagan Boyer

Fr. Garrett Sexton

2025 commit Malachi Goodman

2025 commit Owen Aliciene

2026 commit Kevin Brown

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