James Franklin's Penn State lands commitment of 4-star OT Malachi Goodman to the Class of 2025

Four-star offensive tackle Malachi Goodman from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey ended his long recruiting journey on Tuesday by announcing his commitment to Penn State. The 2025 class prospect chose coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions after officially visiting the program alongside USC, Georgia, Alabama and Auburn.

Goodman’s relationship with Penn State began last fall when he received an offer from the Nittany Lions. The program’s offensive line coach, Phil Trautwein, played a big role in his decision.

“The biggest factor was development,” Goodman told On3. “The main reasons I committed to Penn State are the coaching staff, how I feel about the offensive line group and I like Coach [Phil Trautwein] a lot.”

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 315 pounds, Goodman brings an imposing presence to the tackle position. According to Hudson Standish, a national analyst for 247Sports, he possesses excellent reactionary athleticism, especially in pass protection, and handles counters from quicker pass-rushers with ease.

Goodman has already established himself as one of the premier linemen in the nation and earned first-team all-state honors at Paramus Catholic. Besides football, he also competes in track and field, with a notable 46-7.25 shot put mark during an indoor competition in February.

What does Malachi Goodman's commitment mean for Penn State?

The addition of Malachi Goodman has propelled Penn State's 2025 class to No. 16 in On3’s national team rankings. He becomes the highest-ranked player in the Nittany Lions' class and only the second offensive tackle in the group.

Goodman is ranked by On3 as the No. 107 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 11 offensive tackle in the 2025 class and the No. 4 recruit in New Jersey. 247 Sports places him as the No. 127 overall prospect nationally, the No. 7 offensive tackle in the class and the No. 3 recruit in the state.

The offensive tackle is the fourth New Jersey player in Penn State’s growing 2025 class. His commitment follows closely behind the recent flip of four-star wide receiver Matthew Outten from Virginia Tech.

Malachi Goodman joins other blue-chip prospects like cornerback Daryus Dixson, linebacker Alex Tatsch, edge rusher Jayden Woods, running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman, tight end Matt Henderson, wide receiver Jeff Exinor and linebacker Dayshaun Burnett in Penn State's 2025 class.