
Malliciah Eshay Goodman
Defensive end/Clemson University/No. 97
Body
- Height β 6-feet, 3Β½ inches.
- Weight β 276 pounds.
- Arms β 36 3/8 inches.
- Hands β 11 inches.
- Wingspan β 87ΒΎ inches.
- 40-yard dash β 4.78 seconds.
- 20-yard split β 2.71 seconds.
- 10-yard split β 1.67 seconds
- Bench press β 26 repetitions at 225 pounds.
- Vertical jump β 33 inches.
- Broad jump β 9-feet, 9 inches.
- 3-cone drill β 7.1 seconds.
- 20-yard shuttle β 4.48 seconds.
Personal
Born β January 4, 1990 in Florence, South Carolina (he’s 23 years old).
Parents β Mother is Thea Lynn Goodman, with no word on his father. Malliciah is the youngest of five children, with Dominic, Nastassia, Cameron and Emily ahead of him.
Grew up β in Florence, South Carolina.
Florence is located in the northeast corner of the state, in what’s known as the Pee Dee region that straddles the nearby state line with North Carolina. It sits about 70 miles northwest of the Atlantic Ocean and Myrtle Beach. It was originally developed as a railroad hub, a junction where 3 major railroads came together. The town is just a few miles east of the Darlington Raceway, one of the original homes of NASCAR racing. With a population of 37,000 , Florence is bisected by Interstate 95 and lies at the halfway point between New York City and Miami. Famous natives include Pro Football Hall of Famer LB Harry Carson and NASCAR racing legend Cale Yarborough.
West Florence High School
One of several high schools in the Florence Public School District, WFHS has 1,700 students in grades nine through 12. Goodman graduated in December 2008 and enrolled for the spring semester 2009 at Clemson.
As part of the Knights football program, he played for head coach Trey Woodberry and in his senior season was named to the prestigious Parade Magazine All-America team as one of the DEs. EA Sports had him as a first-team All-America defensive end. He was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-America Game.
2008 β Goodman earned first-team All-State status on defense after his senior season production of 72 tackles and 15 sacks for the Knights who went 7-5 and into the Class 4A Region 6 playoffs. He had 3 sacks in a game where he was injured and only played 8 snaps.
2007 β He had 69 total tackles and 7 sacks as West Florence went 7-5 on the season.
2006 β As a sophomore he had 56 total tackles and 4 sacks in the Knights 4-7 season.
Recruiting
Scout.com rated him a 4-star recruit and the No. 11 defensive end in the nation, while Rivals.com had him rated the No. 1 strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 1 player coming out of South Carolina and the No. 36 player in the country. ESPN.com ranked him No. 10 among defensive ends and No. 120 in their top 150 players. 247sports.com rated him a 4-star player, the No. 2 strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 3 player in South Carolina.
He narrowed his choices down to Clemson, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. He picked Clemson.

Clemson University
Goodman graduated last December with his bachelor’s degree in sociology after playing four seasons for head coach Dabo Swinney. He was originally recruited by the coaching staff of Tommy Bowden, but Bowden was fired during the 2008 season and replaced by Swinney, who was an offensive coach on the staff. Swinney had been the major recruiter for Goodman.
He played in 54 games and totaled 128 tackles with 12.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles.
2012 β He picked up 3 tackles against Auburn, Ball State and Virginia Tech. Goodman also had sacks against Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and South Carolina.
2011 β He had a huge game against Boston College with 6 total tackles, 3 for negative yardage including a sack. He also forced a fumble in Clemson’s 36-14 victory. Against Georgia Tech he had 8 total tackles.
2010 β Goodman’s best game of the season was against Georgia Tech in a 27-13 victory; he had 9 total tackles and he knocked down a pass. His sack came against North Texas, in a game where he had 7 total tackles.
2009 β He received some mentions for the All-ACC freshmen team for his first season performance. Goodman picked up his first sack against TCU and later added one against Wake Forest. Playing Coastal Carolina, he had 6 total tackles and a quarterback hurry. He ended up registering a tackle in every game, making him the only freshman defender to achieve that production.
Post-season
2013 β Goodman participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama and was invited to attend the NFL Combine.
2012 β Against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Goodman had 4 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 sacks and knocked down a pass in 25-24 victory. That earned him the team’s defensive player of the game honor.
2011 β West Virginia drubbed Clemson 70-3 in the Orange Bowl. Goodman had 2 total tackles.
2010 β In the Meineke Care Car Bowl, they lost to South Florida 31-26 and Goodman finished with 1 tackle.
2009 β In the Music City Bowl against Kentucky, Clemson grabbed a 21-13 victory. Goodman played 23 snaps in the game and contributed 1 tackle.
Numbers
| Year |
G/S
|
Pl
|
Tkl
|
TFL
|
Sks
|
QBH
|
FF
|
PBU
|
Record
|
| 2009 |
14/0
|
336
|
26
|
6
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
9-5
|
| 2010 |
13/1
|
343
|
32
|
3.5
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
6-7
|
| 2011 |
14/14
|
767
|
50
|
4.5
|
2.5
|
8
|
1
|
1
|
10-4
|
| 2012 |
13/13
|
622
|
20
|
9.5
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
11-2
|
| Total |
54/28
|
2,068
|
128
|
23.5
|
12.5
|
13
|
8
|
3
|
36-18
|

What Malliciah Goodman said
“You lead by example, you lead teaching what I have seen and what I have been through. I learned a lot from guys like Andre Branch and Da’Quan Bowers. Now, I have to relay that and show them how to play the game the right way and by doing the right things.”
“Clemson and the opportunities I’ve had here mean everything to me. I’m the first person in my family to attend a Division I school. I’m very proud of that. When I have kids of my own one day, I know I’ll be able to smile and tell them that I went to Clemson and played football there.”
“I didn’t even play football until the eighth grade. A lot of my friends played football, and throughout seventh grade, they kept trying to get me to try out and play. Eventually, they convinced me. I gave it a shot and I made the team. From the start, I fell in love with the game.”
What they said about Malliciah Goodman
“As strong as he is and with those big mitts (hands), just imagine you’re playing against a bear, that’s exactly how it is.” Former South Carolina defensive line coach Chris Rumph
“He is the whole package from the student-athlete standpoint. He’s a great student and person. He’s coachable and responded well to everything we’ve put him through so far.” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney
Evaluation
Program β the Clemson Tigers have been a successful program for a long time, playing in the ACC under Tommy Bowden and then Dabo Swinney. The Tigers have averaged an 8-4 record over the last 10 seasons, winning 11 and 10 games in the past two seasons under Swinney. Clemson finished at No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the team’s highest ranking in over a decade. Under Swinney, the Tigers played a 4-3 defense that was coordinated by Kevin Steele, a former linebackers coach with the Carolina Panthers and head coach at Baylor. In the last 10 NFL Drafts, Clemson has had 36 players selected, including 11 defensive linemen.
Strength β A remarkable physical specimen with very long arms and very large hands that he has learned to use quite well in his playing career; he’s able to keep blockers away from his body with the arms and control those trying to block him with his hands. His first step is quick and he shows good agility when rushing the passer off the edge. When he’s going after the quarterback, he does a great job of keeping his head up and he gets his hands up in the passing lanes.
Weakness β He’s unlikely to be an elite pass rusher since he doesn’t pair his great physical size with straight line speed or the ability to change direction quickly. While he provides a pop coming out of his stance, he’s frequently late on the snap. Goodman does not have a wealth of moves in the pass rush, and is frequently stymied if a blocker can get his hands inside. He needs counter moves and more work on fundamentals; his strength is stronger than his technique.
Overall β Considering his abilities, coupled with playing 54 games Goodman’s production over his college career was disappointing. He was never a major factor as a pass rusher, racking up just 12.5 sacks, or about one sack every 4 games. A defensive end from Clemson has been selected in six of the last seven NFL drafts; four of those six were first (the late Gaines Adams) or second-round picks (Da’Quan Bowers, Andre Branch, and Phillip Merling.) NFL coaching will elevate his ability to contribute, if he becomes more consistent and productive.
What the scouts said
What an AFC scout said β “There’s that old saying about looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane, and that’s what this kid is like. He’s got a great body and some natural athletic ability, but he doesn’t produce much with it. Good kid, and he may lack that killer instinct. If he had any kind of stats in four years, he would be a high first round pick.”
Videos
Clemson defense vs. LSU/Chick-fil-A Bowl (2012) β Goodman is highlighted before each snap with a white box, so he’s easy to find. He especially easy to find on the second play when LSU runs for a score right through his spot on the defensive line.
Clemson defense vs. Virginia Tech (2012) β Goodman is highlight before each snap on this one as well.
Clemson defense vs. Auburn (2012 opener) β Again, highlighted in this tape as well.