Kiyaunta Goodwin Reflects on Recruiting Frenzy, Looks Ahead to Future at Kentucky

Kiyaunta Goodwin took a deep breath, then uttered three powerful words. “I’m staying home.” Those meaningful words were quickly followed by an enormous gasp of relief.

Goodwin’s long journey to college football began five years ago. It took him to Las Vegas, Ann Arbor, Tallahassee, Tuscaloosa and seemingly every college campus in-between. Even on his recruitment’s final day he had a pair of announcement ceremonies separated by 900 miles. In the end, his long journey ended where it started: Kentucky.

“It was stressful, figuring out what the best place is; a lot of long nights thinking, a lot of sleepless nights,” Goodwin said shortly after revealing his final decision. “Some nights I could see myself going to Kentucky, but other nights I could see myself going to Michigan State. Having the chance to talk to these coaches, get a full vibe of it, I felt like with no doubt that Kentucky was the best place for me.”

The stress weighed on the Goliath heavily. While his topsy-turvy, indecisiveness may seem like a cry for attention the outside, you probably never saw the 6-foot-8, five-star football player cower in a crowd as fans chanted “KI- YAUN -TA GOOD – WIN.”

“I’m a very quiet person,” he admitted. “Attention doesn’t bother me too much. I don’t pay attention to a lot of it. I just try to stay focused on what’s really important to me.”

Now Goodwin can finally focus on what’s important to him: football. He worked relentlessly to reach this point in his career. The recruiting process seemingly got in the way of his work. Once he submits his paperwork and competes in the All-American Game, nothing is standing in-between the physically gifted blocker and his dreams of playing college football.

“I’m very excited,” he perked up when asked about the opportunity to enroll at UK in January. “I can’t wait to get to college and be able to start playing games and help Kentucky start winning more.”

All of the hoopla surrounding his recruitment put intense pressure on the teenager. Making a decision was stressful. Living up to seemingly impossible expectations? No problem.

“Because I know I can do it. I guess you can say I get butterflies or something like that, but there’s no pressure.”

As Goodwin turns his attention to the future, he reflects on his past. He does not regret picking Kentucky, but he did learn one important lesson too late.

“You should probably trust your gut the first time.”