TOWSON, Md—Good Counsel wrapped up their preseason on Friday as the young yet loaded Falcon squad embarks on defending their WCAC trophy. 2023 four-star prospect Dylan Gooden will play an integral role in the Falcons’ pass-rush heading into the fall as the 6-foot-4, 205-pound continues to work on his technique.
“Probably just work on my craft and work on my pass moves,” Gooden said as he added he’s still working on adding weight. After a pair of scrimmages, the four-star still feels the improvement compared to the spring. “My speed. It feels easier to get around the tackles compared to last season so I’m just working on gaining weight to continue to develop.”
Though the edge-rusher may have the highest ceiling of any local 2023 prospect, that hasn’t deterred schools from extending early offers to Gooden as West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M are among the long list of schools to already jump into the mix. Gooden took in summer visits to Pitt, Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, West Virginia while the trip to Athens, Georgia came with three-star teammate Neeo Avery.
“I liked the area and the campus, the coaching staff was really cool,” Gooden said of the Bulldogs. But his visit to Pittsburgh also caught his eye thanks to an obvious connection to the local NFL team. “I liked the fact that they play in the Steelers stadium and get to see that, get to work with NFL players.”
Maryland was far from the first offer in his recruitment, though, as outside linebacker coach Ron Zook extended Gooden his 13th verbal offer. It’s not a necessity for Maryland to be first in order to have a chance and in about two weeks, the staff will have a chance to host him in-person.
“I’ll be at Maryland for the West Virginia game [on September 4],” Gooden added. The pitch from the staff has been simple early on. “He said he likes what I do. He wants guys from the area to come play for him. I know that Stefon Diggs that played here went there and they got some good players.”
From Maryland’s perspective, Gooden might fit best as a JACK linebacker while the four-star will keep a close eye on the position to see how he fits into the defense. “I’m watching how guys that play at my spot fit in with what they do.”
While Gooden is embracing the chance to soak in game visits this fall, he breaks down what he’s looking for in each program. “I just want to learn whether it’s a good group of kids, the environment and see if It feels like home.”
Gooden is rated a four-star prospect and a 90 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the second-best player in Maryland.