Holy moly. Interesting article.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — He first appears inside Room 208 of Olmsted Academy North on a Thursday in mid-March, sitting at the corner of a table his legs can't fit under.
Kiyaunta Goodwin is fully engaged in art class. But unlike his eighth-grade classmates, he doesn't draw on a sheet of paper. Because of the size and strength of his unusually large hands, the 14-year-old uses poster board because it allows him more room to operate.
As Goodwin shifts his 6'7", 370-pound body, the 10 a.m. bell rings. Wearing a bright purple collared shirt and tan khakis, he walks toward the door, holding the black case that houses his bass clarinet in his left hand. His size 18 shoes and long strides reach the doorway in a matter of steps. He's a foot taller and 200 pounds heavier than anyone in the room.
As he exits, it's easy to see why Goodwin already has five verbal football scholarship offers—including one from Georgia, one of the hottest college football programs in the country. Local schools Louisville, Kentucky and Western Kentucky have offered as well.
They see what cannot be unseen: that this eighth-grader is already larger than most NFL linemen. He's taller than large college players and even NFL Hall of Fame lineman Anthony Munoz.
"He's a real college lineman right now," says Raesean Bruce, Goodwin's middle school coach. When Goodwin gives you a "bro-like" handshake, Bruce says your head basically bashes into his shoulder. "He's just so big, and he doesn't know his real strength yet."
In the strange, proactive and often uncomfortable world of college football recruiting, Goodwin is definitely on the radar of college coaches. While it all seems to be too much, too soon, those closest to Goodwin have been busy preparing him for what may lie ahead.
Kimberly Durham knew this day would come. She just didn't expect it to happen so soon. So quickly. So organically.
To this day, Durham keeps Goodwin's folded-up birth certificate in her purse, mainly out of habit. She kept it with her at first so he could ride the bus for free, back when he was six. Most bus drivers didn't believe he was that young otherwise. She's since been asked to produce it at football games and other places. The folds in the document are well-defined. The date of birth—Nov. 14, 2003—confirms what so few believe, even with visual evidence.
"Every day, someone wants to know how old he is," Durham says. "And when you tell them, they don't believe you. At his size, I get afraid that people will mistake him as a grown man."
College coaches have been guilty of this. While visiting Ohio State at the age of 13, the assistant coaches marveled at his size. It wasn't until he pulled out a Ring Pop and began sucking on it unprompted that he revealed his true age.
Goodwin came into this world at seven pounds and 21 inches long—the smallest and youngest of Durham's four children. By the age of two, however, she could see that he was different. "He was just so interested in everything," Durham says. "And he kept getting taller and taller and taller."
Durham, who is 6'3", never envisioned she would be eye-to-eye with her son so soon. But by the end of sixth grade, it happened. It wasn't so much a growth spurt; he simply never stopped growing.
By the age of four, doctors told his mother that he could grow to be 7'10" based on his bone structure. On a visit a few months ago, doctors said that Goodwin could still grow to be more than seven feet tall.
As a result of both his height and weight, everything in Goodwin's life has had to be customized. His bed is king-sized and extra long. Most of his clothing and shoes must be ordered online. The football team had to borrow football pants for him from a nearby high school. He wears an NFL helmet and pads, and his cleats won't fit inside his school locker.
Football came into his life not because of his size. He began to play after his late grandmother, a fan of the sport, suggested he do so. Despite being so much larger than his competition, Goodwin struggled at first—with the concepts and the rules, and with how much larger he was than everyone around him.
A message from his grandmother lingered in the back of his mind. It's a message that he still thinks about every time he plays.
"She told him not to hurt the little kids," Durham recalls. "I know he's afraid of hurting someone because of his size, and he still holds back. Kiyaunta realizes the strength that he has, and I just don't think he's ready to release all of it yet."
***more at link***
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — He first appears inside Room 208 of Olmsted Academy North on a Thursday in mid-March, sitting at the corner of a table his legs can't fit under.
Kiyaunta Goodwin is fully engaged in art class. But unlike his eighth-grade classmates, he doesn't draw on a sheet of paper. Because of the size and strength of his unusually large hands, the 14-year-old uses poster board because it allows him more room to operate.
As Goodwin shifts his 6'7", 370-pound body, the 10 a.m. bell rings. Wearing a bright purple collared shirt and tan khakis, he walks toward the door, holding the black case that houses his bass clarinet in his left hand. His size 18 shoes and long strides reach the doorway in a matter of steps. He's a foot taller and 200 pounds heavier than anyone in the room.
As he exits, it's easy to see why Goodwin already has five verbal football scholarship offers—including one from Georgia, one of the hottest college football programs in the country. Local schools Louisville, Kentucky and Western Kentucky have offered as well.
They see what cannot be unseen: that this eighth-grader is already larger than most NFL linemen. He's taller than large college players and even NFL Hall of Fame lineman Anthony Munoz.
"He's a real college lineman right now," says Raesean Bruce, Goodwin's middle school coach. When Goodwin gives you a "bro-like" handshake, Bruce says your head basically bashes into his shoulder. "He's just so big, and he doesn't know his real strength yet."
In the strange, proactive and often uncomfortable world of college football recruiting, Goodwin is definitely on the radar of college coaches. While it all seems to be too much, too soon, those closest to Goodwin have been busy preparing him for what may lie ahead.
Kimberly Durham knew this day would come. She just didn't expect it to happen so soon. So quickly. So organically.
To this day, Durham keeps Goodwin's folded-up birth certificate in her purse, mainly out of habit. She kept it with her at first so he could ride the bus for free, back when he was six. Most bus drivers didn't believe he was that young otherwise. She's since been asked to produce it at football games and other places. The folds in the document are well-defined. The date of birth—Nov. 14, 2003—confirms what so few believe, even with visual evidence.
"Every day, someone wants to know how old he is," Durham says. "And when you tell them, they don't believe you. At his size, I get afraid that people will mistake him as a grown man."
College coaches have been guilty of this. While visiting Ohio State at the age of 13, the assistant coaches marveled at his size. It wasn't until he pulled out a Ring Pop and began sucking on it unprompted that he revealed his true age.
Goodwin came into this world at seven pounds and 21 inches long—the smallest and youngest of Durham's four children. By the age of two, however, she could see that he was different. "He was just so interested in everything," Durham says. "And he kept getting taller and taller and taller."
Durham, who is 6'3", never envisioned she would be eye-to-eye with her son so soon. But by the end of sixth grade, it happened. It wasn't so much a growth spurt; he simply never stopped growing.
By the age of four, doctors told his mother that he could grow to be 7'10" based on his bone structure. On a visit a few months ago, doctors said that Goodwin could still grow to be more than seven feet tall.
As a result of both his height and weight, everything in Goodwin's life has had to be customized. His bed is king-sized and extra long. Most of his clothing and shoes must be ordered online. The football team had to borrow football pants for him from a nearby high school. He wears an NFL helmet and pads, and his cleats won't fit inside his school locker.
Football came into his life not because of his size. He began to play after his late grandmother, a fan of the sport, suggested he do so. Despite being so much larger than his competition, Goodwin struggled at first—with the concepts and the rules, and with how much larger he was than everyone around him.
A message from his grandmother lingered in the back of his mind. It's a message that he still thinks about every time he plays.
"She told him not to hurt the little kids," Durham recalls. "I know he's afraid of hurting someone because of his size, and he still holds back. Kiyaunta realizes the strength that he has, and I just don't think he's ready to release all of it yet."
***more at link***
