Anthony Goodlow is ready to become TU's next nightmare for future opponents.
There is every reason to believe that the explosive 6-foot-5, 281-pound Goodlow will have a prominent future in the NFL.
For inspiration, Goodlow only has to look at former Golden Hurricane teammates Trevis Gipson and Zaven Collins.
Both Gipson and Collins have similar height and were somewhat light coming into college. And somewhat overlooked. But both have key roles on their NFL teams.
Since Goodlow plays the same position as Gipson did at TU, and was his backup, Goodlow is certainly in tune to, and is encouraged by, Gipson's success in the NFL. Gipson had 7 sacks for the Chicago Bears in his second NFL season, including 4 in his last 4 games.
"A lot of inspiration. It's cool to see what Trevis is doing out there in Chicago," Goodlow said. "It goes to show that anybody can make it with hard work."
Goodlow came to Tulsa at 223 pounds out of Del City HS, which was around 15 pounds heavier than Gipson was out of high school in Cedar Hill, Texas. Both had to do a lot of weight training and eating, especially early on, at TU to bulk up and play defensive end. Goodlow was up to 250 after his first year in Tulsa.
Both Goodlow and Gipson didn't play much on defense in their first two years at TU, mainly playing special teams. But both made big strides their next two years. Gipson had 4 sacks as a junior and 8 sacks as a senior, which got him drafted in the 5th round.
If Goodlow has the monster year that he is capable of having, he could leave school early to go into the NFL draft. Goodlow, who has a year of eligibility left after this season due to the extra Covid year, had 6 sacks and 7 tackles for loss in 2021. In 2020, Goodlow had 4 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in his first year of extensive playing time.
TU coach Philip Montgomery is expecting great things from Goodlow in 2022.
"He's been very hard to block," Montgomery said. "I expect Anthony to have a breakout year."
Goodlow has come a long way since starting out as a safety and wide receiver during his first three years at Del City. He switched to linebacker/defensive end and tight end as a senior, where he had an incredible 19 sacks and 30 tackles for loss, which led to him being a 3-star recruit.
The transition from safety to defensive line in high school wasn't as hard for Goodlow as one might think.
"I would say it was easy going from safety to D-Line, pass rushing wise," Goodlow said. "I would say it took a little longer getting down in that three tech to play the run. But after watching film and learning from the older guys, it was a lot easier than I expected. Playing the run was more difficult because I was a little light."
Now the leader of the defensive line due to his experience and some noteworthy departures from last year, a lot is being expected of Goodlow, who has worked at improving in all areas.
"I'm best at pass rush, but I'm a lot better against the run," Goodlow said. "I would definitely say I've been working on my explosion. Just getting off the ball faster. Honestly, just give me the best chance to get more sacks and get closer to the ball. And just trying to get more in shape so I can play to the best of my ability on every play."
Goodlow's biggest thrill at TU so far came as a true freshman when he played the final two games while redshirting.
"My very first game, playing Navy, I was on kickoff, and it was just fun running down the field and laying a couple of them out," Goodlow said. "My first time on the field was my most memorable."
Majoring in organizational studies and minoring in sports management, Goodlow has been working hard on academics as well, which was a big change coming from high school.
"It was definitely a lot harder than the football side," Goodlow said of his studies. "In high school, I didn't have to study much. I just listened in class. A lot easier than college. I came in from just going to take tests off of just listening to having to put in 7 to 8 hours a week studying. It's a tough transition."
As for Goodlow's goals this season, they are simple, especially considering Tulsa won its last 4 games to finish 7-6 in 2021.
"Just pick up where we left off," Goodlow said. "My personal expectation is to do better than last year. Take some of the minuses off the board in the film room and be the best that I can be."
MORE ON TULSA FOOTBALL:
• JuanCarlos Santana has lofty goals for TU this season
• Tulsa's two LB commits are versatile and athletic
• AAC commissioner says college football needs stability
Below is a full team breakdown, position by position, of the Golden Hurricane for the 2022 football season:
