One Goode Terrapin
9/16/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 16, 2007
By Ben Dooling, Athletics Media Relations Assistant
COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Jason Goode may not have the same name recognition as some of the Maryland Terrapin stars, but he may be representative of everything the team values in a player. Not only is the fourth-year tight end versatile and valuable on the field, but he represents the school off the field with class and pride.
Goode is listed behind starting tight ends Joey Haynos and Dan Gronkowski on the depth chart, but his play has a huge impact on the team. He finished with 12 catches last season, the sixth highest total on the team, and his 57-yard catch and run against Clemson helped the Terps edge the Tigers 13-12.
Goode has also become a senior leader for the Terps, and, on a team loaded at the tight end position, he has sacrificed personal glory for team accomplishments. His primary goal in his final season is leave the school a winner.
"Obviously as a team, we need to make it to another bowl game. We want to make it a 10-win season, and win the ACC championship," he said. "Me personally, I want to leave a legacy when I'm gone. I want to leave on a positive note and play to my best, and kind of reach a point where I'm ready to go to the next level."
Over this past summer, Goode extended that legacy off the field, working with seriously ill children at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md. The kids, ages six to 21, suffered from cancer and other serious illnesses, but spending time with a Maryland football player seemed to brighten their day.
"I think it had a profound effect on him," said Maryland tight end's coach Ray Rychleski. "Working with these terminally ill kids, he was so impressed with how happy he could make them feel just through his companionship and by being a Maryland football player."
Goode spent more than five hours a day, Monday through Thursday, at NIH, spending time with the kids and assisting administrators. "It was a wonderful experience and it's something I'll never forget," he said. "I went there and I was mainly dealing with kids, and I was just helping out with their daily regimens and being a friend with them."
On the football field, Goode is one of Maryland's most adaptable players.
"The thing I always tell people, is that if you were starting a baseball team, you would want him on your 24-man roster, because he plays every position." Rychleski said. "He's Mr. Versatility if I had to give him a name."
Depending on the down and distance, Goode may line up in the backfield as an H-back, on the line as a tight end, or in the slot as a wide receiver.
"I think I add versatility to the group," he said. "I have speed and I'm able to stretch the field more in the passing game. I consider myself to have good hands, so I can make plays in that area as well. But, I'm also big enough to be an effective run blocker. I can confuse a defense and create mismatches as well."
Reserve tight end Drew Gloster agrees with that assessment.
"He adds speed and ability, and he brings a little bit of what Vernon had in terms of getting open downfield," he said, referring to San Francisco 49ers starting tight end Vernon Davis, who starred at Maryland from 2003-05.
Gloster, a redshirt freshman out of Germantown, Md., looks up to Goode as an example to follow both on and off the field.
"He's basically a mentor to me. He's been like an older brother to me. He took me under his wing. I go to him whenever I have questions about football or anything else in general," said Gloster, who has participated in several community service opportunities with the senior tight end.
The flexibility that Goode possesses comes with an uncommon intelligence, which Rychleski cites as one of his tight end's unique features. "He has the ability to learn different positions in a very complicated offense. He knows just about everyone's position and responsibilities, as well as what to do if things don't go as planned."
Goode's intelligence and adaptability should serve him well in life, whether he gets the chance to take his game to the NFL or not.
"He's worked very hard. I'd love for him to come in and catch a lot of passes on a winning team and have a shot at the NFL," Rychleski said.
If a shot at the next level doesn't work out, Goode said his experience over the summer may have provided him a glimpse of the future. "After my time at NIH, I'm interested in being involved in the medical field, and quite honestly I like kids, so that's another avenue I could take. Just to see them living like they were, it had a real impact on my life, and it made me so thankful for what I have." he said.
Whatever path he decides to take, it sounds like Maryland's most versatile player has a bright future in front of him.
