Last Chance U: How good will Emmit Gooden be at Tennessee?

Last Chance U: How good could Emmit Gooden be after Independence C.C.

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 04: Darrell Taylor #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts with Cortez McDowell #20 after sacking TaQuon Marshall #16 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 4, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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Gooden at Last Chance U

It’s pretty easy to argue that Gooden was the best defensive player in the mix for the Independence Community College Pirates football program last year. ICC head football coach Jason Brown saw some ups and downs with Gooden anchoring down the defensive line, though.

Gooden did register some pretty incredible numbers for a defensive tackle playing for ICC last season. He racked up 55 total tackles, four sacks, and one fumble recovery. In only seven games played, the fact that Gooden posted nearly eight tackles per game from the middle of the defensive line is a true testament to his value to the entire ICC defense.

He caught some attention from some of the top Power Five programs in the nation early on in the 2017 regular season. According to 247Sports, Gooden was rated as the seventh best JUCO defensive tackle in the nation and the 18th best prospect overall in the nation.

Gooden committed to Tennessee on National Signing Day 2018 and signed on that same day on Feb. 7. It was a big boost to a 2018 Tennessee recruiting class that featured two other JUCO signees. Landing Gooden along with four-star JUCO defensive end Jordan Allen and four-star JUCO tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson could be huge for the fortunes of Pruitt and the Vols in 2018.

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