Dylan Gooden will attempt to become his family’s latest sports star.
His father, Dwight Gooden, was a four-time All-Star pitcher who dominated early in his MLB career with the New York Mets. The younger Gooden is taking a different path, forgoing the baseball diamond for the gridiron.
On Wednesday, the three-star edge rusher signed with Maryland. “Doc” celebrated the news on Twitter.
“Proud of you son,” Dwight Gooden wrote. “The work is just getting started!”
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Dylan Gooden is the nation’s No. 41 edge rusher and the state of Maryland’s eighth-ranked recruit. He received a scholarship offer from multiple other schools, including Notre Dame, Penn State, and USC.
Dwight Gooden made his professional debut two years after the Mets drafted him out of high school. After recording 276 strikeouts in a spectacular rookie campaign, he recorded one of the best pitching seasons in MLB history when posting a 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts in 1985. Gooden won a World Series the following year.
The 58-year-old will now watch his son compete in the Big Ten for the Terrapins, who went 8-5 last season.