Ohio State Offensive Tackle Target Evan Goodwin Says He Models His Game After Paris Johnson Jr. and That He Was “Shocked” to Get an Offer from the Buckeyes

Evan Goodwin has been familiar with Ohio State for a long time. Very recently, the Buckeyes returned the favor.

 

The four-star 2026 offensive tackle was one of the first players offered by new Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, who’s made recruiting a strong emphasis in his first few weeks on the job. Bowen texted Goodwin on Monday to set up a short call, and extended a scholarship offer.

 

“I was shocked, really,” Goodwin told Eleven Warriors of the offer. “Going from a kid who thought he was going to play Divison II when I was in ninth grade to getting offered by the defending national champions is pretty crazy.”

Bowen and Goodwin had no prior relationship from his time at Virginia Tech, as the Hokies were not one of the Arkansas standout’s many Division I offers. But it didn’t take long to develop a strong rapport with OSU’s new leader of the offensive trenches.

“I had never really talked to Ohio State before he got there,” Goodwin said. “We had a conversation for about 30 minutes and we just talked. Turned out we were pretty similar. We both grew up as farm kids, which sounds pretty stereotypical, but we had a similar situation. It was really easy to get a conversation flowing.”

Goodwin has followed Ohio State closely over the past couple of seasons, especially when watching former OSU offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

“I’ve really followed Ohio State for years at this point. The person I really tried to model my game after was Paris Johnson,” Goodwin said. “I loved watching his pro day and his film from Ohio State. I’ve probably watched like 10 hours of it. Going to a place where he went and modeling my game after him and a couple other tackles, that would be cool.”

The relationship between the Buckeyes and Goodwin is relatively new for both parties, but it’s accelerating quickly. Goodwin has scheduled a spring visit with OSU for March 27, where he’ll watch practice and hopefully have a better understanding of the Buckeyes’ program.

“I really want to see coach Bowen’s coaching style,” Goodwin said. “I haven’t gotten to watch much film on him alone, so I want to be a fly on the wall and listen to him coach and watch him coach. I also want to see how he runs his room. More than that, I want to see what the campus is like.”