Cam Goode’s path to Michigan, outlook for 2022

When defensive tackle Chris Hinton announced his early departure for the NFL Draft, the Michigan Wolverines were in a bind regarding the future of the interior defensive line. Coupled with rotational player Donovan Jeter exhausting his eligibility, they were suddenly without two key players at an already thin position group entering the next season.

The 2022 freshmen class offers some relief with the arrivals of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, but relying on true freshmen in college football is a gamble.

Enter UCF transfer Cam Goode.

Goode is a former high three-star recruit who committed to Virginia Tech on National Signing Day in 2018. Goode, however, would never play a snap for the Hokies and left the program one day before the start of fall camp.

In Dec. 2018, Goode announced plans to enroll at UCF and to revive his football career. From 2019-21, Goode appeared in 33 games for the Golden Knights and has steadily improved as an all-around player.

As a freshman, Goode finished with only seven tackles as he got his football legs back under him. As a sophomore, he took a massive leap and finished with 19 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Most recently, in 2021, he accrued 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles, which was good enough for ninth nationally.

Goode comes to Ann Arbor as the third defensive tackle (first reserve) on the depth chart trailing only presumptive starters Mazi Smith and Kris Jenkins. He is a disruptive force on the interior with the ability to run down the line of scrimmage and finish plays.

Goode’s skillset will come as a compliment to Michigan’s reliant, yet less attention-gabbing defensive tackle group.

Last year, across Michigan’s five primary defensive tackles, the group combined for 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and zero forced fumbles. Granted, the group was highly productive at making tackles as four of the five had over 20 last year. And not to mention, the big play was rarely seen from the interior because of the forces Michigan possessed on the edge.

But now those forces are gone and in order to account for the losses of the big play manufacturers — David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson — it will have to be a group effort across all four rushers on the field, and Goode will play a pivotal role in creating havoc for the Wolverines.