One-on-one with Iowa running back Tyler Goodson
Daily Iowan Sports Reporter Chris Werner caught up with Goodson at an Iowa football media availability session last week.
October 7, 2021
Daily Iowan: First, do you just leave Twitter up to your mom? Is that her expertise?
Tyler Goodson: Yeah, so, you know, I always tell my mom she’s more famous than me on this campus. Everybody seems to be talking about my mom and her tweets. Everybody loves her.
DI: You know, I might have seen the Goodson fan club at the drive-thru at McDonald’s on Friday because there was a Georgia license plate with Gwinnett County on it in front of me.
Goodson: It most likely was them.
DI: Cool. So, I’ll start with what’s the best feeling in football?
Goodson: Best feeling in football? Hmm, I will say, scoring touchdowns and seeing the energy of the crowd.
DI: Okay, and would you rather punch it in from the one, or have like a long 70-yard touchdown?
Goodson: A long 70-yard touchdown. That’s probably one of the greatest feelings for any running back. Knowing you made the play, seeing everybody happy and the energy celebrating with teammates, that’s probably one of the best feelings.
(Goodson took a Spencer Petras pass 67 yards for a score three days later against Maryland.)
DI: And I know you’ve scored the majority of the rushing touchdowns. I know Monte [Pottebaum] has had a couple opportunities, is he gonna score, is he going to get one?
Goodson: Hopefully. Hopefully, he does, and hopefully a couple of running backs as well get some touchdowns, you know. I would like to see them score as well. I would be happy for them.
(Monte Pottebaum scored the first touchdown of his college career against Maryland.)
DI: Who is the best player you’ve played against in your football career?
Goodson: I don’t know about best player but best defense I played against, probably Michigan.
DI: OK, no individual guy sticks out?
Goodson: It’s so many of them. It’s too many.
DI: OK. Who is the most famous person in your phone contacts right now?
Goodson: I will say probably Chris Johnson, that played running back for the Tennessee Titans.
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DI: Did you have like a, “Welcome to Iowa” moment? I know you were highly touted coming out of high school, but did you have like, “This is Power Five, this is Big Ten” play maybe in practice or in any game freshman year?
Goodson: My freshman year we went over to Michigan. That was my “Welcome to Big Ten” play, welcome to Iowa.” I realized that, from there, I was at a Power Five school because, like you get to see the talent how big guys are, the intensity of the game yeah the energy of the crowd, that was my welcome.
DI: Did you have a specific moment in-game or was it just the whole experience kind of overall?
Goodson: It was just the whole experience from walking in the stadium for pregame warm-ups to the end of the game. It was just the whole experience for me that really gave me that welcome.
DI: And then, you talked about your long touchdowns and everything, do you have one play that you think is your best football play? And what is the worst football play you’ve ever made in your career?
Goodson: Worst football play? Probably, I’ll say my fumble against Penn State my freshman year. My best play? Ahh, ‘ll probably say, Wisconsin touchdown from last year. The 80-yard-long run.
DI: Safe answers. Who is your biggest role model, somebody you look up to?
Goodson: My biggest role model? I’d say my parents. They’ve done a lot to get me here. Guided me on the right path. They raised me so I’d most definitely say, my parents.
DI: And, if you’re just in a group setting and somebody goes, “Who has a joke?” Do you have a go-to joke that you like that is appropriate to mention on the record?
Goodson: No, I don’t, I don’t. But you ask a couple of my teammates, they most definitely have a couple of jokes for you.
DI: Nico Ragaini said they weren’t appropriate for print, so we’ll see. We’ll go to music now, is there one musician, that you think doesn’t get enough hype and one you think gets way too much?
Goodson: That doesn’t get enough hype? Hmm… I’ll probably say, trying to think, let’s see, I’ll probably say Gunna doesn’t get enough hype. Who gets too much hype? Man. See that’s hard because all the artists I listen to, I think they get the hype they deserve. Okay, so I can’t really answer that.
DI: I stumped you. Do you have a favorite Iowa football moment? Might not have been a play you made but just like you think about Iowa football, is there one moment that comes to mind for you.
Goodson: Yes. Akrum Wadley against Penn State when he scored that long little touchdown.
DI: Yeah, I remember that one. Are you one of those players that watches NFL highlights to kind of get you pumped up?
Goodson: Not to get pumped up. I just watch it just to see like what happened, who made a spectacular play, or whatever.
DI: is there any running back, you watch specifically in that league to like model your game against?
Goodson: I will say, every week I watch Alvin Kamara. We grew up in the same county same city, so I’ve been watching him ever since high school. So yeah, I think, watching him. I just love watching him play and I try to model my game.
DI: Have you been able to communicate with him at all, or not really?
Goodson: Oh, no, not really. I’ve never met him in person. Hopefully I do one day. Looking forward, maybe I play on the same team as him one day. You never know. We’ll see what happens.
DI: Yep, so we’ll go three more questions. Do you have a guilty pleasure, food, movie, and TV show?
Goodson: Guilty pleasure food, I’ll probably say, PB&J. I eat PB&J almost every day, at least twice a day. Movie? You may not know this movie, It’s called Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins. I watch it all the time. It’s hilarious. And then TV show? Power.
DI: I like that show.
Goodson: That show is the best show out.
DI: And do you have, I know people have songs they listen to to get pumped up before a game. Do you ever have a song that you listen to when you get really sad?
Goodson: Really sad?
DI: Yeah.
Goodson: Umm, it’s not a particular song but I listen to Chris Brown a lot, NE-YO, Usher all those type of R&B artists.
DI: Gets you in your feels?
Goodson: Yeah man, a little bit. Maybe a little bit of Drake sometimes.
DI: Last question. Has there been a best and worst question you’ve ever been asked by the media?
Goodson: Oh Sh… I’m not gonna answer that question. I plead the fifth on that one.
