C. J. Goodwin
 | |||
| No. 29 Atlanta Falcons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | February 4, 1990 | ||
| Place of birth: | Wheeling, West Virginia | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Wheeling (WV) Linsly | ||
| College: | California (PA) | ||
| Undrafted: | 2014 | ||
| Career history | |||
| |||
| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
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Charaun Jareé Goodwin (born February 4, 1990) is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Steelers after going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at California University of Pennsylvania.
High school career
Goodwin attended The Linsly School in Wheeling, West Virginia and began playing football his senior year. He was a standout wide receiver for Linsly's football team. In addition to football, he also competed in track and basketball, where he excelled.
College career
Bethany College
After graduating from high school he attended Bethany College. He would play basketball for Bethany for two seasons and transferred after his sophomore year.
Fairmont State University
Following his departure from Bethany, Goodwin would enroll in Fairmont State University for his junior year. After his arrival, he played in an intramural basketball game against the school's football staff. At the urging of his father, the late Perry Galloway, Jr., and his college roommate, future NFL player Dewey McDonald he eventually joined the Fairmont Fighting Falcons football team. In his first game against Clarion he would make 6 catches for 56 yards. On September 22, Goodwin would amass 3 catches, 104 yards, and make an 83-yard touchdown catch in a game against West Liberty University (during a game against his first cousin Daree' Goodwin). While matching up against West Virginia Wesleyan, he would reel in 3 receptions, 55 receiving yards, and a career-high, 2 touchdown catches. The next game against Seton Hill, Goodwin would score on a 31-yard reception. On November 10, he made a career-high 7 catches for 141 receiving yards in a win against Shepherd. After walking on his first year and having a successful season he was offered a scholarship to continue playing for Fairmont. Head coach Mike Lopez would be fired after Goodwin's first year playing for Fairmont and accepted a defensive coordinator position with California University of Pennsylvania. Goodwin finished the 2012 season third on the team with 24 receptions and 440 receiving yards. He also lead the team with 18.3 yards per a catch and finished the season with 4 touchdown receptions.[1]
California University of Pennsylvania
After the departure of Fairmont's head coach, Goodwin would transfer to California University of Pennsylvania to continue playing wide receiver for his former head coach Mike Lopez. Since he already graduated from Fairmont, he was able to begin playing for Cal immediately, instead of sitting out a year due to NCAA student transfer guidelines. He would make his first touchdown reception of the 2013 season against Kutztown. In a game against IUP, he made 2 receptions for 16 yards. While playing Gannon, he made 3 receptions for 40 receiving yards. Against Millersville, Goodwin ended with a season-high 4 catches and 49 yards. Since he mainly saw action on special teams, he only finished his senior season at Cal-Pennsylvania with a total of 11 receptions, 126 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown catch in 11 games and 1 start.[2]
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
After finishing his collegiate career, Goodwin would enter the 2014 NFL Draft. He was a virtually unknown prospect due to him playing at two NCAA Division II schools and he was thought to be a raw player, but also had good size and measurables to play wide receiver. Although he wasn't invited to the official NFL Combine held annually in Indianapolis, he still had good showing at a pre-draft combine held by the Detroit Lions. After going undrafted and not receiving any interest as an undrafted free agent immediately after the draft, Goodwin finally received a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers after Mel Blount urged them to give him an opportunity.[3] On June 4, 2014, he signed an undrafted rookie free agent contract with the Steelers, for 3-years and $1.53 million.[4]
On August 31, 2015, Goodwin was waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Atlanta Falcons
Goodwin signed a reserve/futures contract with the Atlanta Falcons on January 5, 2016. During the Falcon's training camp in 2016, Goodwin converted from a wide receiver to a cornerback.
Personal life
Goodwin was born on February 4, 1990 as Charaun Jareé Goodwin to his mother, Yvette Goodwin and has a 4-year-old daughter named Caidyn. As a child his favorite sport was basketball and didn't begin playing football until his senior year of high school. Many of Goodwin's family members began volunteering at the Mel Blount Youth Home and as a kid, Blount hired him to mow the lawn. Until this day, Goodwin continually mentors young males exposed to child abuse at the Blount's youth home.[5]