Three games into his college career, Penn State redshirt freshman defensive end Deion Barnes is causing quite a bit of commotion.
Since taking over for injury-plagued Pete Massaro, Barnes has produced three sacks and forced two fumbles, both team highs. He also has seven tackles, including three for losses.
Barnes’ sudden success after some early struggles doesn’t surprise first-year coach Bill O’Brien, who believes the 6-foot-4, 248-pound Barnes has the skills necessary to eventually play in the NFL.
“Deion Barnes is a good player,” O’Brien said. “I know (defensive line coach) Larry (Johnson) probably gets mad at me a lot because I talk about him so much, but he is a really good football player that has a huge future.
“If you’ve coached in the National Football League and you know what a good pass rusher looks like, like a Tamba Hali, like a DeMarcus Ware. … I’m not saying (Deion) is there yet. But the way he gets off the football, he uses his hands, the way he gets off the edge, the way he understands where the quarterback sets up and the way he tries to strip the ball shows his potential.
“As a young player trying to do that, you know he has a bright future and I just think he is a great kid and I am happy for him.”
Two days ago, Barnes shared Big Ten co-freshman of the week honors with Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld. Making his second start, Barnes recorded a season-high five tackles. He also had a sack and a fumble in Penn State’s first victory, a 34-7 thumping of Navy at Beaver Stadium.
The past two games, Barnes has been a disruptive force on a defense that has forced eight turnovers during that stretch.
“(Virginia) was definitely his coming-out party,” defensive tackle Jordan Hill said. “That’s all he needed. He’s a very good player. He has a lot of potential and the sky’s the limit for him.
“I can’t wait to see him through his whole career.”
Barnes grew up three miles from Temple’s campus in north Philadelphia. He was named second-team all-state and Philadelphia Public School player of the year at Northeast High School, where Rivals.com rated him the nation’s No. 6 prep defensive end in 2010.
He had 27 scholarship offers, but said he never really considered playing for the Owls, who have not beaten Penn State since 1941 entering the game Saturday in Beaver Stadium.
But Barnes acknowledged that “going against Temple is exciting for me, coming from Philly.”
After sitting out his first season at Penn State, Barnes has wasted little time making his presence known this season.
That makes Ron Stokes smile.
Stokes, a Philadelphia native, is the CEO and founder of Top Prospects Sports, a recruiting and consulting service which helps get high school athletes prepared for the next level.
Barnes was part of his touring group of roughly 20 different players for three years. Some other members of the group included Stokes’ two sons, Malik and Je’Ron, who play quarterback and wide receiver at Bowling Green, respectively, and Sharrif Floyd, a defensive tackle at Florida.
“I knew Deion had a lot of potential, because he had a lot of big-time offers coming out of high school,” Ron Stokes said on Tuesday. “He had offers from Penn State, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina, Pitt, and others.
“He always wanted to play at the highest level and Penn State was the biggest level in our area at the time. He was in the advanced program academically and that really excited a lot of schools. In the end, he liked Penn State the best.
“I’m very happy to see him flourishing on the football field so early. Normally, it takes a young kid a little more time to mature in college. “
Barnes’ dad, Mike, is employed by the city of Philadelphia, and his mother, Cynthia, works for the Mayor’s office on community projects. Deion was back home visiting this his parents earlier this year and dropped by to see Stokes and talk to some of his new prospects.
“Deion is such a character kid, and as soon as he started talking, the kids were just sitting there listening intently, hanging on his every word,” Stokes said. “His speech had a big impact on them.”
Even after the harsh NCAA sanctions were handed down in late July, Barnes remained positive.
“I talked to his mom about the situation and she said he was staying positive,” Stokes said. “He said he wanted to stick it out and make a positive impact on the program.
“He wasn’t worried about not playing in a bowl game. He knew he would still get a great education and have a chance to play in the NFL, and he was happy with that.”
Deion Barnes has made a lot of people smile lately with his play and demeanor.
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