The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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58 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 BY ANDREW HUSSEY Coming from a town of about 3,500, offensive lineman Karsen Barnhart is a pioneer for his tight-knit community. He is the first player from Paw Paw (Mich.) High to play Power Five foot- ball in the Rivals era (since 2002). However, he knows the work will be just starting when he gets on campus. "It's a pretty big accomplishment, but I really haven't done anything yet at the next level," Barnhart said. "I'm just going to keep working. Also, I'm trying to be a leader in the community and show other kids they can make it out of here too." At Paw Paw, Barnhart played on the interior of the offensive line as a sophomore, but moved to tight end his junior season because he had great feet and phenomenal hands. Playing the new position helped him develop skills that got him noticed by teams like Michigan, although he returned mostly to the front line — this time at tackle — in his final campaign. "He sort of developed in his mind frame that he's very gifted and also skilled in space," Paw Paw head coach Matt Stephens said. "That was a con- tributing factor where a lot of people looked at him on film and realized, he's a big man who can really move in space and do some things downfield." During summer camps in high school is when Barnhart put in the work to become a better offensive line- man, focusing on his pass protection. "I feel like the camps turned me into an offensive lineman," he said. According to Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt, of- fensive lineman are the least-devel- oped position group in high school. Helmholdt said that a lot of linemen show the basic skill set, but don't al- ways distinguish themselves. Barnhart was the exception. "Early on in his career, he showed he had those base tools to be a Division I-caliber offensive lineman, but his de- velopment leading into his senior year helped him separate from the pack and ultimately he moved up to a four-star prospect," Helmholdt said. "He's a guy that's shown development from both an athletic and physical stand- point, but also from a technical and fundamental standpoint." Barnhart is not likely to see the field right away for the Wolverines, but when he does, the entire town of Paw Paw will be behind him. "Paw Paw is a small community," Stephens said. "He's one of the young men we feel that his values and his morals are what Paw Paw is about. The fact that he's able to go there and represent our community is celebrated by our entire community. "He really has hero status when it comes to Paw Paw. Our community, from the littlest of kids to our oldest people, is really excited to see him go to Michigan." ❑ Small-Town Lineman Karsen Barnhart Comes To The Big House HONORS • Named by the High School Football Coaches Association to the Division 4 All-State first team as a senior after earning a second-team nod as a junior. • Was a 2018 USA Today All-State sec- ond-team pick. • Honored by The Detroit News and Associated Press as a first-team All- State pick for Division 3-4 as a senior; he was an honorable mention and sec- ond teamer, respectively, in 2017. RECRUITMENT • Committed on April 30, 2018 via a FaceTime call with head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive line coach Ed Warinner while the team was in France. • Warinner had a great rapport with Barnhart from his days at Minnesota and spearheaded the recruitment; tight ends coach Sherrone Moore was also involved. DID YOU KNOW? • Helped Paw Paw, where he was a four-year starter and two-time captain, win its first playoff game since 2011. • Despite playing mostly offensive line, he also saw action at tight end and caught five passes for 89 yards as a senior, including a pair of touch- down receptions. As a junior, he made 12 catches for 120 yards and one score. • One of MLive.com's 20 "Kalamazoo Area Players To Watch" on the basket- ball court after averaging a double- double last year as a junior. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt: "Barnhart is probably a right tackle at the college level and I do think he can stay on the edge. He's just got a really good combi- nation of size, strength and athleticism for the position." KARSEN BARNHART OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 • 277 PAW PAW HIGH SCHOOL PAW PAW, MICH. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 28* 10 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 161 8^ 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 41* 12 * Ranked as an offensive tackle; ^ ranked as an offensive guard 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection Coming from a small town like Paw Paw, Barnhart has a chance to re- ally explode once at Michigan. He is going to train, practice, work out and eat like a pro at U-M, and he could really benefit from all of that because he is already such a natu- rally talented athlete. On the flip side, it could be a shock to his system. He has never faced anyone as big, strong or athletic as himself and that can take some getting used to for small-town kids. However, he most likely won't be needed as a true freshman, so he should have plenty of time to accli- mate and set himself up for success. 58 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 Although he played mostly offensive line in high school, Barnhart also had experience at tight end, which helped him develop the athletic traits that appealed to Michigan. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN