Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2020 37 Notre Dame secured a huge com- mitment when Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard class of 2021 de- fensive back Ryan Barnes gave his pledge to the Fighting Irish on June 6. The 6-2, 180-pounder landed his first scholarship offer last Novem- ber from Tennessee and then saw his process explode in January. He earned scholarships from Florida, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State and South Carolina from Jan. 22-29. This was the first year that Feb- ruary was a recruiting dead period, but that didn't equate to the process slowing down for Barnes. During that time, he added offers from Ari- zona State, Clemson, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, USC and Virginia. Barnes had plans to get out on the road in the spring to visit a handful of schools, including getting to South Bend April 7. But the coronavirus pandemic shut down any hopes of that trip happening. It seemed likely that Barnes would have earned an offer from the Irish during his South Bend visit, so without it the coaching staff decided to go ahead and tender the rangy defensive back March 25. Barnes wasn't able to take a re- cruiting trip — and still hasn't — to Notre Dame. It would've been hard to predict that a trip to South Bend for the 2016 Blue- Gold Game, when Barnes was still in middle school, would've played a role in his decision-making process. That's the one time Barnes had been to Notre Dame and had fond memories of that trip. It also helped that his father, Dennis, is a big Fight- ing Irish fan and that he has family in Warsaw, Ind., about an hour-long drive from campus. Barnes ended his recruitment with a commitment to head coach Brian Kelly and the Irish in early June. "They offer everything I'm look- ing for in a school with the athletics and academics," Barnes said. "They have a great network with the alumni base. Just everything me and my fam- ily have discussed and have thought about what I wanted a school to have, they check all the boxes. I'm going to be developed as a player and a per- son in my entire time there." During his junior season, Barnes recorded 27 tackles (one for loss), two interceptions, with both returned for touchdowns, seven passes broken up and one forced fumble. Barnes offers the versatility to be a lengthy cornerback or move over to safety with his excellent range. For the recruit, that was part of Notre Dame's appeal. "It's not being confined to one po- sition," Barnes said. "They're looking at me as a defensive back. … I can find out what's going to help me be the best I can and help the team, ei- ther at safety or corner." "When you look at prototypical NFL corners, they're long," Quince Orchard head coach John Kelley added. "To go along with that, he has the speed, flexibility and versatility as far as playing the slot or safety. He can do a lot of things with his body type. He's physical at the point of contact and is good in run support. "I think he could definitely tran- sition to play some safety. It really depends on where they need him. I wouldn't rule out the possibility for us this year to have him go inside and cover the slot receiver. That's where a lot of teams put their best [receiver] to be honest." Ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals, Barnes also has made his mark off the field. "We're lucky to have him; he's a great ambassador for our program," Kelley stated. "He excels in the class- room. Off the field, he's awesome. He's a model student-athlete, what you want your players to be. "He's first-class all around. I'm sure Notre Dame was able to see that too. That's the type of kid they're getting." Rivals ranks Barnes as the No. 21 recruit in Maryland and the No. 55 cornerback in the country. — Mike Singer COMMITMENT PROFILE RYAN BARNES Notre Dame Lands Maryland Corner In Recruiting Coup Barnes selected Notre Dame over Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State and USC, among many others. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Film Analysis "He has what folks are looking for — length. He's long. If I had a crystal ball, I'd probably project him as a safety. He seems to have a similar body type as [Notre Dame safety] Kyle Hamilton and covers a lot of ground. He can run, he's long and you can never have enough of those body types in the back end of your defense. "The other thing that I really like about him, and I'll beat this drum over and over again, the way the kid plays the game, he definitely has a little fire in his belly. He has fun out there and seems to love the game of football and competes. To me, as an ex-player on the defensive side of the ball, that really gets me excited." — Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Mike Goolsby