Blue White Illustrated

turned to the lineup for the team's final four games and was part of a starting five that helped Penn State amass 453 yards of offense and 25 first downs in the Pinstripe Bowl. Since declaring himself draft-eligi- ble, Smith has begun working out at EXOS Football in Southern California. EXOS prepares prospects for the NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 335-pounder is the No. 12 offensive tackle prospect in rankings compiled by CBSSports.com and a likely fourth-round pick. The website nfldraftscout.com calls him "surprisingly light on his feet for a man of his size." Barnes started 30 games over the past three seasons, beginning with a breakout redshirt freshman season in which he had six sacks and three forced fumbles and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The Philadelphia native finished with 44 tackles, including six sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, in his final season at Penn State, winning honorable mention All-Big Ten notice. In announcing his decision, Barnes fo- cused on the fan support he received throughout his career, calling his time at Penn State "the best four years of my life." "I can't believe I've walked my last time out of the tunnel," he said. "I want to thank the Penn State family for being with me through the rough times. They're the best fans in the nation. I'm going to miss playing in front of 107,000." The 6-4, 255-pound Barnes is rated by CBSSports.com as the No. 19 defensive end and a likely fifth-round choice. He graduated from Penn State in December with a degree in recreation, parks and tourism management. James started 31 games in his career including every game the past two sea- sons. His 11 touchdown catches are the most by a tight end in school history. This past season, James was Penn State's third-leading receiver, finishing with 38 catches for 396 yards and a team-high three touchdowns, and win- ning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. It wasn't a breakout season for the 6-7, 271-pounder from Glassport, Pa., but he is considered one of the top tight ends in the draft. According to CBSSports.com, he's the No. 5-ranked player at his position and a likely third- or fourth-rounder. "Competing on Sundays has always been my dream, and I believe the time to pursue this dream is now," he said. "This was an extremely difficult decision to make. My time at Penn State has been amazing and unforgettable." James is working with the staff from the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes to develop a plan to complete his degree in kinesiology. ■ FOOTBALL Shoop opts to remain at Penn State Penn State head coach James Franklin considers his coaching sta> to be the sum of its essential, highly qualier of more than $1.3 million per year to coach under Les Miles with the Tigers in favor of what will be a three-year deal worth roughly $1 million per year. Based on prior comments from Shoop regarding his time at Penn State, the decision to opt for less money might not come as much of a surprise. During a teleconference with me- dia members late in the season, he was asked about his journey from William & Mary to Vanderbilt and now Penn State. Shoop responded by extolling Penn State's tradition and the atmosphere of Beaver Sta- dium. "Sometimes I think I need to take a moment to enjoy the fact that on Saturday a?ernoons we get a chance to play in the greatest envi- ronment in all of college football and get to play against some of the great teams of the Big Ten," he said. "That's something that I'll take a moment to re=ect on in the o>-sea- son. "There's an expectation level when you put on the blue and white uniform here at Penn State that you're going to play great, champi- onship-caliber defense. That's what we're trying to bring to the table each and every day." A?er deciding to stay at Penn State, Shoop will get that opportu- nity. – NATE BAUER SHOOP

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