How Colorado's System Prepared Anquin Barnes Jr. for the NFL

The Colorado Buffaloes’ scheme prepared Anquin Barnes Jr. for an NFL job, and now he has one as an undrafted free agent.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos defensive tackle Anquin Barnes Jr. (92) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of Colorado’s five players to sign undrafted free agent contracts after the 2026 NFL Draft was defensive tackle Anquin Barnes Jr. 

Here’s a look at how Colorado’s system prepared the big man for the NFL.

How Anquin Barnes’s career went before joining Colorado

Nov 18, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jordan Renaud (90) and defensive lineman Anquin Barnes Jr. (59) stop Chattanooga Mocs running back Chris Houston (21) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 66-10. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Barnes’s talent was clear early on, as he was listed by 247Sports as a four-star recruit, the No. 16 prospect from the state of Alabama and the No. 44 defensive tackle in the class of 2021.

He received 18 FBS offers, plus an additional offer from coach Deion Sanders while he was at Jackson State. While he showed interest in the likes of Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss and Colorado’s rival, Nebraska, he committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide on April 7, 2020. Entering his freshman season, Barnes stood at 6-5 and weighed in at 299 pounds.

However, his decision to join the Tide didn’t end up paying off. Barnes spent three seasons at Alabama, redshirting during his freshman year and not recording a stat from 2021 to 2023. Although he’d bulked up slightly, getting to a slightly more SEC-caliber 315 pounds, that was about all he gained from Tuscaloosa, as he entered the transfer portal after his redshirt sophomore season.

He was listed by 247Sports as a three-star transfer, a notch down from the hype he received out of high school. As he explored his options in the portal, one in particular stuck out. Coach Prime had now taken the head coaching job at Colorado and still had the relationship he developed with Barnes during his high school recruiting process. Ultimately, Barnes committed to Sanders and the Buffaloes on Dec. 17, 2023. 

How the Buffaloes turned him into an NFL prospect

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos defensive tackle Anquin Barnes Jr. (92) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Colorado’s goal for developing Barnes was structured around improving his frame. The Buffaloes wanted Barnes to be a mauling defensive tackle and a capable run stuffer. This meant he’d need to bulk up even further than what he’d done at Alabama.

He took to this challenge well, and by the time he was done at Colorado, he’d bulked up to a monstrous 340 pounds while still towering over most quarterbacks and interior offensive linemen at 6-5. That weight is heavy for most defensive linemen, so Barnes needed to maintain his athleticism to play at it. He did just that and contributed on the field as a result.

Sep 6, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive tackle Anquin Barnes Jr. (92) before the game against the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

He became a contributor on the field as a result of his new physique, recording 35 total tackles, 20 of which were unassisted, a pass breakup and an interception in his two seasons with Colorado.

He then tested well at his Pro Day, hitting a team-high 27 reps on the bench press, which would’ve tied for third among defensive tackles at the NFL Combine, and a 5.01-second 40-yard dash. The latter result would’ve ranked eighth at the NFL Combine and was .03 seconds faster than Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks’s run, who was the first of the position taken in the NFL Draft.

The athlete that Coach Prime and his staff turned Barnes into is what landed him an undrafted free agent deal with the New York Giants following the 2026 NFL Draft’s conclusion. He still has a ways to go in his technique and on-field production as a result, but if the Giants can develop him properly, there’s a solid chance the Buffs product carves out a career for himself in the NFL.

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