Why 2021 Recruit Quenton Barnes Put LSU Football in Top-Five Despite Not Visiting Campus Yet

For many of the top recruiting prospects in the country, the SEC is the conference many wish to gravitate towards. It's always on TV and consistently pushes the country's best to the NFL.

So when 2021 receiver Quenton Barnes released his top-five, a list that included all SEC programs, it was a decision that wasn't particularly hard to make for the Antioch, Tennessee native.

Barnes recently dropped a top-five that included Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M and Florida. LSU is the only school that Barnes has yet to visit but felt comfortable putting the Tigers in his top-five mainly because of the culture that Ed Orgeron and company have built the last few years.

"I just like the swagger in how they play, you can tell they're having fun out there and the offense is amazing," Barnes said. "I don't have a commitment date in mind but I'd like to visit LSU before making any final decisions."

The Cane Ridge product has only been on LSU's radar for a few short months, receiving the offer back on Apr. 25 from the program. Because LSU made the offer such a short while ago, Barnes has been in research mode as the Tigers have been sending him mail every week about the program.

As LSU made its 2019 run towards a national championship, like so many other recruits from the 2021 class, Barnes was left blown away by the efficiency of the offense.

"They didn't give up until the end of the fourth quarter, it was a consistent offense that put numbers up on the board anytime they could," Barnes said. "I really like Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase but as for which one closely resembles my game, I guess you could say Terrace Marshall. He's more of an outside receiver like me and more times than not you gotta have that size that me and him share."

Barnes is currently ranked as a four-star prospect according to 247Sports composite rankings and at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds he has the physical traits to contribute in the SEC.

As it pertains to his game, Barnes ability to go up and snatch difficult catches, his route running and blocking are all traits he feels are the most polished as he approaches his senior season. Barnes shared the wealth at receiver with Cane Ridge teammate Adonai Mitchell, who's currently a 2021 commit to Ole Miss.

"I could really feel during my junior year that I was just a lot stronger and that really helped me be great on the field," Barnes said. "I feel like I could've done more but we had three receivers that all had a great year."

Despite coming off a fantastic junior season, Barnes wants to continue to improve in all areas of his game, especially because teams like LSU and Tennessee just recently became interested.

"Strength and catching are still two things I'm working every day to get better at," Barnes said. "Getting more yards after the catch and breaking tackles will come with the improved strength and catching ability. I've been doing a lot of calisthenics, cone drills and route running with my high school quarterback."

After watching plenty of the Tigers' games, Baton Rouge is a destination that Barnes could certainly see himself in down the line.

"That would be a great experience to one day play at LSU," Barnes said. "It's been a good team for years and then the environment around them, it's one of those programs you can't help but think about playing for."