Michigan State speedster Jaelon Barbarin turning heads in fall camp
One of the last players Michigan State football added to its 2023 high school recruiting class is already turning heads at the Spartans training camp.
Literally.
True freshman tailback Jaelon Barbarin, an overlooked three-star recruit, did not commit to MSU until Dec. 12 last year, less than two weeks before National Signing Day. However, the California native is shaping up to be a gem of a prospect for the Spartans.
Barbarin ran a verified 10.37-second 100 meter dash in high school, and that speed has people who wear the Green and White talking.
“How fast is he," running back Jaren Mangham repeated the question when asked, before pausing and looking around the room for dramatic effect. “Fast.”
Listed at 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, Barbarin probably isn't ready to run between the tackles against a Big Ten opponent, but his unique speed and skillset could turn the freshman into a situational weapon for Michigan State to utilize as early as this 2023 season.
“You’d love that," running backs coach Effrem Reed said on the potential of Barbarin seeing the field this fall. "I think we’d all love that, because his speed’s a lot different. He’s probably one of the fastest guys, if not the fastest guy in the Big Ten. He can run. He can fly. He’s a 10.2 100-meter guy. So, you know, we’ve seen it all summer, him running and rolling."
The man tasked with finding a way to utilize Barbarin's speed is offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, who said the coaching staff is teaching the freshman when to use his God-given speed and when to dial things back.
“Jaelon, as we all know from his past, the guy can fly," Johnson said. "[We're] working with him [on] transitioning into the system, and also working at times when we need a little more tempo, and then use the speed at different times. So, that will be a little bit of a transition for him.”
Barbarin's speed is what made him a college prospect at Chaminade High School in Simi Valley, California. Reed's job is to harness that skill and teach the youngster when and how to use it.
The thing about him is, it's going to be about slowing him down," Reed said. "Everything is full speed, and the running back position is all about patience and tempo. We always talk about 'slow to, fast through'. So, we’ve challenged him all summer and even now to slow his tempo down."
Barbarin is used to being the fastest guy on the field, and he may still be the fastest guy on Michigan State's practice field. But, like almost all true freshman, the speed demon from the West Coast will have to adjust to life at the collegiate level before he's ready to make an impact for the Spartans.
"He didn’t have to read things in high school. It was just give me the ball and let me go outrun everybody," Reed said. "Well, this is college football where everybody’s a little faster. So, for him, it’s going to be about slowing the game down. It’s going to be about putting him in a position to succeed early, and giving him piece by piece and helping him stack it up like that.”
With that being said, Michigan State needs to get its best athletes on the field. Head coach Mel Tucker has talked about the need for "difference-makers", and Barbarin's unique speed can make him one of those for MSU as early as this season.
"I love him, man," Mangham said of the freshman. "He’s coming around. He’s doing great things. He’s going to be a special player for us in the near future."
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