Jacory Barney Jr. via Twitter
2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Wide Receiver Jacory Barney Jr.
Matt Rhule's recruiting connections in Texas and the Northeast are well documented. Nebraska's head coach has maintained several of the relationships he fostered during his time coaching Temple and Baylor.
One area that isn't talked about enough is the hotbed of south Florida.
Secondary coach and de facto recruiting coordinator Evan Cooper is from Miami and is well connected in the area. The Huskers were also aided by the presence former Nebraska staffer Phil Simpson, who spent one year on Rhule's staff in Lincoln after several years of coaching high school in Miami.
The two of them were primarily responsible for the Huskers signing five of the best players in the Miami area and many of them are going to push for playing time this fall.
Chief among that group who could carve out a role this coming season is Palmetto High School’s Jacory Barney Jr.
Barney has been steadily gaining notice in the Sunshine State since entering high school. When the COVID pandemic canceled the 2020 junior varsity season, he was one of only two freshmen to make a varsity team that had several future DI talents on it. The other freshman to make it? That'd be Willis McGahee IV - another Husker signee.
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The 6-foot, 170-pound two-way standout has an extremely high ceiling since he's largely been a Swiss Army Knife for Palmetto and hasn't been afforded the opportunity to focus solely on the receiver position as of yet.
He's taken snaps at receiver and running back, while also seeing time as a Wildcat quarterback for the Panthers. A longtime standout on the 7-v-7 circuit, Barney has also turned heads for his impressive play as a defensive back - he played safety early in his career at Palmetto - and some schools liked the idea of him playing cornerback.
Barney was originally offered by the previous staff and quickly became a priority target of Evan Cooper and Garret McGuire after the new regime got to Lincoln, with the Huskers officially re-offering him on April 25.
A Rivals four-star prospect, Barney accumulated almost 40 offers, including Power Five tenders from schools such as Boston College, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCF, USF and Utah.
Coming out of spring and heading into the pivotal recruiting month of June, Barney had narrowed his focus to a group that consisted of Nebraska, Texas A&M, Miami, Illinois, West Virginia, Arizona, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.
The Huskers were considered the front-runner after Barney left Lincoln following his June 2-4 official visit. He was hosted by Corey Collier and also spent a lot of time around Dwight Bootle - both former teammates at Palmetto. Barney enjoyed his time around the coaches and players and liked the family vibe he got. Just as important, his mother absolutely loved the trip and took a strong liking to Rhule and the culture in the building.
The coaches did a thorough job of showing Barney how they planned to use him in the offense and their plan for developing him step-by-step once he got on campus. The approach was unique compared to other schools he visited, and it resonated with him.
Nebraska still liked its chances even after Barney spent June 16-18 in College Station checking out the Aggies, but there had been noticeable momentum building for the hometown Hurricanes ever since Barney put on a jaw-dropping performance at a 7-v-7 event inside Cobb Stadium June 8.
Miami had been recruiting Barney but up until that point had not gotten the chance to evaluate him in person. Barney impressed Miami coaches so much that their receivers coach, Kevin Beard, put him through a private workout inside their practice facility. Following that workout, Barney shot up their board and became a huge priority.
Industry insiders felt Barney was leaning toward staying home and playing for the Hurricanes by the time he visited Coral Gables June 23-25. Barney came out of that visit and announced a final three of Miami, Nebraska and Texas A&M with an announcement scheduled for July 1.
Jacory shocked prognosticators when he announced for the Huskers via a live announcement with Rivals on Instagram Saturday evening. Even Miami thought they had him until a day or two before his commitment. In the end, however, it was the consistent attention he received from Rhule and his entire staff that won him over. His mother was also sold on him leaving the area to grow as a person and player under Rhule's guidance in Lincoln.
Despite his summer commitment, about a half-dozen teams continued to pursue Barney, with Miami and Arizona being the most notable. There was a time Barney considered taking a November official visit to watch the Wildcats play UCLA, but that never materialized. He also considered returning to Coral Gables to watch the Canes take on Clemson in late October, but that too didn't happen.
Barney returned to Lincoln in late September for the Michigan game and, despite the lopsided outcome, came away even more convinced he had made the right decision. Jacory shut things down and stayed loyal to Nebraska.
Garret McGuire, Glenn Thomas and Marcus Satterfield must be extremely excited to get to work with Barney. He enrolled early and the extra time working with Corey Campbell in winter conditioning should pay dividends getting his body ready for the rigors of the Big Ten. Having the chance to participate in spring ball and getting a head start working on the nuances of the position will also help him potentially see time this fall.
Barney has the skill set to be used all over the field at Nebraska and is also a candidate for special teams. He's got incredible quick-twitch, short-area quickness and is tough to track in the open field. Jacory ran track throughout his youth for South Dade Express and was the anchor on a 4x400 team that took gold at the AAU Junior Olympics in August 2018. He's got a lot of potential. How soon he gets on the field depends largely on how quickly he gets his body ready. He's got things to learn, like every freshman, but he's the sort of versatile athlete you get on the field early in some capacity.
