Notre Dame CB Commit Ryan Barnes Putting In Work On The Recruiting Trail
Hailing from Gaithersburg (Md.), cornerback commit Ryan Barnes is one of the more promising recruits that Mike Mickens and Co. have brought in this cycle and he could not be more excited about being in the fold as a Notre Dame player.
“The connection I've had with Notre Dame since I was younger and got to be on campus has never changed,” Barnes explained. “The academics and athletics Notre Dame has is unmatched. Even if the NFL doesn’t work out for me, Notre Dame has such a great network that I know I will have a job in the future.”
Being that Barnes is 6-2, 180 pounds, he is a corner that has a ton of length to his game. His natural size lends him to playing safety at the next level and that is a discussion he has had at length with Mickens since he committed.
“We have talked about me playing corner most of the time,” said Barnes. “They like me at both positions though. Whatever I can do to help the team and get me on the field is what I will do.”
A large part in Barnes committing to the Fighting Irish was his relationship with fellow cornerback commit Philip Riley. Riley, a 6-0, 190-pounder out of Bloomingdale (Fla.) committed to Notre Dame just over a month before Barnes eventually did. Riley was all over Barnes as soon as he committed and wanted the Maryland product to join him in South Bend.
“He (Riley) pushed really hard for me to be with him at Notre Dame,” Barnes explained. “Philip really thinks we can be something special. I am so excited to get on campus and play ball together with him.”
Due to COVID-19, Barnes has not been able to visit campus to meet Riley or any of the other commits in person, but he plans to as soon as he is allowed.
“The plan is for my family and I to be able to come and visit campus again as soon as possible when there are no restrictions,” said the future Notre Dame corner.
When that will be, no one knows. In the meantime, Barnes has been doing his best to recruit players in the 2021 class and has been having great success.
The third cornerback of the class, Chance Tucker, committed in part because of the work Barnes and Riley put in. The group of Barnes, Riley and Tucker can now combine to be one of the best and highest potential cornerback groups in the country.
Barnes has been involved in the recent commitments of running back Logan Diggs and tight end Mitchell Evans, and he has proved to be an active recruiter in this class along with offensive tackle Blake Fisher and defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio.
You can find the latest on each of those commitments, here:
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