STILLWATER — When sophomore receiver Chris Barnes takes the field this fall, he will do so for his third school in three years. That’s practically the playbook for many these days, but what is unusual is that he has and will continue to play for the same position coach, new Cowboys receiver coach Nick Edwards.
“Man, he’s the same person,” Edwards said of Barnes. “Big personality, look at him (talking to reporters), just smiling already. Big personality, super-silly, super-focused individual.
“Matured a lot. … Having a really good year, which we have talked about, you know, numerous times, right. This is your year to go ahead and get on the map from a college football standpoint.”
Barnes certainly seemed to do just that during practice on Tuesday afternoon. When the first-string offense went uptempo against what appeared to be the first-string defense, Barnes was targeted early and often on plays resulting in positive yardage. Eventually, he leaked out over the top for a touchdown.
“He had an ability to be at the Power Four level, Power Five at that time, his first year,” Edwards said. “A lot of guys get, kind of get scared, just about the height. But when you just watch his ball skills and actually see him in person, man, he can catch it like the best of them. He can catch like a 6-(foot)-5 guy. So yeah, like he could have been here right off the bat.”
Barnes started his career at Washington State, then a Power Five on the way out with the imminent destruction of the former Pac-12, where he redshirted after catching two passes for 19 yards. Then, last season at Wake Forest, he exploded for 39 catches, 547 yards and a team-high three receiving touchdowns, putting him only one catch and 64 yards short of the team’s leader in both categories.
Barnes was a four-star transfer according to 247Sports, which ranked him 153rd overall and 41st among receivers. On3 ranked him slightly lower overall, 196th, and 42nd at WR.
Despite playing for Edwards all three seasons, Barnes clarified he never planned to follow his coach. Well, at least he didn’t every time.
“When I came from Washington State to go to Wake Forest, it really wasn’t planned, but it kind of was, in a way,” Barnes said. “Like I was like, if Coach Ed get the job here, I would definitely commit to Wake Forest.
“And then he got the job, and then I committed, you know, boom. So then coming here, it all just kind of happened, like I wasn’t really focused on just trying to go where a coach went. I wasn’t following a coach or none of that. So he ended up here. Then I came on my visit. I came here. I like the place, you know, I like what Coach (Eric) Morris was building in Stillwater. Then it just kind of happened. … Like everything happened for a reason.”
Even if Barnes minimizes some of the role Edwards had on getting him to Stillwater, he’s happy to talk about what he likes about playing for a coach who has made a habit of demonstrating receiver skills and emulating defensive backs who want to rough the guys up a bit during drills.
“He played the position, he can still go out there and do the routes and show you, like, what he mean,” Barnes said. “It’s just little stuff like that I take into consideration. Like other places, they have maybe older coaches as receiver coaches, where they can’t actually show you the technique stuff like he can. So I feel like that itself, it says a lot.”
But if it wasn’t all about reuniting with Edwards, again, then what brought Barnes to Stillwater?
“The staff and the people that I’ll be around 24/7 you know, in and out, night and day, like I feel like I put that into consideration,” Barnes said. “Because I know they can develop me to be where I want to be in life, be in football.”
It would seem that decision paid off as Barnes has seemingly earned a starting spot based on his consistent usage alongside quarterback Drew Mestemaker this spring. Although it’s not exactly the one many might have expected.
Barnes spent the vast majority of his time lined up at slot last season, according to Pro Football Focus on 210 of his 321 snaps at receiver came at the slot position. That makes sense considering his size.
At 5-7, 169 pounds, Barnes is four inches shorter and 11 pounds lighter than the average of the six guys most commonly seen working with the first and second string offensive units, and those numbers include 5-6, 158-pound Miles Coleman, who helps tilt the numbers closer in Barnes’ direction.
Despite all of that, Oklahoma State seems intent on lining up Barnes outside. Based on Tuesday’s practice, it’s working.
“Being on the outside has definitely taught me a lot,” Barnes said. “Gotta be more patient and wait, but definitive in your actions.”
The new role plays to what might be his greatest strength on the football field.
“I feel like I’m a quick learner,” Barnes said. “Like I said, I was playing a slot my whole life. Like, never really played outside. I got a few reps outside just to single up, but like, actually learning the ins and outs of outside, it’s my first year, and it’s going pretty well so far.”
Of course, none of this surprises his position coach, who later clarified that Barnes has never seemed like one of those guys motivated to try and make up for his height somehow.
“He’s just a natural, hard worker in general, right,” Edwards said. “His mom did a phenomenal job, and his dad did a phenomenal job of just raising him in general. Just to have a strong work ethic.
“So I don’t think he just takes that (his height) like a huge chip on his shoulder or anything like that. Like he doesn’t really, you know, talk about it. He’s just a baller.”
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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