BREAKING: Notre Dame Lands Cornerback Ryan Barnes
Notre Dame has picked up its much-needed second talented cornerback in the 2021 class, landing Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard standout Ryan Barnes.
Barnes has seen his recruitment blow up in recent months, with Notre Dame and other top programs offering him during the spring.
The 6-2, 180-pound cornerback became an early top target for position coach Mike Mickens, who has had a great deal of success with tall and long cornerbacks like the Quince Orchard standout.
The minute Notre Dame offered it became a top contender for the talented Maryland cornerback. That is partly due to Barnes valuing the academic possibilities that Notre Dame provides, but it also had to do with his upbringing.
“I grew up following Notre Dame football,” Barnes told Irish Breakdown recruiting analyst Jack Sullivan following his March offer. “My dad has been a fan since he was a kid, and I have family that lives about an hour away [from Notre Dame].”
His initial plan was to visit Notre Dame in April, but the forced dead period by the NCAA pushed that back. Despite not being able to visit in any kind of official capacity, Barnes developed a strong bond with the Irish staff.
Barnes, Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale standout Philip Riley and Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola star Ceyair Wright became the top cornerback targets for Mickens. Riley committed in early May, and that is when the Irish staff turned even more attention to Barnes, who is now a future teammate with Riley.
A consensus three-star recruit, Barnes graded out as a four-star player on the Irish Breakdown board.
Notre Dame continues to ramp up its recruiting in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. area. The Irish staff landed just three players from the region from 2010 to 2016 (seven classes). Barnes becomes the seventh player from the region - including the third from Maryland - since the 2017 class (five classes).
With Barnes in the fold the Irish have now landed a player from Maryland or DC in five straight classes.
Barnes picked Notre Dame over offers from Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Penn State, Florida State, Michigan, Louisville, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, West Virginia, Michigan State, Minnesota, NC State, Boston College, Maryland, Syracuse, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Duke, Georgia Tech and Kansas.
To read the impact landing Barnes will have on the Notre Dame 2021 recruiting class and the depth chart CLICK HERE.
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