Highly coveted DB breaks down Tennessee visit, where Vols stand and more here

Highly coveted DB breaks down Tennessee visit, where Vols stand and more here

3-Star DB Ryan Barnes recaps Tennessee visit

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, recruiting was suspended by the NCAA for at least a month, on and off campus. However, Tennessee managed to get in a few visitors before the week was out and that rule went into effect. One of those was a defensive back from the DMV area that is starting to blow up in Ryan Barnes. We recently caught up with Barnes in an interview discussing the visit and his recruitment.

Barnes is a 6’2 175lb Cornerback from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He plays for Quince Orchard High School, the same school as Tennessee OLB target Demeioun Robinson, and is listed as a 3-Star corner on all sites but that ranking is set to rise very soon. He holds 24 offers from schools such as Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Arizona State, LSU, Michigan and Oklahoma among others. He is a tall player for his position and extremely versatile. He does really well in man coverage and is the type of corner that Pruitt and Ansley love to coach and develop within their secondaries: a guy that can play all over the field, So it’s no surprise they wanted to get him on campus.

Barnes said when taking us through his visit “I met with academic support to see how it is being a student athlete at Tennessee. I learned more about the strength & conditioning program as well. I sat in on a defense team meeting too. Most visits are basically the same but being that this was my second visit, it was a clearer experience.” So to recap, this visit was more about getting a more in-depth look at the program and how the staff runs things. Barnes also got some needed time with his area recruiter Joe Osovet, and the defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley. When asked about their message to him, Barnes said “I spoke to Coach Osovet & Coach Ansley mostly & they talked about how I fit there as a student athlete. Also they talked about the family atmosphere at Tennessee. Coach Pruitt talked about expectations & how excited he was to see me there to watch practice & to be there for another visit to campus. I was supposed to be there for a second day but it was canceled due to suspension of activities.” It sounds like Jeremy Pruitt is making Barnes a priority at corner for this class.

Barnes makes it pretty clear to us what he is looking for in a school. “Academically, finding a school that has my major of interest and that has a great campus environment. Athletically, having an opportunity to compete and to be able to go to a strong program that will develop my skills & has a plan for me & being part of a team.” He’s looking for the right fit: a school that checks the boxes both academically and athletically. As far as future visits and any other offers he may be hoping for, Barnes said “I’m thankful & blessed to have received the 24 offers that I have. I’ve been workin with my parents to figure out a schedule of what other schools we can possibly visit. We had a few schools coordinated for a visit but with the delay in opportunity for visits, we will see what happens.” Obviously with the recruiting suspension, it’s likely that this is the case for all recruits as there’s gonna be no contact for the next month with players and schools.

Barnes is planning to make a decision either during the summer or by the start of his senior season. With the offers he holds, it should be a fun and notable recruitment to watch going forward. If Tennessee pushes hard for Barnes, they could put themselves in a really good spot for him, and landing him would give them a top notch corner in the 2021 class.