Michigan football: AJ Barner is an ‘absolute beast baller’

The loaded Michigan tight end room got a bit smaller in the offseason when Louis Hansen transferred, and captain Erick All left for Iowa. The Wolverines needed help at the position to complement budding star Colston Loveland and others, and they got it when Indiana’s AJ Barner, a Hoosiers captain, joined the program. 

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Barner caught 28 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns last year, but that doesn’t begin to measure his contribution. He was an outstanding leader in Bloomington and a mauler at 6-6, 250 pounds who takes every rep seriously. 

It was “kind of a coincidence” that they ended up at Michigan together, IU quarterback transfer Jack Tuttle told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, but he’s happy they did.

“He’s an absolute beast baller,” Tuttle praised of his teammate. “A hard-nosed kid, just a great leader, too — a captain at Indiana with me. That kid will sell out. 

“That’s one of the most important qualities to have as a football player. That kid would sell his left arm to win a football game. That heart … everything you could ask for. I honestly wouldn’t want anyone else stepping on a football field with me.”

So far, Barner told Jansen, the fit’s been as good as he’d hoped. The Michigan players have accepted him with open arms, and he feels he fits with the culture. 

He was looking at several aspects when he chose to leave Indiana for a new beginning, and he found everything he was looking for at Michigan. 

“It kind of goes into why I came here, just because I’m a guy that likes playing a tough brand of football,” Barner continued. “You turn on the TV, you see Michigan running the ball. Play action, physical up front … I’m the type of player that loves to do that. 

“Then also, too, I feel like just having Coach [Mike] Hart here. I spent a year with him at Indiana, and I just think in this business being ‘real’ is extremely important. Coach Hart always keeps it real and just is a good dude on and off the field, somebody I can go to and he’s going to be honest. He’s not going to sugar coat anything.”

Those two factors were huge, he said. But having played Michigan, he knew how seriously they took it in Ann Arbor. 

“I know how much football means to this place,” Barner said. “Just that opportunity and the opportunity to go compete for a national title, Big Ten championship … that’s the standard. It’s not just like a goal that may be out of reach. That’s the standard, and that’s what we’re shooting for.”

Barner is a ‘perfect fit’ for Michigan

Those close to it say they couldn’t have asked for a better fit when it comes to loving the game. Like Tuttle, he’s a “football junkie” who would have played defensive if he could have, but he outgrew the linebacker position. 

“I feel like I’m a physical blocker, somebody that takes pride in just understanding if you’re going to get the ball, you’d better block first,” Barner said. “Of course I love catching the ball and scoring touchdowns, but I also love pancaking somebody, stuff like that. 

“That comes from … I grew up my whole life playing defense. My dad was a middle linebacker. I always wanted to play defense. I didn’t think I’d play tight end at this level, but then I kept growing – ‘you’re too big to be a linebacker.’

“I feel that aspect of that game, knowing the angles a linebacker has to take to get to the ball … then I also wrestled too growing up. So just the leverage it takes to block. Those little details.”

Playing against the best has only made him better, he continued.

“Another reason I came to Michigan … I have to block Jaylen [Harrell] every day in practice, Braiden [McGregor], Kris Jenkins, the list goes on and on. Junior [Colson]. Just going up against those dudes every day in practice is just going to make it that much easier in a game.”

Some days he wins the reps, others his teammates do. Success won’t happen overnight, he knows, but he always shows up for every rep, and consistency is important to him.

“I feel like every day just attacking it, trying to get better … little intricate details mentioned about blocking,” Barner said. “Footwork, hand placement, stuff like that. Also, the top end of my routes, making sure I’m getting open, coming back to the ball, negative on breaks, finishing on catches.”

Eventually, he knows, he’ll be asked to lead. Like center Olu Oluwatimi last year, he’s biding his time and waiting for his opportunity. He wants to get to know the players first before barking, so he’s trying to lead by example. 

The tight ends and his other teammates, though, have already accepted him, and he’s made a great early impression. There’s a role for Barner on this team — a big one, most likely — and he’s doing his best to show it every day.