Ryan Barnes shares moving personal reason for attending Notre Dame
For cornerback Ryan Barnes, all of the typical draws of Notre Dame were a factor in his choosing to ultimately join the Irish football team: a top-notch program, elite academics, a rich tradition. But for the 6-2, 187-pound Maryland native, there was another reason Notre Dame stuck out to him from Day 1.
“Notre Dame has pretty much always been a part of my life,” Barnes said Tuesday on an Irish Players Club Twitter Space.
Barnes’ father, Dennis, is a Notre Dame fan. But he’s not just any Notre Dame fan. He grew up watching the Irish because his father, Ryan’s grandfather, worked for NBC for 40 years. Obviously, NBC owns the exclusive rights to Notre Dame home football games.
“Growing up, my dad was a Notre Dame fan,” the defensive back added. “We visited the school when we were younger, and to get the opportunity to come here and be one of those guys that I looked up to as a kid and would watch on TV is a dream come true.”
The eldest Barnes passed away two years ago, just around the time his grandson was making his college decision.
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Barnes had an overwhelming number of Power Five offers, including from schools like Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Oregon. But during his recruitment, he was waiting for a certain school to give him the green light.
“(The opportunity) to wear the gold helmets, run out every Saturday, and be on TV all of the time lit my eyes up,” Barnes said. “I couldn’t wait until I got the offer. I had a feeling (Notre Dame) was the place I was going to end up.”
Like his grandfather made a mark on his life, Barnes now has a chance to make a mark on the Irish program.
During his freshman season in 2021, Barnes played just three snaps at corner, all of which came in the Fiesta Bowl. He appeared in three regular season games on special teams and made his collegiate debut against Navy on Nov. 6.
Heading into 2022, Barnes has one season of college football under his belt, and Notre Dame has questions at his position. Corner was a weakness for a stout Irish defense last year, one which was exposed in the second half of the Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.
Barnes is competing to break into the two-deep this fall, as starters Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis are back for another season. When Hart was out this spring with an injury, Barnes was seen practicing with the first-team defense at times. He even picked off a Tyler Buchner-thrown pass on a corner route in an open practice.
The boundary seems like the best spot for Barnes, as his length is an asset typical boundary corner Lewis does not have at 5-11.
“He’s long enough to be able to play the ball and disrupt the timing of routes in the boundary,” said Mike Mickens, Irish cornerbacks coach.
And that’s not all he can do. Barnes demonstrated impressive tackling abilities during the Blue-Gold Game on April 23, leading both teams in total tackles with six, all of which were solo. He’s confident in his skill set heading into the fall, and he wouldn’t change his situation.
“I feel like I’m on the right track,” Barnes said of his path toward leaving a legacy in South Bend. “The opportunities I’ve been presented already are far more than I could have ever imagined. The ability to network and talk to people like (former Notre Dame fullback) Jerome Bettis, not many schools get the chance to talk with a Hall of Famer.
“The coaching staff and the culture the school brings (gives) us the ability to follow those dreams we all had as kids.”
The young Barnes who watched the Irish on NBC as a child would be proud. So would his grandfather.
