UK defensive coordinator Brad White is making a major impression on one of the nation's top prospects.
Class of 2023 tight end
Mathias "Mega" Barnwell
is ranked the No. 52 player in the Rivals100 and the 6'5, 240-pound four-star prospect announced on social media this week that he has several summer trips planned.
Barnwell will take unofficial visits to Notre Dame (June 17), Ohio State (June 18), Kentucky (June 19), and Tennessee (June 20).
"Those are the four I have planned for right now. I might make a few more trips but we're not sure about that just yet," Barnwell told Cats Illustrated. "The reason for those trips is the timing really just lined up. I've been talking to all four of those schools.
"Tennessee re-offered me (with the new coaching staff) and I started talking to them again. Kentucky and Notre Dame started talking to me at about the same time. All of that worked out really well. Once we got on the phone a few times and they met my family, my mother, we decided that we definitely wanted to visit those schools."
The only camp Barnwell has scheduled is at Virginia Tech on June 11th.
Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, Southern Cal, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia are among the schools that have offered in addition to Kentucky.
So why is Kentucky such a factor in Barnwell's recruitment?
"I've talked to Coach White and he's a great guy," the Rivals100 prospect said. "My family loves him. We talk every week and our relationship is getting stronger and stronger. So as you know I have a visit planned there and we can't wait to go and see what it's like.
"It's been a really long time and I'm just excited and blessed to have the opportunity to finally go to these schools, to take some visits and meet the coaches," he said.
Barnwell was first team all-district at tight end and second team all-district as a defensive end this past season as a junior at Fredericksburg (Va.) Riverbend.
In June of last year Barnwell verbally committed to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are obviously still involved given his plans to unofficially visit Happy Valley the day after he's in Lexington.
Of his decommitment from Penn State, Barnwell told Ryan Snyder of BWI.com on the Rivals.com network, “My family and I thought it was the right thing, just because I'm a young prospect and I have a lot of time left to still receive offers and other opportunities. Penn State is, of course, still one of my top schools and I have started to build my bond back with them and get close to Coach [Ty] Howle, like I was with Coach [Tyler] Bowen. So yeah, the love has always been there for Penn State, and always will be there. Nothing's really changed.”
According to Snyder, Barnwell was the youngest player to ever commit to Penn State when he made that original choice.
On Notre Dame, he recently told Mike Singer of BlueandGold.com, “I’ve always known about Notre Dame growing up. My first football coaches were huge Notre Dame fans. They always talked about the school, and we’d watch the games together. Those two made the offer even more special because I had background watching Notre Dame.”
Class of 2023 tight end
Mathias "Mega" Barnwell
is ranked the No. 52 player in the Rivals100 and the 6'5, 240-pound four-star prospect announced on social media this week that he has several summer trips planned.
Barnwell will take unofficial visits to Notre Dame (June 17), Ohio State (June 18), Kentucky (June 19), and Tennessee (June 20).
"Those are the four I have planned for right now. I might make a few more trips but we're not sure about that just yet," Barnwell told Cats Illustrated. "The reason for those trips is the timing really just lined up. I've been talking to all four of those schools.
"Tennessee re-offered me (with the new coaching staff) and I started talking to them again. Kentucky and Notre Dame started talking to me at about the same time. All of that worked out really well. Once we got on the phone a few times and they met my family, my mother, we decided that we definitely wanted to visit those schools."
The only camp Barnwell has scheduled is at Virginia Tech on June 11th.
Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, Southern Cal, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia are among the schools that have offered in addition to Kentucky.
So why is Kentucky such a factor in Barnwell's recruitment?
"I've talked to Coach White and he's a great guy," the Rivals100 prospect said. "My family loves him. We talk every week and our relationship is getting stronger and stronger. So as you know I have a visit planned there and we can't wait to go and see what it's like.
"It's been a really long time and I'm just excited and blessed to have the opportunity to finally go to these schools, to take some visits and meet the coaches," he said.
Barnwell was first team all-district at tight end and second team all-district as a defensive end this past season as a junior at Fredericksburg (Va.) Riverbend.
In June of last year Barnwell verbally committed to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are obviously still involved given his plans to unofficially visit Happy Valley the day after he's in Lexington.
Of his decommitment from Penn State, Barnwell told Ryan Snyder of BWI.com on the Rivals.com network, “My family and I thought it was the right thing, just because I'm a young prospect and I have a lot of time left to still receive offers and other opportunities. Penn State is, of course, still one of my top schools and I have started to build my bond back with them and get close to Coach [Ty] Howle, like I was with Coach [Tyler] Bowen. So yeah, the love has always been there for Penn State, and always will be there. Nothing's really changed.”
According to Snyder, Barnwell was the youngest player to ever commit to Penn State when he made that original choice.
On Notre Dame, he recently told Mike Singer of BlueandGold.com, “I’ve always known about Notre Dame growing up. My first football coaches were huge Notre Dame fans. They always talked about the school, and we’d watch the games together. Those two made the offer even more special because I had background watching Notre Dame.”
