First, we re-trace his introduction to football which did not start in Virginia.
"My father is a Colonel in the Army and around the age of 7 or 8 we moved to a military base in Germany," said Barnes. "That is where I was introduced to football and began playing. We lived on a military base that had many families in the same situation as ours so I made a lot of friends playing football and we had a great time. I really liked the culture in Germany and everything was so accessible being centrally located on the military base. I played QB, RB, WR, and DB and had a lot of success. We didn't play contact; we only played flag football; but I believe it helped me become more comfortable on the field and certainly helped me develop elusive skills always trying to keep others from grabbing my flag."
The Barnes family relocated to Virginia going into Jordan's 7th grade year and that his first year playing tackle football in the states.
"It went OK. It was a transition for me moving all the way back to Virginia and getting caught up with all the talent we have in this area. I had an adjustment to make playing more physical football," Barnes stated.
"The summer going into my 8th grade year, I attended the University of Michigan football camp where my cousin J.T. Floyd played defensive back. Since my grandparents lived in the area, I stayed there and was able to stay in the area for a few days. JT took me around the campus, showed me everything, and also provided me a lot of coaching tips. I went out and attended Michigan's youth camp and had a great performance. I won an award as one of the top defensive backs and with everything I learned there it gave me the confidence to know I would be playing cornerback from that point forward. It also propelled my confidence to play much better in my 8th grade season."
Entering high school, Barnes did not have the physical size as others in his class but maintained a strong work ethic and desire to improve that allowed him to continue to earn opportunity.
"We only have a varsity and junior varsity team so I started out with junior varsity as a freshman," commented Barnes. "I did not receive any playing time my freshman year until the third to last game of the season where I was the slot receiver in our Buckeye formation. I also started receiving reps in the defensive backfield, too. I left that season a little bitter and really worked hard in the off-season to move up the depth chart. I earned the varsity team members' respect and was able to join them during their off-season workouts which was really beneficial. My sophomore season, I started the entire season at WR and CB on junior varsity. I also suited up for all varsity games. I began punting, too. It was real gratifying to see my hard work pay off."
Entering his junior season with a strong leg, Barnes was forgotten a bit in the defensive backfield.
"The first few games of last season, my job was to be the starting punter," explained Barnes. "I had a strong leg and averaged 55 yards per punt but for some reason I went un-noticed with my DB coach until the 5th game of the year against Prince George when in the first series of the game one of the starting guys made a miscue and I was inserted onto the field for the remainder of the game. I recorded two pass deflections and one tackle in that game, and started three more games before the end of the season. I remember I played one bad quarter against Petersburg where I learned the vital lesson to not watch the quarterback but always leave my eyes with the receiver. In the four games I started, I recorded 12 tackles and 8 pass deflections."
Since the end of his junior season, Barnes had made remarkable improvement and continues to grow and add his size to his frame.
"I ended my junior season at five-foot-eight, 142-pounds and currently I am five-foot-nine and a half, 168-pounds," Barnes said.
"I think I am a smarter player and have much better field awareness. I am stronger so I am capable of playing more physical at the line of scrimmage and in coverage. My goal is to increase my big play production this fall and I have a goal of recording at least six interceptions. Most importantly, I want to do everything in my power to ensure I am able to line up as a starter every game this fall. Right now, that is where I am placed on the depth chart."
"Our senior class is a little bit different that recent senior classes at Thomas Dale because we have a lot of guys who have not yet seen their recruitment take off and are hungry to prove themselves. We all look out for each other and know we'll all better succeed the more we succeed as a team. Our goal is to win a state championship this fall."
To this point, Barnes has received recruiting interest from various schools at the FCS, Division II, and Division III levels. This summer, he will be hitting the camp circuit to showcase his improvement this off season.
"I will be attending one day camps Old Dominion and Morgan State; as well; as multi-day camps at James Madison and potentially Liberty. I will also participate with my team in a team camp at Randolph Macon," Barnes shared.
"My goal is to find a college that offers my major and has a strong program in Biology. I am looking for a genuine coaching staff who looks out for their players and have great knowledge of the game. I am looking for a college who will give me an honest opportunity to earn playing time."
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