Chris Barnes is 'an every-down receiver' for Oklahoma State football despite size
· Yahoo Sports
STILLWATER — From his early days as a football player, Chris Barnes’ positional fate seemed clear.
Visit turconews.click for more information.
Small and shifty, Barnes checked all the boxes of a prototypical slot receiver.
With elite straight-line speed and lateral quickness packaged in a muscled-up 5-foot-7, 168-pound body, the new Oklahoma State receiver seems built for nothing else.
But when Eric Morris lured Barnes to OSU, he presented him with a different plan.
Morris had brought with him from North Texas a pair of slot receivers in Wyatt Young and Miles Coleman who already had good chemistry with quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
So, despite Barnes’ physical limitations, Morris suggested the Wake Forest transfer move to an outside receiver position.
“I’ve been a slot literally my whole life,” Barnes said. “I didn’t have no problem with it, because anywhere I’m gonna play at, that’s where I wanna play.
“I’m not gonna back down from it just because I’m a smaller receiver. I got the skill sets to go out there and do what I gotta do.”
When the Cowboys wound down spring practice with their final scrimmage in Boone Pickens Stadium last month, Barnes showed his size isn’t going to hinder him on the outside.
He had 141 yards and a touchdown on five catches that day, giving a glimpse of the connection he has already formed with Mestemaker on a 98-yard TD grab.
And while many of the aspects of outside receiver are the same as playing on the inside, Barnes still had a lot to learn about his new role.
Perhaps the biggest change he faced was at the line of scrimmage.
As a slot receiver, he frequently lined up a yard off the ball, and rarely with a defender directly across from him. That provided space for him to make his first move, and because of his quickness, that was often all he needed.
But as an outside receiver, he almost always is aligned on the ball, and often has a defender pressing in tight coverage, ready to hit him as soon as the ball is snapped.
“I feel like I've developed the techniques to win versus press,” he said. “At slot, I’m used to running free for at least 5-10 yards.”
No one knows Barnes’ skillset better than OSU receivers coach Nick Edwards, who first recruited Barnes to Washington State before the two made the journey to Wake Forest last year.
Now, they’re together at Oklahoma State for a third season, and Edwards has seen his young pupil flourish.
“Man, he’s the total receiver,” Edwards said. “Ball skills — that's the No. 1 thing. Can you stretch the field vertically when you're on the outside? Obviously, he has the speed to beat any corner in the country, but he has the ability to catch the ball.”
Throughout the spring, Edwards saw Barnes take on cornerbacks who were taller with longer arms and bigger bodies. But Barnes held his own with his compact strength and quick feet.
“With Coach Edwards and the other coaches, our meeting time has been classroom time,” Barnes said. “Taking notes, all that, it matters, for sure. When you write it down, it’s easier to remember than just hearing it, so that has really helped.
“I like learning more about the game of football. And now, when I get moved to the inside, it’s still the same. I feel like being available in multiple areas of the field, that’s how you want to be.”
With Young, who went for 1,200 yards at North Texas last year, in the slot and the 6-foot-5 Justin Bowick on the opposite side, Barnes’ unique skills will have room to shine in his new role.
“He has the ability to be a complete receiver, not just a gadget guy and all that,” Edwards said. “Some schools were recruiting him just to be a gadget guy. Like, no. I've seen this guy the last two years.
“He's an every-down receiver.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU football's Chris Barnes making smooth transition to outside WR