STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Top247 edge rusher Zahir Mathis is in an interesting spot. The Philadelphia Imhotep standout is committed to Ohio State, which is where legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson has been since the 2014 season. He has nearly 30 years of college experience. Penn State is also heavily involved with Mathis, who made an official visit to campus last month and thinks highly of Nittany Lions defensive line coach and former Philadelphia Northeast star Deion Barnes.
It just so happens that Barnes sits on the other end of the experience meter, and the experience comes up a lot in recruiting. A lot.
Mathis’ case offers up an interesting dichotomy in experience, which is something recruits latch onto when making decisions on which school to attend.
Sitting in his temporary office as summer renovations take place in the Lasch Building, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said he knew that schools would lean heavily on the inexperience factor in recruiting battles when Barnes was elevated from graduate assistant to defensive line coach after John Scott left following the 2022 season.
“Any leader would tell you in any organization, if you have the ability to promote from within, that’s the ideal scenario,” said Franklin, who also coached Barnes during his final year as a player at Penn State. “I had five years to evaluate him and make this decision, and that doesn’t even count when he played for me.
“I also knew by hiring him, other schools would try to use that against us. We knew that. That is one of the challenges of making this decision, but we felt it was the right decision and the production backed the decision up.”
That production quickly allowed Barnes to change the narrative schools were using on him.
Last season, his first running the defensive line, Penn State led the nation with 49 sacks. It was 14 more than the next Big Ten team.
The Nittany Lions also led the nation with 111 tackles for loss.
Barnes, who signed with Penn State in the 2011 class before a brief NFL career and a trainer’s job in Philadelphia led to his return to Penn State, showed an ability to recruit at a strong level as a grad assistant.
“My style is more demanding,” Barnes said. “My style is I know what it looks like, so I am not going to stop until it all looks like that. I like to say this in the room all the time; you messed up and he will say, ‘Why did I mess up, coach?’ I say, ‘Because you already showed me you can do it.’
“If you show me you can do it a couple times, I need that every time. My biggest thing is to reach your full potential. That’s what I am here to do, help them reach their full potential.”
