CB C.J. Barnett (official thread)

[LordJeffBuck]

Signed his LOI!

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State football: Recruit C.J. Barnett
by Doug Lesmerises
Wednesday February 04, 2009, 2:45 PM

YouTube - CJ Barnett

C.J. Barnett, DB, 6-1, 180

Clayton, Ohio (Northmont)

4 stars (average of Scout and Rivals rankings)

Ranked as the No. 13 cornerback prospect in this recruiting class by Rivals.com and No. 14 by Scout.com, Barnett was the sixth member of OSU's group, giving his pledge to the Buckeyes just after signing day last year.


He's from the same high school that produced current OSU safety Kurt Coleman, which isn't a bad pedigree to bring to Columbus.

"He's a corner for sure," Northmont coach Lance Schneider said of Barnett. "Kurt played corner for us, but we had an injury at safety his junior year and we moved him to safety and we couldn't get him out of that spot. He was recruited as a corner but they made him a safety because he hits so well.

"C.J. is a physical kid, but he's much more of a cover guy than Kurt was. Kurt was good at that, C.J. is great. C.J. is really strong and has really long arms and he's that 6-1 corner that everyone is looking for. He's got that package."

Ohio State football: Recruit C.J. Barnett - Ohio State Buckeyes Football & Basketball Blog (OSU) - cleveland.com

[Buckskin86]

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper helped develop Buckeyes as ?Cornerback U?
By Chick Ludwig | Wednesday, February 4, 2009
OSU?S LEGACY OF CORNERBACKS
LURES BARNETT TO COLUMBUS




Northmont High School senior C.J. Barnett didn?t envision wearing Scarlet and Gray when the recruiting process began.

?I wanted to go down South, where it was warmer,? he said.

But a closer inspection of Ohio State history ? especially its ability to crank out NFL cornerbacks ? and a promise from a friend changed his mind.

Barnett, one of the nation?s top cornerback prospects, signed his national letter of intent with Ohio State on Wednesday, Feb. 4, joining a dozen other Greater Western Ohio Conference stars in a ceremony on National Signing Day at the Huber Heights Athletic Foundation Center.

?When I first started playing corner my sophomore year, I didn?t know how,? said Barnett, a 6-foot-1, 187-pound first-team All-Ohio Division I performer in 2008. ?I got a DVD that taught me how to play.?

The instructor: Former Ohio State head coach John Cooper.

?He spoke about all their DBs who had a chance to go to the next level,? Barnett said. ?I figured if I can do what I need to and be a starter, then I have a good chance. After looking at Ohio State and seeing what they have to offer, that?s the best choice for me.?

Kurt Coleman, the Buckeyes? starting strong safety from Northmont, decided to return to Ohio State in 2009 and not make himself eligible for the NFL draft in April. He urged Barnett to join him in Columbus.

?Kurt told me, ?If you come, I?ll stay and show you the ropes,? ? Barnett said. ?I said, ?All right. I?ll hold you to that.? He held true to his word.?

DaytonDailyNews: Dayton, Ohio, news and information

[GrizzlyBuck]

I sure like the sounds of that "Cornerback U" The fact of the matter is tOSU does a pretty good job of turning out Safeties as well. Barnett has all the skills to jump right in line with all the others who came before him. He may not get into the two deep this year, but I think we may well see him blowing up returners on special teams this year. His combination of size, speed and cover skills also make him a prime candidate to help out in the nickel package against a more pass happy versus run first team where we used Moeller and Hines.

[wadc45]

Free BN - Barnett Ready To Get OSU Career Underway

[Buckskin86]

Football Profile: C.J. Barnett: Northmont produces another member of OSU's secondary
Mark Stetson
Issue date: 2/16/09

C.J. Barnett didn't have a press conference on signing day.

In fact, he made his choice nearly a year before the bright lights and heavy coverage, verbally committing to Ohio State in February 2008. Barnett knew early on that he wanted to be a Buckeye.

"I chose Ohio State because it was a great overall place to be, I like the environment," he said. "I wanted to get the decision out of the way so I could focus on having fun my senior year in high school."

Barnett, a cornerback from Northmont high school in Clayton, Ohio, joined 24 other football prospects in signing with the Buckeyes. Despite being ranked the No. 13 defensive back in the nation and the No. 5 best player in Ohio by Rivals.com, Barnett flew under the radar during the recruiting process.



DARLENE PARENTE/WWW.LOVEITPHOTOS.COM

"He has a lot of ability," said Kevin Noon, Managoing editor of ohiostate.rivals.com. "He seems to almost be a forgotten man; I think that's a mistake."

At six feet one inch, Barnett fits the traditional mold of a safety rather than a cornerback. Though he doesn't expect to change positions, C.J. will do whatever the coaching staff asks of him.

"It doesn't matter to me," he said. "I'm up for anything."

Football Profile: C.J. Barnett: Northmont produces another member of OSU's secondary - Sports

[generaladm]

Profile of CJ, part of ourhonordefend.com 's "Better Know a Buckeye" series.

Height: 6′1
Weight: 175lbs
40: 4.45
GPA: 3.97 < !
High School: Clayton Northmont HS; Clayton, Ohio
His Recruitment: The kids that commit early in the process don?t have much stories to tell in their respective recruitments for two reasons. One of them is painfully obvious: there?s not much to their recruitment because it was so short. The other: they tend to commit to a program before most other programs get a chance to evaluate them or extend their own offers. They even commit under the cover of darkness, with little fanfare from recruiting services to hype their decision-making process. This is the case with CJ Barnett. Cincinnati, always an early entrant into the Ohio prepster sweepstakes, was his only other offer. Further, write-ups on CJ are few and far between.


...CJ will do the pre-law program at Ohio State. Scout ran a really cool fluff piece way back explaining why he chose pre-law. In short, CJ likes to argue and he loves debate and thinks that pre-law will be a good fit for him. The recommendation came from Mom.

http://www.ourhonordefend.com/2009/0...cj-barnett.php

[craigblitz]

Thought I saw him on the field today. Can anybody confirm this? Looked like he was playing a Safety position.

[TheStoicPaisano]

Yeah he definitely got some time. He (and the rest of the #2 D) will learn from it.