2021 Notre Dame CB Commit Ryan Barnes Remains Focused

Ryan Barnes‍ is making the most of the time he has and despite some jarring news, the 2021 Notre Dame cornerback commit is staying positive.

Barnes and his Quince Orchard teammates recently learned they won’t be playing their season in Maryland this fall. They may be able to play in the spring, but Barnes will be in South Bend by then as an early enrollee.

While disappointed about the cancellation, Barnes is comforted by the fact that he achieved his goal of earning a scholarship to a major college program.

“I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life,” he said.

And of course, he'll get a head start, when he arrives in January.

“Just having that time on campus and getting accustomed to the academics and athletics and the head start I’ll get not only on the weight room, but on the field learning coverages and stuff like that,” he says of his decision to graduate early and head to college.

Barnes committed to the Irish last month over offers from schools like Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee among many others. But he’s still working to improve.

“Just the speed that I play the game at,” he says of what he’s working on the most. “In watching film, I noticed that I could move a little faster, so just working on that and working on off-man technique.”

He’s been working with his personal defensive backs coach, Kabote Sikyala.

“We’ve been working out with him for the past two years,” Barnes says. “He’s one of the people who’s got me where I’m at. We continue to work with him and spend a lot of time on the field with him.

“Me and my younger brother have been out on the field alone pretty much every other day and lifting every day. We’re just taking advantage of the time we have.”

He’s also been solidifying relationships with his future family in South Bend.

“It’s been great just getting to know my future teammates, the kids in my class, just building a relationship with them and talking with coaches from Notre Dame to build that relationship so when I get on campus, I have a pretty good idea on how it’s going to be.”