A lot of the offers sent out by the Michigan staff over the last week or so have been to prospects in the 2022 class. One of those 2022 players who just received an offer has an older brother in the 2021 class also being recruited heavily by the Wolverines.
2022 defensive back Bryce Barnes — who plays his high school ball at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland — received his scholarship from the University of Michigan on Tuesday by head coach Jim Harbaugh.
“(I was) very excited and surprised. I didn’t expect (the offer),” Barnes said. “It was awesome, and receiving the offer from coach Harbaugh was special.”
The offer from Michigan is Barnes’ first full-ride scholarship to play football — who is listed at 6-foot, 165 pounds on his Twitter page.
The first offer is always a special one for recruits, but this one is a little sweeter for Barnes. This scholarship now officially gives him and his older brother, 2021 three-star defensive back Ryan Barnes, who also has an offer from Michigan, the opportunity to play together in college. And that is something they’ve talked about doing since they were little.
“Since youth football (Ryan and I) talked about (playing in college together),” Bryce said. “I always played up an age level with him until a couple of seasons before high school. Last year we were both on varsity.
“We were born 15 months apart. Most people thought we were twins growing up. We are close and have been blessed to be on this journey together as brothers.”
Along with Harbaugh, Bryce also spoke with safeties coach Bob Shoop, who just so happens to be the lead recruiter for his older brother. Bryce played corner back last year, but plans to play strong safety his junior season.
Bryce and Ryan plan on visiting Ann Arbor for the first time from June 12-14, if the pandemic cools down by then. Ryan’s will be an official, while Bryce’s will of course be an unofficial since he is only entering his junior season.
“Everything from the facilities, campus, getting a chance to meet coaches and players,” Bryce said regarding what he is most looking forward to seeing on his trip to Michigan. “Being my first offer, I’m ready to visit as soon as I can.”
When it comes to what he is looking for in his future school, Bryce said, “A strong academic university, a great campus environment, a football program that will develop me for the next level and a school that has a powerful network base.”
Obviously the recruitment for both Bryce and Ryan have a long way to go, but the opportunity is now there for them to play together at the collegiate level. Will it be in Ann Arbor at Michigan? Time will tell, so stay tuned.
Bryce is not yet ranked on 247Sports. Ryan is currently No. 534 overall and the No. 40 cornerback on the composite ranking.