It’s going to be a busy spring slate of visits for Rivals250 linebacker Bo Barnes.
The Dallas Skyline standout will be at LSU this weekend. He’ll hit Ohio State on March 23 and Alabama on March 30. In April, he’ll visit Texas, Texas A&M and Oregon on consecutive Saturdays, starting with Texas on April 6. On the last week of April, Barnes has an official visit locked in with Nebraska (April 26).
The objective with all these visits, Barnes says, is to get more familiar with some of the programs on his list as he works towards a summer commitment.
“I’m just trying to meet different people, things like that,” Barnes said. “You get to see different things at all of these schools. I’ll just ask questions, things like that that are important to me.”
Barnes has been in talks with Texas about setting up an official visit for the weekend of June 21, but that trip is not yet set in stone. If things go well, he’ll take his spring visits and a handful of summer official visits before coming to a final decision later in the summer.
“I was thinking about committing before my first game of the season, commit before that game to get it out of the way, really focus on my season,” Barnes said.
In January, the 6-1, 219-pound Barnes attended a Texas junior day, where he had his first chance to meet up with new UT linebackers coach Johnny Nansen. Barnes said he likes what he’s heard from the new Texas staff member in the limited time Nansen has been in Austin.
“Coach Nansen is a really cool dude. He’s a genuine guy. He knows a lot about the game and I feel like he can pour that into me if I do commit to Texas,” Barnes said. “I feel like he can develop me into the player I want to be, help me get to the next level. Coach Nansen is a cool dude, a great guy to talk to in general. He’s a down-to-earth guy, has a lot of energy, lot of love.”
Barnes recently dropped a top 10 consisting of LSU, Florida State, Ohio State, Texas A&M, SMU, Alabama, Oregon, Southern Cal, Nebraska and Texas. His plan is to narrow his list even further in the summer.
As for Texas, Barnes said there’s a lot to like, including the progress the Longhorns have shown on the field under Steve Sarkisian.
“I feel like they’re going to go for a national championship run again next year, be a playoff team again next year,” Barnes said. “I’m hoping so. I hope they do great things.”
Barnes is ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and checks in at No. 130 on the Rivals250.
