Tech’s T.J. Barnes kicking it into gear
Of all the testimonials given to Georgia Tech nose tackle T.J. Barnes’ improvement, perhaps none carries more credence than one from a teammate who has spent much of the past two weeks colliding with him.
“T.J., he used to not be much of a threat to rush the passer,” guard Will Jackson said, “but now he’s getting back there and he’s a lot quicker and a lot more explosive off the ball.”
The wait for Barnes, blessed with an easy laugh, quiet personality and immense size, to measure up to his potential may be over. This much is certain – now heading into his senior season, he can’t wait much longer.
“I think he realizes right now he’s got 12 games he’s guaranteed to play,” strength and conditioning coach John Sisk said.
The hoopla over Barnes began soon after his arrival from Enterprise, Ala. He was a terror on the scout team in his redshirt season. It led coaches and fans to imagine what he could do against actual opponents.
“He’s got the ability to one day be a great player,” former defensive line coach Giff Smith said during Tech’s 2009 spring practice, Barnes’ first. “How quick he gets there will be determined by how hard he continues to work.”
The fervor grew when coach Paul Johnson hired Al Groh as his defensive coordinator following the 2009 season. Barnes, 6-foot-7 with weight that hovered around 340 pounds, seemed an ideal fit to be an anchoring nose tackle in Groh’s 3-4 defense. However, in his first three seasons, Barnes’ most estimable opponents were not Georgia or Virginia Tech, but his stamina and weight. He missed only one game in his first three seasons, but made the starting lineup only three times.
Logan Walls has graduated and Barnes’ backup, Shawn Green, is promising, but has only played four games. Tech, it appears, has no choice but to start Barnes, who has in turn shown teammates and coaches that he is ready to accept the challenge.
“T.J. wants to do very well,” Groh said. “He’s got a very strong want-to.”
In the summer, following the team’s morning strength and conditioning workouts, Barnes voluntarily returned in the afternoon three to four times a week for extra training with Sisk. Barnes used the time for stretching, elliptical machine, core-strength work and kettle-bell exercises. When the team had a week off at the end of the summer term before the start of fall camp, Barnes did two more workouts on his own.
Said Sisk, “I think he took ownership of his work ethic this summer.”
Teammates noticed his work in the morning workouts. Just before the start of fall camp, inside linebacker Quayshawn Nealy gave Barnes credit for his conditioning work, for managing his weight and for keeping up with smaller teammates in speed drills.
Barnes “kicked it into gear,” Nealy said. “I can’t honestly say what made him kick it into gear, but I’m just glad that he did.”
Asked that question, Barnes pointed at a finger at Nealy and other teammates.
“You’re just looking to your left and to your right and behind you,” Barnes said. “You’re fighting for those guys.”
Another is Julian Burnett, whose neck injury in the Sun Bowl ended his career.
“You don’t want to let them down, especially since we lost ‘Rambo,’” Barnes said. “He’s still counting on us. Being a senior, you have to be able to push through.”
A superior season from Barnes could shape Tech’s route to an ACC championship as perhaps any player. As a nose tackle, Barnes’ responsibility is to stalemate centers and guards and disrupt offenses. Groh has described the position as being “the pillar or the rock in the middle.”
“There’s nothing better than having somebody who can just stuff the middle every time,” defensive end Izaan Cross said. “Just eliminating that from the game plan is awesome.”
At last check, Barnes’ weight was a manageable 342 pounds and his summer labors appeared to have had the desired effect on his endurance and flexibility. Tech will start the season Sept. 3 against Virginia Tech.
Will Jackson can hardly wait.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech notes
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326 comments Add your comment
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:06 pm
good riddance. Enjoy ur r e d n e c k race. talk about boring!
1 4 GT
August 19th, 2012
4:06 pm
I thought the AJC said the new blog format would stop the trolls. I am still seeing them. Oh well.
Ol'JacketFan
August 19th, 2012
4:07 pm
Hmmmm interesting supposition. Similiar writing styles for sure but I guess that could be coincidence.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:08 pm
You gotta stop looking in the mirror
Ol'JacketFan
August 19th, 2012
4:08 pm
I wondeir if Ken banned him after his roid rage tirade the other night?
1 4 GT
August 19th, 2012
4:11 pm
Possible OJF
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:15 pm
Predictions for 2012 season
By all means at the end of the season bring this up but only if you do the same comp to ur predictions
Mon, Sep 3 at (16) Virginia Tech 8:00 pm — loss 28 24
Sat, Sep 8 Presbyterian 7:00 pm — win 47 7
Sat, Sep 15 Virginia 3:30 pm — win 20 16
Sat, Sep 22 Miami (FL) TBA — win 17-14
Sat, Sep 29 Middle Tennessee 7:00 pm — win 38-21
Sat, Oct 6 at (22) Clemson TBA — loss 33-24
Sat, Oct 20 Boston College TBA — win 28-17
Sat, Oct 27 Brigham Young TBA — win 27-20
Sat, Nov 3 at Maryland TBA — win 24-21
Sat, Nov 10 at North Carolina TBA — loss 26-21
Sat, Nov 17 Duke TBA — win 40-27
Sat, Nov 24 at (19) Georgia loss 30-21
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
4:17 pm
Reasonable picks, Mock 1.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:25 pm
8-4 not bad at all. And I hope that Vad will get some playing time in these games as well to help prepare him for next season. The games I consider flippers are miami unc uva and clemson. I think gt could beat clemson but lose to uva or lose to miami and beat unc, etc. But this is what I m sticking with for now. It will be interesting to see how crisp the offense is against a top 20 team to start the season. I belive this is the first time they have started against an acc or quality opponent under pj.
WnE
August 19th, 2012
4:32 pm
re:
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
3:45 pm
Basically, WnE is saying we have to bat 1.000 and unwittingly made our point for us.
___________
No, not at all!
But if we were to bat .300 and get 3 or 4 of those guys we strengthen ourselves greatly and we weaken UGA at the same time.
Either way, Mr. Stein are you satisfied with batting .000 in that scenario?
So instead of closing on big-time players ready to play in the SEC, we are bringing in guys from Australia and recruiting guys that only played ONE yr. of HS FB, instead of Academic Qualifiers that actually have a “better” chance of being successful on the field.
You not recognizing that CPJ’s close rate on Academic qualifiers is poor is what is making my point.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:32 pm
Ugly game for the braves. Not good going into Washington. And not good considering what happened around this time last season.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
4:33 pm
The games we should win are: Presbyterian, Middle Tenn, BC, Duke, Maryland
Games we will probably be favored in but not gimmes: UVA, Miami, BYU, UNC
Likely underdogs: VT, Clemson, UGA
I think a nine or ten win season is possible. I think we will lose to VT, though.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
4:34 pm
Uh, .300 would be one of those players, WnE. Tell me which one you’d like to have most.
Ol'JacketFan
August 19th, 2012
4:36 pm
VT-W 24-14
Pres-W 45-10
VA-W 27-14
Miami-W 24-21
MTSU-W 42-14
Clemson-L 31-17
BC-W 35-14
BYU-W 31-21
MD-W 28-21
Duke-W 42-28
GA-L 24-17 (though it pains me to put this one here!)
Looking at the schedule there isn’t a game Tech cannot win. The GA, VT & Clemson are the 3 I feel Tech’s most likely to lose. NC lost a boatload of talent on the defensive side of the ball and an entirely new coaching staff. Miami also lost a lot of talent with “graduation” and others exiting to the draft, plus it is a home game. So I see a 9-3 possibly a 10-2 regular season if the team stays healthy.
Go Jackets!
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:37 pm
Wne
You may have a point on the australian kid but Kallon was a no brainer recruit. He had offers from like 25 colleges many of them being big time programs. And the o lineman they have so far are definitely a step up from years past. The key to this offense is a qb and so far, gt has not had one with the “wow” factor. Understandable in the first 3 seasons but going into year 5, i expected better but we are stuck with TW who has NO “wow” factor. Still should be able to produce 8 wins with the offense they run. Anything less than 8 would be a lousy season imho.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:42 pm
My logic on picking a unc loss is simple. We are due for a loss to them…it’s usually a close game and it’s on the road. It’s also a second road game in a row. And their qb, renner, is actually pretty good and mobile. Something that usually beats gt.
I don’t see them having much of a chance against vt and uga. Those are solid losses in my eyes. And it seems like clemson is a rotating w l every other year. Only thing that worries me is uva being the 2nd acc game. Cause they always give gt fits. Lose to vt and then to them and the season could spiral down fast.
WnE
August 19th, 2012
4:44 pm
Yet another CPJ “myth” is being debunked right before our very own eyes.
The mythology of CPJ says that he is supposed to light a fire under his players and make them work hard because CPJ “gets more out of less”.
CPJ Recruited Barnes and he had been around GT for 4 years and has not worked hard for 4 years, so now in his 5th yr. when he (Barnes) is thinking about possibly cashing in on an NFL Contract, now he decides to work “harder” and watch his weight.
He didn’t do it for his teammates, he didn’t do it because he “loves GT”, nor is he doing it for all those BS nostalgic reasons that you guys are throwing out, Barnes is doing all this because he thinks he can cash in, NOT because our “fiery leader” motivated him to lay it on the line for GT.
CPJ gets more out of less, yet another myth in the CPJ legend that has been debunked.
The perception that CPJ gets more out of less is greatly enhanced by him watering down the schedule wherever goes.
Ol'JacketFan
August 19th, 2012
4:50 pm
About Gotsis and Kallon, Gotsis actually has more american football experience than Kallon. Not saying the level of competition he’s faced is the equivilant of GA or TX or FL HS ball but he has played a whole more snaps than Kallon. Kallon is a physical beast and, based on what I’ve read, has worked his butt off this summer adding size and strength. Gotsis is 300lb and also starred in Aussy Rules so you know he tough!
WnE
August 19th, 2012
4:50 pm
re:
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
4:37 pm
Wne
You may have a point on the australian kid but Kallon was a no brainer recruit. He had offers from like 25 colleges many of them being big time programs. And the o lineman they have so far are definitely a step up from years past. The key to this offense is a qb and so far, gt has not had one with the “wow” factor. Understandable in the first 3 seasons but going into year 5, i expected better but we are stuck with TW who has NO “wow” factor. Still should be able to produce 8 wins with the offense they run. Anything less than 8 would be a lousy season imho.
___________
Not criticizing Kallon at all, I have even said that GT should take chances on big guys like Kallon rather than more runt-sized pony backs for the A-Back depth-chart.
Kallon is a no-brainer signee for schools like UGA that can take a chance on the “last scholly” in their class.
At GT Kallon is under pressure to develop & PLAY QUICKLY because CPJ has not recruited well on the DL.
Other schools offered Kallon as a developmental project, GT offered him as the “headliner” of our 2012 class.
The headline Recruit of our 2012 Class only played 1-Year of HS FB, GT’s recruiting should never be that lousy.
But under CPJ it has been that lousy.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
4:52 pm
Results of games aren’t random, Mock 1. Being “due” for a loss isn’t a reason. You might say they will be more explosive of offense and you don’t think they’ll lose much on defense (or that their new DC, who is supposed to be very good, will make up for their losses on D), and that would be fine. But being due isn’t a reason.
Jacket Man
August 19th, 2012
4:53 pm
Really easy explanation as to why TJ has finally gotten his feet under himself…anyone who has attended GA Tech knows that classes aren’t a walk in the park, and your classes as an undergraduate, when you are becoming acclimated to to program and sometimes even deciding on whether you want to keep the major you started with is uncertain at best.
Let’s compound that with heaping on all of the extracurricular requirements that football required year round, including the traveling during the Fall, and then changing defensive coordinators, and you’ll find a player who may just start off a bit “slow” in his career.
TJ has finally gotten all of his classes in order, his football “life” in order, and is in his third year of the new defense. He is focused and I believe will have an outstanding season.
GT GRAD
August 19th, 2012
4:55 pm
With his size………he is thinking he has a legitimate shot at being drafted to the NFL (more than likely the most effective motivating factor). He is absolutely correct. If he plays well this season; he gets drafted period. If he plays great and puts some dominat plays along with consistent effort on tape; he might even be drafted in the early rounds. He has the size NFL teams are looking for each and every year.
I hope he plays great/superb and gets drafted early! Go GT!!
Ol'JacketFan
August 19th, 2012
4:55 pm
One thing I would like to see is V.Lee start the Pres. game. It’s a good opporunity for him to get into a game and get the flow of the offense under game conditions.
WnE
August 19th, 2012
4:58 pm
re:
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
4:34 pm
Uh, .300 would be one of those players, WnE. Tell me which one you’d like to have most.
___________
I thought I listed 9 or 10 names?
If we get 2 from UGA, Garrison Smith & Ray Drew and then Tuitt or Jay Woods and UGA is a whole lot weaker and we’re a whole lot stronger.
That’s 3 right there that could make a huge difference for GT, Tuitt & Garrison Smith are worth 4 wins by themselves in 2012 and probably 2 wins last season, if they played for GT of course.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:00 pm
Well I just feel like when you beat an equal team in close games a good bit, that you’re due to lose some. Kinda like how we beat miami early on and now they have our number. Just seems to go that way with gt. So that’s what I am basing my outcome on.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:02 pm
Do you have proof any or all of those players qualified? Because if you do, unless the data came from the player, someone violated federal law.
You honestly think two or three players are worth four wins? You’re even dumber than I thought!
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:03 pm
You mean 2 wins in games they would have lost? And 4 this year???
So if you think gt is a 7 win team this year without them, you think they would go 11-1 with them?
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:04 pm
Fair enough, Mock 1. I will say, Giovanni Bernard looks like a helluva back. Might make Romar Morris wish he was playing for us.
GTfan2012
August 19th, 2012
5:04 pm
Did WnE really jut insult CPJ for recruiting a 4* DL?!?!? I can only shake my head.
ToeMeetsLeather
August 19th, 2012
5:06 pm
Mock 1, how can you see the VT game as a solid loss with no chance when they are replacing just about their entire offense and we go in there with just about everyone back from the team that was a play or two away from beating them last year? Just curious.
Also, the Clemson series is not a rotating W/L. With CPJ, we are 4-1 vs Clem and Clem’s son.
The VT game is a big game, but GTech can have an outstanding season even if we happen to lose the opener. We have a much easier path to the ACC championship after this game than VTech, if we can run the table.
WnE
August 19th, 2012
5:07 pm
re:
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:02 pm
Do you have proof any or all of those players qualified? Because if you do, unless the data came from the player, someone violated federal law.
You honestly think two or three players are worth four wins? You’re even dumber than I thought!
____________
Put Tuitt on our DL instead of Jason Peters or Izaan Cross (that has faded each of the last 2 seasons), put Garrison Smith in our DL rotation instead of Logan Walls and our pass rush is better that helps both our 2ndary & LBs .
Talented DLs are the biggest game changers in FB outside of QBs that are efficient passers.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:09 pm
George
So you don’t believe in revenge or teams getting tired of losing to the same team over and over and using that as a motivating factor?
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:12 pm
I do not, Mock 1. I think that’s more of a post hoc narrative media types drive, but it has little to do with the actual games.
Share with us the math you used to get to four wins, WnE.
WnE
August 19th, 2012
5:12 pm
re:
GTfan2012
August 19th, 2012
5:04 pm
Did WnE really jut insult CPJ for recruiting a 4* DL?!?!? I can only shake my head.
______________
No!
You don’t read very well.
I insulted CPJ for the overall strength of the Recruiting class being so weak that our headline Recruit only played one yr. of HS FB.
I did NOT insult CPJ for signing a 4* DL, you “read into” my comments whatever fits your anti-WnE agenda!
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:15 pm
Toe
Several reasons
1. It’s VT
2. They are a top 15 team
3. It’s the first game of the season and I just don’t think the TO will work so well in the first game
4. It’s prime time
5. VT reloads
6. TW is 0-2 against them in games he has played in
7. A good defense usually wins over a good offense in the first week or two of a season
Now vt does sometimes start off slow. So who knows. But i just don’t see gt going there the first game, prime time and winning. Hope they do but I can’t vision it.
WnE
August 19th, 2012
5:15 pm
re:
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:12 pm
I do not, Mock 1. I think that’s more of a post hoc narrative media types drive, but it has little to do with the actual games.
Share with us the math you used to get to four wins, WnE.
______________
Everything ain’t math and can be calculated, sometimes you go with your gut, this is one of those cases where this is more “art” than science.
It is my theory that those players would lead to more wins for GT.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:17 pm
Everything ain’t math and can be calculated, sometimes you go with your gut, this is one of those cases where this is more “art” than science.
It is my theory that those players would lead to more wins for GT.
Your theory has no substance behind it, and your gut can be tested in Vegas, tool.
Again, your comment is heavy on trolling and devoid of analysis.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:18 pm
Toe
You’re right that it’s not a rotating each year. I meant that I feel it will be like how miami has gone. Meaning we start a losing streak against clemson but start winning again against miami.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:20 pm
Well I respectflly disagree because I know coaches who use losing over and over as a motivating factor to beat a team. Especially when u are even footing with that team. It’s harder to use that when it’s uga gt because of their recruiting advantages. I don’t know techs record off the top of my head against unc the past 5 seasons, but if i had to guess, i would say 4-1.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:23 pm
Well I should rephrase, I’ve heard of coaches using the losing over and over technique as a motivating factor. I don’t personally know any college coaches but I have heard over my years many coaches say they have done this.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:25 pm
We can disagree, Mock 1. Not a big deal.
ToeMeetsLeather
August 19th, 2012
5:25 pm
Fair enough Mock, I will agree the VTEch defense will probably be a little ahead of our TO, but I think our senior leadership(TW,Orwin,Cross,Uzzi) get us over the hump on the rest of your list. I think our D and Special Teams keep them on their side of the fifty most of the night and we pound them with the triple option. We’ll see on 9/3.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
5:29 pm
Special teams is a wild card in that game. That could easily dictate the outcome. Will vt, who’s known for their ST come up with some big plays? Or will gt, who hired a ST coordinator finally, step up and out perform. So that is a good point. Or it could be a wash and it comes again down to the our off vs their d. Like u said, we’ll find out in 15 days.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
5:30 pm
Hell yes we find out in fifteen days!
Ol'JacketFan
August 19th, 2012
5:32 pm
Just saw where Jeremi Hall has been awarded his 4th* by Rivals.
Jacket Man
August 19th, 2012
5:34 pm
By the way, people said that Auburn’s Fairly wouldn’t do much when he became a full-time starter his senior year and I think he proved people wrong…
Yeller Bug
August 19th, 2012
6:02 pm
Mock 1 & WnE: Going with your gut, feeling a team is due???? Your analysis seems like a song: “Feelings, nothing more than feelings….”
Y’all can do better than that.
If losing over and over gets a team motivated to become “due” then Tech should beat the living dwag poop out of UGA this year. Sad to say, that ain’t gonna happen.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 19th, 2012
6:08 pm
@ Mock 1……I came down pretty hard on you earlier, and I think with good reason, but your last several posts have been very good and very fair. You and I are actually in agreement about UNC. That game scares me, because, prior to CPJ, Tech had a terrible record AT UNC….remember 1990? I DO think we will beat the Hokies, because, contrary to what you said, the TO does seem to work better in the early games. And VT over the past few years has played very poorly in their early games.
Mock 1
August 19th, 2012
6:11 pm
Yeller
I guess you missed the part where I said twice that I use that belief on teams that are on near equal footing. Uga and gt are not. Gt and unc are. It’s why uga has won 10/11
Motivation as a factor doesn’t go so well when the other team has you outmanned.
George Stein
August 19th, 2012
6:19 pm
Thing is, I don’t think there’s a big gap between UGA’s first 22 and Tech’s first 22. I think the trick is that they have better depth. It’s why we wouldn’t mid opening the season against them but they are balking – after 12 games, the depth is more of an advantage.