kentuckywolverine
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Commit #11-Jordan Barnes
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:56 PM
Josh Helmholdt TheWolverine.com Recruiting Analyst if ((bIEWindowBrowser) && (navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 6.") != -1)) document.write(""); else document.write(""); document.write(""); Talk about it in The Fort Fort Wayne (Ind.) Homestead linebacker Jordan Barnes announced this weekend that his decision announcement was near, and now that time has come. The 6-0, 225-pound prospect focused in on two schools over the last couple weeks and on Tuesday made his decision public.
Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Louisville were all teams under consideration in the final months of Barnes' process, but his decision ultimately came down to either Michigan or Alabama.
"I'm going to go to Michigan," Barnes reported. "Basically that is the place I feel I fit in the most and felt the most comfortable at and that is one of the most important things going into this whole process.
"It's one of the most traditionally great schools there is. It hasn't completely hit me yet that I am going to be playing at the University of Michigan, but it will pretty soon. There have been a lot of great players to go through there and hopefully I can be one of them."
One factor that was key to making Michigan feel most like home to Barnes was their proximity to his residence and his family.
"I've got my grandparents, my aunts and uncles all in Detroit," Barnes said. "It's just good because I can have my grandparents and my cousins come to my games whereas with Alabama, I don't know if they'd ever be able to come see me play. I can probably go to my grandparents house after games on Saturdays and it's just something that felt really comfortable."
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Barnes made his commitment to Michigan on TuesdayMichigan offered Barnes in May and it was not long after that he started feeling that Ann Arbor was his likely destination. After recently visiting Alabama for a second time, Barnes was comfortable he had done all his research and was ready to make the decision.
"Usually when I leave a school, for some reason, that is the one I like the most and then after a couple days I'd be neutral again," Barnes said. "But after I left Michigan I liked it, and then a week later I was still liking Michigan. Even after I left Alabama I was still thinking about Michigan, so I've known for a couple weeks now that it was going to be Michigan."
Although they finished second for Barnes services, Alabama was a strong contender right up until the end and letting them know he was not coming was not an easy thing for the three-star prospect.
"It's tough saying 'no' to Alabama," Barnes said. "I think if they were closer I wouldn't be making my decision right now because I wouldn't know where to go. It was amazing there and I have a strong relationship with Coach (Nick) Saban, Coach (Bobby) Williams and Coach (Kevin) Steele. It was a place I was sure I was going to go, but (in the end) Michigan was the best fit for me."
Rivals.com ranks Barnes as the No. 20 inside linebacker in the country and Michigan will bring him in at the same position. A secondary factor that fed into Barnes' decision was the opportunity to contribute there early in his career.
"They didn't guarantee me any promises," Barnes said, "but they said the whole linebacking corps is young so when I get there everything is going to be new to other people too and I'd have a good chance to play early as long as I get there and do really well."
The commitment from Barnes is Michigan's 11th in the class of 2009. He is the first true linebacker commitment for the Wolverines and the fourth defensive player in the class
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gobluefan2457
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RE: Commit #11-Jordan Barnes
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:25 PM
Great to see a hometown guy commit!
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qgoblue
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RE: Commit #11-Jordan Barnes
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:39 PM
looks like my friday nights will be at homestead high and Ann Arbor on saterdays. Welcome Jordan!
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GoBlueToday
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RE: Commit #11-Jordan Barnes
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:25 AM
Jordan's father, Roosevelt Barnes, played for the Detroit Lions ... probably helped bring Jordan to UM.
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