North Philly’s Deion Barnes leads Penn State’s elite defensive line with a drive to help his players ‘make it further than I did’

PHOENIX — Deion Barnes sat back in his chair, with safeties coach Anthony Poindexter to his right and longtime defensive backs coach Terry Smith to his left, during Penn State’s media day ahead of the quarterfinal matchup with Boise State in the College Football Playoff on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., ESPN). Both coaches have played large roles in the North Philly native’s coaching career.

Barnes, 31, has taken an unconventional path to becoming one of college football’s premier position coaches. A letterman from 2011 to 2014, Barnes was a revelation for the Penn State defensive line in his playing career in Happy Valley. His final season coincided with coach James Franklin’s first with the Nittany Lions.

Ten years later, Barnes is still playing a key role — as Penn State’s defensive line coach — and as a leader for one of the most dominant defensive fronts in the country.

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“Who would have thought, after being a [grad assistant] I’d been able to be a position coach here?” Barnes said. “But that’s just a [testament] to Coach Franklin, and that’s also a [testament] to the people that’s been around me that has [helped me] throughout the process, like Coach Smith and Coach [Poindexter]. They did a great job of helping me out.”

After playing at Penn State, Barnes spent three seasons in the NFL, including two with the New York Jets, mostly on practice squads. He gave pro football one last shot in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football in the spring of 2019.

In his downtime, Barnes coached at his former high school, Northeast, assisting as a volunteer initially in the weight room before becoming the school’s defensive coordinator in 2019. That job was short-lived. Barnes joined Franklin’s staff in 2020 as a graduate assistant.

In 2023, he was promoted to defensive line coach. But even Franklin admits he gave Barnes an interview as a sign of respect and planned to interview other coaches, including ones at the NFL level, for the opening. But sitting down with Barnes changed everything.

“To be honest with you, it was enlightening for me, because sometimes when you’ve got a guy who played for you, you always view them as a player, and sometimes when a guy was a GA for you, you always view them as a GA, and sometimes you don’t get to see them in a different light,” Franklin said.

“It allowed me to see how far he had really grown and developed over his time, and he absolutely crushed the interview, and he interviewed better than most of the NFL and college guys we talked to, so that changed things. And then you have the value of having a letterman on your staff where Penn State means more to him.”

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Defensive end Amin Vanover arrived at Penn State in 2020, the same year Barnes joined the coaching staff. Vanover recalls the Philly native’s voice being a prominent one in meetings and during practice, even as a grad assistant.

After spring practice in 2021, the Newark, N.J., native said Barnes sat him down and gave an honest assessment of his game. Vanover said Barnes used some colorful language he wouldn’t repeat, but the honesty set him on the right path.

“Sometimes, you need to hear the truth. Because if you don’t, it’s just the blind leading the blind,” said Vanover, who has 14 tackles and 2½ sacks this season. “The truth is what I needed at that time, and it has set me up for success in the future. Because now I know I can never do that again.”

The coaching itch Barnes got after his playing career was rooted in his own background, he said. He played for Northeast, a school he said “where nobody really was known as the top football players.” He was a four-star recruit and made an immediate impact with Penn State, winning Big Ten freshman of the year in 2011.

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But his biggest motivation comes from helping “dudes that look like me, come from situations like me, and help them make it further than I did.”

“When I went back to coach, I wanted to help the guys, same way somebody helped me when I was at Northeast,” Barnes said. “It really just made me want to be able to help those people that were in my position.”

Barnes is building a reputation for developing NFL-caliber defensive linemen. He played a major role in the development of players such as Shaka Toney, also a Philly native, Arnold Ebiketie, Odafe Oweh, Adisa Isaac, and Chop Robinson. All five were drafted over the last four years. Oweh (2021) and Robinson (2024) were selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Up next is Abdul Carter, who grew up two blocks from where Barnes was raised on 11th Street in North Philly. Barnes said he possesses the one trait that has played a large part in the players who came before Carter: hunger.

“Them dudes were hungry. They wanted to be better. They wanted to be the best. And they approached that every day,” Barnes said. “It wasn’t just the stuff you’ve seen on Saturdays, it was the stuff behind the scenes. … It’s a [testament] to them, because there’s only a small percentage of dudes that can do that. That’s why you get drafted that high.”

Carter leads a Penn State group that has 36 sacks, with 32½ coming from the defensive line. Barnes admits that he’s very demanding of his group, saying playing on Penn State’s defensive line “is not easy,” but he credits the players' attention to detail and consistency.

Defensive coordinator Tom Allen complimented Barnes earlier this week, saying he “has a bright future and just continues to grow and develop,” and praised his ability to relate to his players. Carter said Barnes has “been one of the biggest reasons why I’m here [at Penn State]” and “knows how to get the best out of us.”

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Barnes is in his second season coaching the defensive line, but his impact is felt beyond the walls of Penn State’s facilities.

“I want as many dudes, as many people that come from situations like [me], when we know it’s tough. When we get out, I want them to be able to know that there’s a way out because a lot of people are hopeless out there,” Barnes said. “I want to be able to get them. And I know for sure my part of doing this, if I can help, I will.”

“I think he’s one of the better D-line coaches in the country,” Franklin said. “And we talk about younger defensive line coaches. It helps that Deion played for me my first year at Penn State. … He’s kind of earned [this job].”