- Deion Barnes enters his third season in 2025 as the Nittany Lions' defensive line coach and his sixth year overall with the program.
- Barnes spent the previous three years on the Penn State staff as a graduate assistant working with the defensive line.
- During the last five seasons working with the PSU defensive line, Barnes has helped coach 20 All-Big Ten honorees, including five first-team selections, a first-team All-American, a second-team All-American and a third-team All-American.
- Since 2020, Barnes' first year with the program, Penn State is tied for the nation's lead for most defensive ends drafted (5).
- Barnes tutored a defensive line group in 2024 playing part in Penn State ranking second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in sacks.
- He mentored Abdul Carter and his switch from linebacker to defensive end in 2024, where Carter went on to win the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.
- Carter, Penn State's 15th Unanimous Consensus All-American, ledthe nation with 23.5 tackles for loss and fnished second in the Big Ten, fourth in the Power Four and seventh overall nationally in sacks (12.0).
- Three additional Penn State defensive linemen earned All-Big Ten recognition in 2024, including Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant and Dvon J-Thomas.
- In 2023, Penn State's defense ranked first nationally in sacks (49) and first among Power Five teams (2nd nationally) in tackles for loss (111).
- A total of five defensive linemen earned All-Big Ten honors under Barnes in 2023, led by first-team selection and Associated Press third-team All-American Chop Robinson.
- Defensive end Adisa Isaac, an All-Big Ten first team honoree along with Robinson in 2023, finished second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (16; T-20th nationally) and tied for second in sacks (7.5).
- Robinson was selected 21st overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2024 NFL Draft, Penn State's highest-drafted defensive end since 2009, while Isaac went in the third round to the Baltimore Ravens.
- During the 2022 season, Penn State led the Big Ten with 104 tackles for loss (T-4th nationally) and 42 sacks (T-6th).
- A total of 26 different Nittany Lions had at least a full tackle for loss during the 2022 season, good for second in the nation.
- Isaac returned from an injury in 2022 and earned third-team all-conference honors.
- Robinson, who picked up All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2022, led Power Five edge rushers with a 91.6 pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus.
- Barnes also worked with defensive end transfer Arnold Ebiketie during the 2021 season and helped develop him into a first-team All-Big Ten selection and an FWAA second-team All-American.
- Ebiketie finished the year first among Power Five defensive linemen in tackles for loss (17.0).
- Under Barnes' tutelage, Ebiketie also paced the Big Ten in blocked field goals (2), was second in tackles for loss and third in sacks (9.5).
- PJ Mustipher (second team) and linebacker-converted-to-defensive-end Jesse Luketa (third team) also earned all-conference laurels in 2021 .
- In his first season, Barnes worked with Odafe Oweh and Shaka Toney, who became the first Penn State defensive end duo to receive All-Big Ten first team honors since Courtney Brown and Brad Scioli in 1998.
- Oweh and Toney each earned 2021 NFL Combine invitations, while Toney accepted an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl.
- Oweh was picked in the first round (31st overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Draft, making him the first Penn State defensive end selected in the first round since 2009 (Aaron Maybin).
- Toney was selected by the Washington Football Team in the seventh round (246th overall) as he and Oweh became the first defensive end duo to be drafted in the same year for Penn State since 1975 (Mike Hartenstine and Greg Murphy).
Deion Barnes
TitleDefensive Line
Twitter@ D Barnes 18
Year at Penn State5Th
Year in Coaching5Th
HometownPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
EducationPenn State, 2014