Deion Barnes won’t be with Penn State in 2026, and news of his move to South Carolina broke before Penn State’s Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, so we didn’t know whether he’d be coaching the season finale.
We know now.
Interim head coach Terry Smith revealed on a Zoom call with media early Friday afternoon that Barnes will coach Penn State’s defensive line against Clemson.
“Deion is coaching, yes, and he’ll be a part of this team tomorrow,” Smith said. “We’re just focused on this game, and he’s going to help us win this game.”
Barnes is a guy Penn State would have liked to keep.
At 32, Barnes has already made a name for himself in the profession, having been Penn State’s full-time defensive line coach for three seasons and in that short time, having helped develop some of Penn State’s best players. In 2023, Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac and Dani Dennis-Sutton made up one of, if not America’s best defensive end room.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The next season, Barnes oversaw Abdul Carter’s switch from linebacker to DE, and the next spring, Carter went No. 3 overall in the NFL Draft to the New York Giants.
This season, true freshmen Chaz Coleman and Yvan Kemajou each showed promise under Barnes’ watch.
In Barnes’ time at Penn State, he also coached Zane Durant, who became a mainstay at defensive tackle.
Barnes is the second Penn State assistant to leave for South Carolina and the third to leave for an SEC school. Former PSU running backs coach Stan Drayton is also going to Columbia, and former PSU OL coach Phil Trautwein is returning to his alma mater Florida.
Drayton and Trautwein will each be coaching Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 27 at noon on ABC in Yankee Stadium.
