College: Salisbury, 2008

OSU College History:

2020: Safeties / Special Teams Coordinator

2019: Special Teams Coordinator / Assistant Secondary

2020 Media Guide: In 2019, Matt Barnes helped develop outstanding special teams play and defensive backs on a 13-1 Ohio State team that won its third consecutive outright Big Ten Conference championship. Ohio State’s defense led the nation in fewest passing yards allowed (156.0 per game) and in pass-efficiency defense with a rating of 97.50.

2019 Media Guide: Matt Barnes, who spent the last three seasons coaching at the University of Maryland, was named Ohio State’s special team’s coordinator and assistant secondary coach in early January, 2019 by head coach Ryan Day.

Barnes served as Maryland’s linebackers coach and special teams coordinator in 2018. He mentored
second-team All-American and first-team all-Big Ten linebacker Tre Watson this year and another pair of Terp linebackers who garnered All-Big Ten recognition: Jermaine Carter and Shane Cockerille.

Under Barnes’ guidance, the Terrapins ranked 18th nationally and third in the Big Ten with a 23.9 yard average on kickoff returns. Maryland had two players – Ty Johnson and Tavion Jacobs – who averaged better than 25 yards per kick return and ranked in the top five in the conference in yards per return.

Barnes arrived at Maryland after spending the 2015 season at Michigan as a defensive analyst and also had a three-year stay at Florida (2012-14) as a defensive and special team’s graduate assistant. He also has experience on the other side of the ball, spending the 2011 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College.