Penn State and Matt Campbell lose key staff member to SEC

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Despite previous reports suggesting Penn State and new head coach Matt Campbell were working to keep Deion Barnes on the coaching staff moving forward, the former Nittany Lion is making a move to a new program.

Following reports suggesting a change of scenery was imminent, South Carolina officially announced the addition of Barnes to the coaching staff in Columbia, South Carolina. With that being the case, Penn State will officially be in need of a defensive line coach for the staff being assembled under Campbell for the 2026 season.

Barnes, who played at Penn State from 2012 through 2014 and spent a couple of seasons in the NFL, joined the Penn State coaching staff in 2020 as a defensive graduate assistant under former head coach James Franklin. He filled that role until 2022 and was promoted to the staff as a defensive line coach in 2023 amid much fanfare from players on the roster. Barnes filled the role previously held by John Scott Jr., who accepted an offer to be the defensive line coach for the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 2023.

Barnes established a solid track record working wiht defensive linemen, including Abdul Carter, Odafe Oweh, Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Zane Durant. He will leave some big shoes to fill on the coaching staff for Campbell and Penn State. Penn State’s reputation for developing defensive linemen is among the best in the nation, so this will be a pivotal role to fill on the staff.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State DL coach Deion Barnes hired by SEC school

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