Plymouth’s Lucas Barnes followed a compelling path to D1 college football

During Lucas Barnes’ first-ever season of playing organized football, the then-6-foot-2, 180-pound tight end did not drop a single pass for Plymouth High School’s freshmen squad.

“That’s probably because they didn’t throw me a single pass,” the smiling, good-natured Barnes recounted Wednesday night. “The tight end thing didn’t work out real well.”

OK, so Barnes was not destined to become the next Gronk.

No worries.

Plymouth Head Coach Greg Souldourian saw vast potential in the still-growing teenager — but not as a pass-catcher.

“I half-jokingly told my freshmen coaches after his first season, ‘You did this young man a disservice (by putting him at tight end)’,” Souldourian remembered. “So we moved him inside.”

Bulldozing blocker

By “inside”, Souldourian meant offensive tackle, where the now-6-foot-8, 280-pound owner of a relentless work ethic has thrived ever since.

On Wednesday, Barnes signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football for Miami University in Ohio, one of the most successful programs in the Mid-American Conference.

A few tears welled up in the eyes of Barnes’ mom Lindsay when she was asked about her son’s incredible journey.

“We’re super proud of Lucas,” Lindsay said as Lucas’s dad Pat nodded in agreement. “He just continued to work hard, grow and get better. I’m so happy for him because he loves football.”

Pat Barnes said a turning point in his son’s gridiron growth emerged when fellow Plymouth O-lineman Idrys Cotton (now a freshman football player for Northwestern University) started mentoring Lucas.

“Idrys kind of took Lucas under his wing and they started working out together,” Pat Barnes recalled. “Before Lucas’s junior season, Idrys told him, ‘I’m going to be the left tackle and you’re going to be the right tackle (during the 2023 season).”

More prophetic words were never spoken.

O-line emergence

Following Barnes’ (and his offensive line teammates’) bulldozing blocks, Plymouth running back Jaxon McCaig enjoyed a record-setting season in 2023.

Barnes’ emergence as a punishing blocker drew the attention of several collegiate programs, including Miami, which presented him with a scholarship offer prior to his senior season.

“Honestly, Miami was my favorite from the beginning,” Barnes said. “During my first visit, I liked the players, the coaches and the fact that they have a winning program. They’re playing in the MAC championship game this weekend.”

Like so many D1 college athletes’ journeys, Barnes’ did not come without a decent-sized slice of adversity.

In August, during the Wildcats’ first pre-season practice in pads, he felt discomfort in his right knee.

“It wasn’t earth-shattering pain, but I knew something wasn’t right,” Barnes recalled. “That’s never good, especially for an offensive lineman.”

Overcoming adversity

Barnes had suffered an injury to a knee ligament, jeopardizing what promised to be a special senior season.

“At first, the doctors suggested I should sit out the entire season,” he said. “But I worked hard at my physical therapy and was able to get back on the field for our last three games.

“My first game back (against Brighton), I felt great mentally, but I wasn’t quite 100% physically. After the game, though, I realized I had just played an entire game and hadn’t re-injured my knee, so that was a great feeling.”

Despite playing just one-third of the Wildcats’ season, Barnes earned Division 1 All-Region honors. Just as importantly, the owner of a stellar 3.7 grade-point average was named to the All-State Academic team.

“Lucas’s intelligence is a big piece to the puzzle as to why he is such a great player,” Souldourian said. “Next to the quarterback, offensive linemen have to be the smartest players on the field due to the communication they have to share with one another.

“Obviously his size helps, but it’s his work ethic — the time he puts into his craft — that makes him a special player.”

Legendary appetite

Not surprisingly, given his size, Barnes’ appetite for healthy food is as enormous as his quest for pancake blocks.

“We get our groceries delivered by Kroger and they usually make two deliveries a week,” Lindsay Barnes said, laughing. “When we go out to eat, Lucas will usually order two entrees.”

Barnes, who inherited his size from Lindsay’s 6-foot-5 father, is set to start school in January at Miami, where his preliminary plans are to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, “although that major may be difficult while playing football,” he acknowledged.

Considering his profound passion for working out and improving, Barnes is poised to be a difference-maker for the RedHawks.

And his string of games without dropping a pass will undoubtedly continue.

“Ever since my freshman season at Plymouth, I’ve accepted the fact that there’s a zero percent chance I’ll ever touch the ball,” Barnes said, when asked if he has dreamed of being part of a tackle reverse pass similar to the one the Detroit Lions ran for tackle Penei Sewell on Thanksgiving.

“But I’m cool with that.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.