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Rice University Athletics
Coming Back for More
8/11/2019 5:22:00 PM | Football
Chris Barnes entered 2018 prepared to say goodbye to football at season's end, but his coaches had a different idea.
Chris Barnes knows what his teammates are thinking.
At some point during each football practice, Barnes and the other Owls special teams players gather their bags of footballs, tees and other pieces of equipment and head over to a different field while the remainder of the team continues their practice.
"When I was a tight end, we'd see the kickers go to another field and make jokes about how easy they have it," Barnes recalled. "I understand why they think that way because the position players are working a lot harder and hitting in their drills. But now, I know that we're also putting in a lot of work and it's not just going off and taking a break."
Barnes walked on to Rice in 2015 as a tight end from College Park High School in The Woodlands, but after suffering several concussions, the thought that his dream of playing college football would not be realized, until he decided to revisit a part of his youth.
He had played soccer until he entered high school and handled the punting duties in addition to playing tight end on the freshman team. He'd thought punting was out of the picture until his senior year when Cavaliers found themselves in dire need of a replacement.
"I was sort of the backup punter and something happened to our starter, so I had to take over," Barnes recalled.
Several years later, confronted with the end of his career, Barnes brought up his past punting to former coach Darrell Patterson, who was coordinating special teams for the Owls at the time.
"A decision had to be made if I should stop playing. I mentioned to Coach Patterson at that time that I thought I could punt and the decision was made to move there the next spring."
Barnes became an immediate understudy to future C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year Jack Fox and he quickly learned that there was far more to punting that his former position group teammates would realize.
"In high school I was basically just drop it and kick it," Barnes laughed. "But that first spring with Jack I found out there were a lot more drills and working on technique. A good punt is always going to be based on the drop and your technique."
"He spent a lot of time with Jack and to be able to pick it up the way he has shows how much work he did," Owls special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda said. "He's done a good job of picking it up and learning the kinesthetic awareness that's involved with it."
While Fox was putting together a record-setting senior season in 2018, Barnes also found the field for the first time as the holder on place kicks. For a time, it looked like that would be his primary role and he would graduate in the spring with a degree in Sport Management.
But he was approached by the coaching staff about returning for his final year of eligibility with the chance to follow Fox as the Owls punter.
"Coming back was an easy decision," Barnes noted. "Having this camaraderie is something you just don't find other places."
"We wanted Chris on this football team," Svoboda stated. "He brings a lot of value to this team. He's a great team player. I think he wanted to finish what he started. That's the kind of man that he is. There's a career out there waiting for him, but he wanted to postpone it for one year."
As the senior member of the specialists, Barnes has now assumed the mantle as the leader of the group from Fox. The two stay in regular contact and spoke on Saturday after Rice's scrimmage and before the Chiefs first preseason game.
But he knows his seniority does not offer him a distinct advantage in the battle to take over as the Owls punter.
"Just like any position group, there's a lot of competition between us, but we know whoever comes out on top is going to help the team in the long run. That's the ultimate goal, to make the team the best it can be so we can win some games."
At some point during each football practice, Barnes and the other Owls special teams players gather their bags of footballs, tees and other pieces of equipment and head over to a different field while the remainder of the team continues their practice.
"When I was a tight end, we'd see the kickers go to another field and make jokes about how easy they have it," Barnes recalled. "I understand why they think that way because the position players are working a lot harder and hitting in their drills. But now, I know that we're also putting in a lot of work and it's not just going off and taking a break."
Barnes walked on to Rice in 2015 as a tight end from College Park High School in The Woodlands, but after suffering several concussions, the thought that his dream of playing college football would not be realized, until he decided to revisit a part of his youth.
He had played soccer until he entered high school and handled the punting duties in addition to playing tight end on the freshman team. He'd thought punting was out of the picture until his senior year when Cavaliers found themselves in dire need of a replacement.
"I was sort of the backup punter and something happened to our starter, so I had to take over," Barnes recalled.
Several years later, confronted with the end of his career, Barnes brought up his past punting to former coach Darrell Patterson, who was coordinating special teams for the Owls at the time.
"A decision had to be made if I should stop playing. I mentioned to Coach Patterson at that time that I thought I could punt and the decision was made to move there the next spring."
Barnes became an immediate understudy to future C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year Jack Fox and he quickly learned that there was far more to punting that his former position group teammates would realize.
"In high school I was basically just drop it and kick it," Barnes laughed. "But that first spring with Jack I found out there were a lot more drills and working on technique. A good punt is always going to be based on the drop and your technique."
"He spent a lot of time with Jack and to be able to pick it up the way he has shows how much work he did," Owls special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda said. "He's done a good job of picking it up and learning the kinesthetic awareness that's involved with it."
While Fox was putting together a record-setting senior season in 2018, Barnes also found the field for the first time as the holder on place kicks. For a time, it looked like that would be his primary role and he would graduate in the spring with a degree in Sport Management.
But he was approached by the coaching staff about returning for his final year of eligibility with the chance to follow Fox as the Owls punter.
"Coming back was an easy decision," Barnes noted. "Having this camaraderie is something you just don't find other places."
"We wanted Chris on this football team," Svoboda stated. "He brings a lot of value to this team. He's a great team player. I think he wanted to finish what he started. That's the kind of man that he is. There's a career out there waiting for him, but he wanted to postpone it for one year."
As the senior member of the specialists, Barnes has now assumed the mantle as the leader of the group from Fox. The two stay in regular contact and spoke on Saturday after Rice's scrimmage and before the Chiefs first preseason game.
But he knows his seniority does not offer him a distinct advantage in the battle to take over as the Owls punter.
"Just like any position group, there's a lot of competition between us, but we know whoever comes out on top is going to help the team in the long run. That's the ultimate goal, to make the team the best it can be so we can win some games."
Players Mentioned
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