Austin Barnes

Height:
5-11
Weight:
217
Class:
Graduate Student
Hometown:
Fairview Heights, Ill.
High School:
O'Fallon
Prev School:
Eastern Michigan
Major:
Communication

Formally signed a grant-in-aid agreement with East Carolina in June of 2017 … Played in 36 games logging 180 punts for 7,663 yards (42.6 average) … Landed 60 punts inside the opponents 20-yard line to go along with 13 touchbacks and 52 fair catches … Booted 37 balls for 50-or more yards without a block.

2016: Semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award … Second-Team All-MAC selection … Punted 63 times for 2,739 yards posting a 43.48 average – a new EMU single-season record … Had a career-high eight punts at Missouri (47.0 avg.) on Sept. 10 … Placed a season-best four balls inside the 20-yard line against Bowling Green (Oct. 1), which set an EMU single-game record … Averaged over 47.0 ypp on five occasions (50.0/BGSU, 48.0/Miami, 47.2/Wyoming, 47.0/Missouri, 47.0/WMU) … Booted three punts for 115 yards against Old Dominion in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 23) … Had at least three 50-yard punts in contests against Missouri, Toledo and Miami (OH).

2015: Punted 45 times in 10 games with one touchback for the Eagles... Tied a then EMU single-season mark with a 43.6 punting average … Recorded nine punts for 50-or more yards … Pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line16 times.

2014: Appeared in four games punting 22 times for 981 yards before suffering a season-ending injury where he received a medical redshirt … Averaged 44.6 yards per punt ... Recorded four punts over 50 yards – three against the Michigan State (Sept. 20), including a career-long 65-yard punt ... Placed four punts inside the opponents 20-yard line.

2013: Played in nine games booting 50 punts for 1,983 yards (39.7 avg.) … Landed 12 punts inside the 20-yard line … Recorded six punts over 50 yards, which included a season-long 57 yarder against Ohio (Oct. 19).

High School: Attended O’Fallon High School in O’Fallon, Ill ... Played under Head Coach Brandon Joggerst as a Panther ... Considered by many kicking analysts as one of the top specialists in the nation for the class of 2013 ... Received a three-star ranking and was ranked as the 18th-best kicker in the nation by ESPN.com ... Selected to the 2013 U.S Army All-American Bowl as a first alternate punter ... Garnered 2012 all-state honorable mention accolades ... Averaged 47.1 yards per punt during prep career … Successful converted on 69 of 81 PATs (85.0 percent) … As a senior, punted 28 times for a 44.9-yard average ... Notched 28 touchbacks on 55 kickoffs ... Placed 11 punts inside the 20-yard line … Made 36 of 44 PATs to go along with 4 of 7 on FGAs in 2012 ... During junior season broke school records for PATs (43) and touchbacks (60) en route to earning first team all-conference accolades ... Finished first in punting competitions at Auburn and Illinois ... Started a fundraising drive called ‘Kickin’ it for Cans’ which donated 10 cans of food to the local pantry for every kick made ... In total, more than 3,700 canned goods were donated to the Fairview Heights Food Pantry in Fairview, Ill. following the 2012 season ... In the off-season, has gone on mission trips to Joplin, Mo. (tornado victims) and Nashville, Tenn. (flood victims) ... Also was a member of the school’s wrestling team.

Personal: Full name is Austin William Barnes … Son of Angela Barnes … Has one sibling, Caitlyn … Earned a communications degree from Eastern Michigan in spring of 2017.