Alabama DL Anquin Barnes talks top six schools

With student-athletes at home now due to the Coronavirus, they are having more time to talk with college coaches and more time to think about their futures.

Anquin Barnes is an athletic defensive lineman at Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala., and last week, the state closed schools for the remainder of the year, so Barnes will not have spring practice and he is not sure when he will be able to step foot on a college campus again.

He had a visit set up to Georgia a couple of weeks ago and it was canceled. He was planning to visit many others in March and April, but when that opportunity will present itself again is unknown.

With the time at home, Barnes has put a lot of thought into his recruitment and he has come up with a list of six favorites.

"In nor order, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Nebraska and Tennessee are my top schools," said Barnes. "I do not have an order and I do not have a leader, but those schools are six I like a lot.

The list can still change and it is not a final list, but these schools have shown a lot of interest, I have talked to them a lot and these six are the ones I am most interested in right now."

The only schools in that group that Barnes has yet to visit are Florida and Nebraska. Before visits were halted, he was in talks with each staff about a visit this spring. He is still hoping he can get to Gainesville and Lincoln later this summer.

He was at Alabama earlier this month and he has visited Tuscaloosa twice. He has visited Auburn and Tennessee both four or five times and he has tripped to Athens once.

Barnes offered quick thoughts on each school.

ALABAMA: "Alabama is all about their players. I have been there for a game and then a Junior Day and I learned whatever the players there need, Alabama will get it for them. They also develop a lot of top players."

AUBURN: "It is a true family atmosphere there. Every time I am there, I have fun. It is just the people in general there that make it a great atmosphere."

FLORIDA: "I like how Florida does things in their program and how they run things there."

GEORGIA: "I have always loved Georgia. The atmosphere there is great and I like coach Tray Scott a lot too."

NEBRASKA: "The Nebraska program is great, they have history and I like how they are recruiting me."

TENNESSEE: "Tennessee was the first SEC school to offer me, so that means a lot. I also like how they recruit me, the love they show and I have been up there a lot too."

Outside of the visits being put on hold, nothing much has changed with Barnes' plan. He still is looking to commit in the same timeframe.

"I am likely to commit late in the summer or early in the season," said Barnes. "I have always thought that would be a good time for me, so the virus has not caused a change in my real plan.

"I am just going to keep talking to coaches, get back out for visits as soon as I can, then go from there."