Barnes to announce Saturday

SPARTANBURG, S.C.- Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast athlete Mark Barnes will make his college choice public on Saturday afternoon following the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

"Let's see what happens after the Shrine Bowl," Barnes said.

The 6-foot-2, 194-pounder is down to two schools, Louisville and South Carolina, and will pick one of the two Saturday.

"I'm just going to go with my heart," Barnes said during an earlier interview.

Barnes made an official visit to Big East champion Louisville on the weekend of Sept. 15, when the Cardinals claimed a signature win against Miami (Fla.) by a score of 31-7. That win put Louisville squarely in the hunt for the Big East and national titles. He is being recruited by Joe Whitt, Jr. and Paul Petrino for the Cardinals.

He visited South Carolina officially on the weekend of Dec. 1. Gamecocks assistant quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator David Reaves is the recruiter of record for South Carolina.

Barnes has impressed this week during workouts at the safety position. He has excellent range, tackling ability and ball skills and has a knack for the big play. The Rivals250 prospect also showed off his skills on offense for a brief moment earlier in the week, when he ran routes at receiver during passing drills.

Barnes could potentially play offense or defense in college.

His high school program, Richland Northeast, has sent a number of players to Division I-A colleges the past two recruiting cycles. Last year, Rivals100 defensive lineman Adam Patterson signed with Michigan, linebacker Rodney Paulk signed with South Carolina and started for the Gamecocks and defensive back Calvin Harrison signed with Kentucky.

This year, Barnes' teammate, Rivals100 cornerback Gary Gray, is committed to Notre Dame.

Barnes is a mid (5.9) four-star rated prospect according to Rivals.com. He is rated as the nation's seventh-best athlete.

Barnes will start at safety for the South Carolina all-star team, which squares off against its counterparts from North Carolina at 1 p.m. today at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College.