Stud NC athlete adds two big offers

In the past week, two traditional powerhouse programs offered Bunn, N.C. athlete Brandon Barnes. Who offered the 6-foot-0, 185-pounder and what does he think about both scholarships?

"My most recent offers have come from Miami and Penn State, both were in the last week," he said. "Right now I'm trying to feel it out and don't know much about any of the colleges. I do know both of these are good programs and plan on going to Penn State next week.

"Of these two, the Miami offer stands out because they are looking at me as a running back. That's real big since I like the way they handle the rock with guys like Edgerrin James. I haven't really talked to the coaches from Miami much, but Larry Johnson and Joe Paterno have talked to me from Penn State. I didn't get a feel for coach Johnson, but Paterno offered me and that was cool. He told me I was one of the top running backs on their list and a great athlete that they're looking for."

Along with the visit to State College coming up, Barnes plans to make his way to Blacksburg this weekend.

"I'm going to Virginia Tech tomorrow and then Penn State next week," he said. "I just want to see how the campus is from a football standpoint and ask the coaches some questions like what they want out of their student athletes and more. I haven't been to either school before."

Currently the Carolina prospect claims no leaders.

"Right now I'm trying to stay neutral and see where I best fit in," he said. "I want to take some more visits to find a great campus, good teachers, excellent coaches and a terrific tradition. I want to go to a school that runs the ball mostly and it would be great to stay close to home, although that's not a big factor. I also am interested in web design so I'll be looking at technical schools that deal with computers."