How WWF action figures shaped Memphis defensive coordinator Matt Barnes' coaching career
Like many kids in the 1990s, Matt Barnes grew up a wrestling fan and had action figures from the World Wrestling Federation. But unlike those kids, he took a different approach with his collection.
At 7 years old, he turned his figures into football players and gave them attributes. The Ultimate Warrior became a linebacker. Hulk Hogan was an offensive lineman. Several Shawn Michaels figures became receivers and defensive backs, and Tito “El Matador” Santana was his star tailback.
“He was a sub 4.3 guy for me," Barnes said. "I thought he was lightning fast.”
It started a path leading to him becoming Memphis’ next defensive coordinator. Barnes went from arranging toys as a kid to arranging defenses as interim play-caller at Maryland in 2018 and at Ohio State last season.
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Even though this is his first time calling and scheming a defense over a full season, Barnes has prepared for it most of his life. As a seventh-grader, he was kicked out of an English class for drawing football formations.
He played football through college as a linebacker at Salisbury University in Maryland, but Barnes always thought more like a coach. In high school, he bought a Nike Coach of the Year clinic manual and made notes while reading it over and over.
He’d also record games on VHS tapes to study and identify things that he read about while also bothering his coaches with dozens of questions.
“I would wear them out until they kicked me out of their office,” said Barnes, who called plays for Ohio State's final 11 games.
The questions didn’t stop when he began coaching. As an assistant at Delaware Valley University and West Virginia Wesleyan College, he always carried notebooks from talking strategies with coaches on his staff.
Barnes had notes for every practice, each opponent and every meeting with a coach or his players. He estimated he had hundreds around in his house before switching to an iPad at Ohio State.
“The guy is a football junkie. He’ll tell you he’s a football nerd,” said Jonas Jackson, who was coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, where Barnes spent two seasons. “He just gets after it. There’s not a person that’s going to outwork that guy when it comes to the game.”
Yet for being a meticulous planner, Barnes relies on a simple coaching style. He believes in teaching players concepts that translate across different coverages and allow for multiple plays so they won’t be overloaded with information.
It’s a style he developed at Florida as a graduate assistant under coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. As special teams coordinator at Maryland and Ohio State, Barnes also saw how techniques could translate to defense, and it further shaped his philosophy.
“When you learn concepts, the concepts carry over to a lot of different defenses and it allows you to be more multiple but still remain simple for your players,” said Barnes.
While the Buckeyes ran a 4-2-5 scheme with four down linemen instead of three that Memphis often has used, Barnes promised the Tigers will have multiple looks. He’ll also have his work cut out with a Tigers defense that gave up 418 yards per game last season, which was ninth out of 11 AAC teams.
Barnes wasn’t worried joining a conference that had four of the nation’s top 25 offenses, including Memphis. He's quick to remind that every practice with the Buckeyes meant facing the nation’s No. 1 team in both total offense and scoring offense.
“I know there’s a bunch of talented quarterbacks, skill players and wide-open offenses in this league and we’ll have a great challenge every week,” Barnes said.. “But I think more than the experience of playing Big Ten opponents was trying to go out there and account for six-to-eight future first-round draft picks at wide receiver and a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback.”
It’s a far cry from forming football teams with WWF toys. Barnes might not watch as much wrestling now, but he wants his defense to be as punishing as a Hulk Hogan leg drop or a Shawn Michaels finishing kick to the face.
Just like those old days, the Tigers are in his hands ready to be reshaped.
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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How WWF influenced Matt Barnes to be Memphis' defensive coordinator
