In one of the biggest coaching carousel moves of the week, the University of South Carolina has officially hired Deion Barnes from Penn State to be their new defensive ends/outside linebackers coach. The move caught attention quickly, especially in Big Ten circles, and it hasn’t been well received by the Penn State fan base, especially by the Penn State DE.

On December 25th, Penn State defensive end, Dani Dennis, hopped onto X and let his frustration out after Matt Campbell gave up Deion Barnes: “We really let the best D-line coach in the country leave.”

Well, calling Deion Barnes the best D-line coach in the country is subjective, especially with names like Larry Johnson (Ohio State), Tray Scott (Georgia), and Nick Eason (Clemson) in the mix. Mind you, Penn State had one of its worst years in recent memory this season. Then again, this is America. People are entitled to their opinions. Still, he’s definitely in the top six or seven.

So, why all the hype around Barnes? Since he started with the program in 2020 (first as a grad assistant, then full-time coach), Penn State has actually led the entire nation in the number of defensive ends drafted into the NFL. That’s seven players, including first-round picks like Odafe Oweh, Chop Robinson, and Abdul Carter. This man obviously has the knack for spotting S-tier talent and turning them into pros.

Not only that, his coaching prowess is backed by stats, too. We are going to overlook Penn State’s 2025 season here. However, if we look at his 2024 season, his defensive line helped Penn State’s defense rank second in the FBS for total tackles for loss (119 total TFL) and fifth in total sacks (44 sacks).

The players he coaches consistently earn All-Big Ten honors and All-American nods, which makes the “best D-line coach” feel less like fan talk and more like a Palantir stock. Hopefully.

For South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, this has to be their biggest off-season assistant coaching-hire win so far. They needed a replacement for Sterling Lucas (their old-D-line), who left for LSU. Plus, Barnes is an elite recruiter, especially in the Philadelphia area.

What’s so crazy is that within an hour of the hire, potential 2027 first-rounder Dylan Stewart confirmed he’s returning to Columbia. Safe to say, Shane Beamer landed a rising star in the coaching world, and they’re hoping he brings some of that draft-day magic down south.

Now, the glaring question is: how is Penn State bouncing back from this for next season? Let’s say they can hold the ground.

Penn State 2026 D-line study and potential hire

Penn State’s defensive line is still expected to be really good next season, even with coach Deion Barnes leaving for South Carolina. The main reason is that the program has a deep talent pool and a system that consistently produces NFL-level players.

While players like Zane Durant and, yes, Dani Dennis might move on to the NFL, there are other promising young players like Max Granville and Chaz Coleman ready to step into a big-man role.

With Barnes’ departure, the defensive line coaching job is officially open. Penn State has not announced any specific names or a hire yet, but this should be a top priority for Matt Campbell once they are done with the DC problem. Word around the program is that they are looking at D’Anton Lynn as a potential defensive coordinator hire.

Campbell is expected to bring some familiar faces from his time at Iowa State, but it’s not clear yet if the new defensive line coach will be an internal promotion, someone from his old staff, or an external hire from another school. You can expect them to make a decision within a week or so, hopefully.

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