Nebraska football picked up a commitment on Tuesday from three-star running back Arnold Barnes. They were able to flip the running back from his commitment to Tulane per Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.
Barnes is the 80th overall running back in the 2023 class, and the 41st overall player in the state of Louisiana per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Barnes was recruited to Nebraska by Brian Applewhite. He took a visit to Lincoln on October 1.
Barnes is an intriguing running back for Nebraska football. He measures in at five-foot-nine, 224 pounds. He explodes through the hole as soon as he gets the football. Once he is able to find a hole, he immediately bursts through it, and uses his speed to evade defenders.
Nebraska does have some youth in the running back room, but key contributors such as Anthony Grant Jaquez Yant and Rahmir Johnson are all upperclassman. Grant in particular is a junior. Nebraska football will need to fill that hole soon. A player like Barnes could fill that role.
Redshirt freshman Emmett Johnson is among those who could take over the running back position in the future, but it is important for the position itself to have depth.
Barnes also gives running backs coach Brian Applewhite another impact recruit. Applewhite has shown that he can recruit at a high level ever since he came to the Nebraska football program. Barnes commitment adds another notch to his belt.
Nebraska’s 2023 recruiting class ranks 39th overall, and ranks 33rd in the composite rankings per 247Sports. This is the 15th commitment for the class and continues to add to the talent pool within it.
It will be interesting to see who else Nebraska football takes in this class. For now, there is no denying that Barnes will have a good chance to make an impact for Nebraska football in the near future.
