Player Story
Austin Barnes story
Austin Barnes built his college career from 2013 through 2017 as a punter from Fairview Heights, IL wearing No. 17, spending time with East Carolina and Eastern Michigan. The clearest part of Austin Barnes' career was his field-position work: 229 punts, 9,816 punting yards, and 5 punts inside the 20 across 46 career games in the available record. His largest box-score season came in 2016 with Eastern Michigan. Those numbers show where he fit, how often the ball or action found him, and how his role developed over time.
Special-teams careers depend on repeatable opportunity, not just one highlight. With 46 career games in the available record, his career has enough shape to show both opportunity and production across East Carolina and Eastern Michigan.
The arc is straightforward: Austin Barnes moved through the depth chart, found a larger role, and turned that opportunity into production that can be understood through standard football numbers.