Jacob Barnes is in his first season as a member of the Illinois College football staff, serving as the tight ends coach.

Barnes spent parts of 2024 working in quality control and player personnel at Saginaw Valley State, where he helped the offensive staff with film breakdown and scouting reports. He also organized and facilitated on-campus recruiting events. In addition to those duties, he helped conduct offseason OTA’s alongside the strength and conditioning staff.

Before working at Saginaw Valley State, Barnes was a student intern at St. Edward’s High School in Cleveland and was a youth camp coach for the Cleveland Browns.

Barnes was a four-year member of the football team at Oberlin College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Sociology from Oberlin in 2024. 

Jacob is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and was a team captain at Centennial High School, where he graduated as the valedictorian in 2021.