Garrett Barnas brings his artistry to the canvas and the football field.
By Mike Gibson
I have a dilemma.
Everytime I watch news on the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, Channel 6, I'm torn.
Erin O'Hearn comes on and I'm in love with her.
Then the weather comes on and I'm in love with Cecily Tynan.
Erin or Cecily.
Cecily or Erin.
I love both.
There are other women on Channel 6 I like but I don't love. Sarah Bloomquist I really like. Karen Rogers, I really, really like. (Not so much Nora Muchanic. Sorry, Nora.)
I love Erin and Cecily.
I can't decide who I love more.
So I've decided I want both.
I must be a greedy person in other areas of my life because, strictly in a platonic sense here, that's the way I feel about Temple's already here and incoming quarterbacks.
I like Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart.
I love (remember, we're talking football-sense here) Chris Coyer and Garrett Barnas.
Why?
Simply, because they both bring me the multi-dimensional ability I've become used to in a Temple quarterback (i.e., Adam DiMichele for the past three years).
Garrett Barnas is an artist both on and off the football field and I sincerely hope and pray he's in Temple's framed 2009 picture.
As a quarterback, he led one Class AAA team, Bureau Valley (Ill.) to an Illinois state title and an unbeaten season. Then he merely won a JUCO national title with Harper College.
Behind the canvas, Barnas is quite a talented artist, too.
He's a 3.4 GPA student who would fit right in at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and has inquired about playing football at Temple.
Welcome newest Owl, Chris Coyer
Favorite Pro Team: Vikings.
Appetite: Ravenous (altough he's not a Ravens' fan).
Food tasting: Loves Philly cheesesteaks. While in North Philadelphia a couple of years ago for his sisters' AAU basketball game, he ate two cheesesteaks with a large meatball sub in a two-hour period. His favorite food? Sushi.
Favorite local (Va.) hangout: Vienna Inn (best known for Chilli Dogs).
Family tie to Temple: Great-great uncle Harry Cochran was Dean of the Business School at Temple in the 1940s.
Academic quirk: Can solve algebra, calculus, trigonometry, chemistry, and physics equations in his head and come up with correct answers and he doesn't know how or why.
Athletics: Two-year, two-sport captain (football and basketball) and the first male athlete to achieve that honor in the 40-year history of Oakton High. MVP in both sports.
Strength: Bench press 345 pounds, 20 pounds greater than Tim Tebow at the same age.
Athlete D.C./Va. press most compares him to: Tim Tebow.
Family: Twin sisters, Caroline and Katherine, only freshmen, have already received over 100 recruitment letters.
Favorite color: Red
Color of his Ford Lightning Pickup Truck: Cherry
This morning, coach Ed Foley, in charge of his recruitment, is going over a Garrett Barnas Highlight Reel (with the emphasis on capital H and R) that arrived via UPS.
I'd like nothing more than Temple to have three quarterbacks this spring, but to do that, coach Foley will have to fax a LOI (that's letter-of-intent) to Walnut, Ill. and Barnas will have to get his stuff together in order to get to Philadelphia by Tuesday, the day the spring semester starts at Temple.
Tall order?
Yes.
Impossible?
No.
Barnas is the spitting image, in the football and person sense, of Adam DiMichele.
Both 6-1, 205, both fast (Barnas 4.45, DiMichele 4.6), both with the ability to break down a defense and make plays with their feet and head. Both are great leaders and All-American-type kids.
So is Chris Coyer. Ohio State would have likely ... and that's VERY likely ... tendered a scholarship offer to Chris Coyer this weekend. Chris, though, had his heart set on Temple because of a solid relationship he forged with the Temple coaches over the past few months, particularly coach Rhule and coach Gilbride. So he committed to Al Golden at 10:08 p.m. last night.
With the news that All-American quarterback Taj Boyd is now probably headed to Oregon, Coyer was OSU's No. 1 fallback plan.
It doesn't take an Albert Einstein to figure out that if you have five guys who can throw and three of them can run, you double your chances to move the sticks with the guys who can run.
He was never a fallback plan at Temple where he will now make a big name for himself.
While Garrett will remind you of DiMichele, Chris will remind you of Tim Tebow. I would be remiss if I didn't add Mark Giubilato of St. Joseph's Prep. Picture a Vaughn Charlton who can run more like Adam DiMichele and that's Giubilato.
The thing I liked most about Adam and like most about Garrett (and Chris and Mark) is that they all have a feel for the rush and the sixth sense of knowing when to get out of there and do something positive with the football. All can get me a first down on a regular basis should the protection break down.
I can't say that for classic pocket passers like Vaughn and Chester. Vaughn or Chester will get me that first down once in a while. Garrett, Mark and Chris will get me that first down most of the time and keep those chains moving. All can throw the ball.
It doesn't take an Albert Einstein to figure out that if you have five guys who can throw and three of them can run, you double your chances to move the sticks with the guys who can run. Evidently it does take an Albert Einstein to figure out that if you take a knee and punt in the Navy game, your chances of winning increase by a factor of 10 over handing the ball off. But that's another story for another day.
It's quarterbacks like Garrett, Mark and Chris, though, who will strike fear into opposing defenses by keeping them on their heels.
It's no coincidence that as full-time starters this season one was 13-0 and the other 11-1.
The two are used to big-time success and they will expect no less at Temple.
I can't decide and since I can have both I will, thank you.
I wish I could say the same for Erin and Cecily.
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