Lamar’s Barnes out for four games

Published 8:28 pm Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Jalen Barnes of Port Arthur was expected to become a key role player at safety for Lamar. But the junior transfer from Texas Tech will have to wait four games before he can get on the field.

Coach Ray Woodard on Tuesday confirmed that Barnes is missing the first four games of the Cardinals’ season due to academic issues. That means Barnes will not take on rising FBS member Coastal Carolina on Sept. 3 in Beaumont, Peach Bowl champ Houston on Sept. 10 in the Bayou City, NCAA Division I semifinalist Sam Houston State on Sept. 17 and Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 8, the latter two being home games for Lamar.

Barnes transferred to Lamar in January after leaving the Red Raiders before their Texas Bowl loss to LSU. He was practicing with the first team after recording three tackles and broke up one pass in five games in 2015. His career high is nine tackles against Iowa State.

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Barnes was a junior on the 2011 Memorial High team that reached the state semifinals in 6A.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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