Deion Barnes Added to Football Coaching Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C. (December 23, 2025) — University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer has named Deion Barnes as the Gamecocks’ defensive ends/outside linebackers coach, it was announced today.

Barnes, 32, has spent the past three seasons as the defensive line coach on James Franklin’s staff at Penn State after working with the Nittany Lions for three years as a graduate assistant tutoring the defensive line.

During his six seasons working with the PSU defensive line, Barnes has mentored 21 All-Big Ten selections, including five first-team picks, along with a first-team, a second-team and a third-team All-American.

Since 2020, Barnes’ first year with the program, Penn State has led the nation in most defensive ends selected in the NFL Draft with seven.

Penn State’s defense has consistently been among the FBS leaders in both sacks and tackles for loss. In 2025, PSU ranked third in the Big Ten and 37th in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 6.1 per game, and fifth in the Big Ten and 39th in the nation in sacks with 2.3 per contest. In 2024, the Nittany Lion defense ranked second in the FBS in tackles for loss (119) and fifth in sacks (44). In 2023, Penn State’s defense ranked first nationally in sacks (49) and first among Power Five teams (2nd nationally) in tackles for loss (111). During the 2022 campaign, Penn State led the Big Ten with 104 tackles for loss (T-4th nationally) and 42 sacks (T-6th).

South Carolina and Penn State are tied for fourth nationally in turnovers forced since 2021 with 110.

The most decorated player Barnes coached, Abdul Carter, was named a unanimous All-American, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2024 before becoming the third pick in the NFL Draft pick. He led the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss and ranked seventh nationally in sacks (12.0). Barnes has also coached first round pick Chop Robinson, former five-star prospect Dani Dennis-Sutton and third round NFL pick Adisa Isaac, among others.

Barnes was a three-year letterwinner at Penn State from 2012-14 and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2012. He spent two years in the NFL with the New York Jets (2015) and Kansas City Chiefs (2016), and an additional season in the AAF with the San Antonio Commanders in 2019. He earned his bachelor’s degree from PSU in 2014 in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management.

Prior to returning to Penn State as a graduate assistant, Barnes worked as an assistant coach at his former high school, Philadelphia Northeast, eventually becoming the Vikings’ defensive coordinator.

Barnes File
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
High School: Philadelphia Northeast
College: Penn State (2014 – B.S.  Recreation, Park & Tourism Management)

Coaching Career
2023-2025 – Penn State (Defensive Line)
2020-2022 – Penn State (Defensive G.A.)

SOUTH CAROLINA 2026 COACHING STAFF
Shane Beamer, Head Coach
Deion Barnes, Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers Coach
Kendal Briles, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Randy Clements, Offensive Line Coach
Joe DeCamillis, Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
Stan Drayton, Assistant Head Coach – Offense/Running Backs Coach
Shawn Elliott, Run Game Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach
Mike Furrey, Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach
Torrian Gray, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach
Travian Robertson, Defensive Line
Clayton White, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach