Chip Hester and staff hit the jackpot several times when assembling Barton College’s first recruiting class to restart the football program after a 70-year absence.
Consider this lineup:
* Wide receiver Kameron Johnson from nearby Rocky Mount set a bundle of receiving and kick-return records on his way to earning an NFL roster spot. He’ll be in Tampa Bay Bucs colors when the pro season starts this weekend.
* Running back Jordan Terrell from Ramseur gallopped among the national leaders in D2 football, and his career rushing tallies (5,487 yards, 44 TDs) may stand as Barton bests for many years to come.
* Linebacker Shane Perry of Holly Springs averaged 100 tackles per season over a three-year stretch and collected first-team all-conference honors twice before joining East Carolina’s roster for his final year of eligibility.
* Quarterback Jaquan Lynch, also of Rocky Mount, provided yet another offensive threat and now stands on the Campbell University sidelines, helping assist the Camels signal callers.
* All-conference center Alex Buschow, charged with protecting his backfield mates, never allowed a sack in his three years as a starter.
These and other standouts have become household names to Barton faithful since the first game in the spring of 2021. But each is now an alumnus of the program, leaving behind great memories but also creating giant holes to fill.
“Our hope is that the example that these guys left will filter down to our current and future teams here at Barton,” Hester told NC Football News earlier this summer. “We have a solid foundation, now we have to find ways to even get better.”
Barton will usher in what amounts to a new era when the team takes the field for its opener Thursday night at home against West Virginia State. The contest kicks off at 6 p.m. at Truist Stadium and Electric Supply Company Field.
Barton, coming off a 6-5 season in the competitive South Atlantic Conference, has been picked ninth in the 12-team league. In the end, that could be too low of a ranking. The cupboard may have lost several key ingredients, but it isn’t empty by any stretch.
The Bulldogs will build arouind its one returning all-conference performer: linebacker Matt Smith of Raleigh, also part of the initial Barton recruiting haul. Smith and Perry earned the nickname “Thunder and Lightning” for their tandem work on defense the past few seasons.
Smith made 98 tackles a year ago and has 239 for his career. He also has 15 tackles-for-loss, 5.5 sacks and an interception.
Connor Stanley (Garner), Kolbi Anderson (Indian Trail), Dereck Barringer (Rockingham) and Mike Webb (Winterville) have been mainstays in the defensive secondary since the 2020 season.
Hunter and Connor Sauls from Holly Springs have starting experience on the offensive line, along with Trey Pickard (Reidsville) and Jalen Brown (Rocky Mount).
Ja’Correy Bible (San Antonio | Rolesville HS) and Keno Jones (Rocky Mount) have experience at linebacker, earning 56 and 25 tackles, respectively, last season.
Jayden Flood-Brown, a senior from Newport News, Va. (Louisburg College), caught two touchdown passes last season. Junior Isaiah Jacobs (Raleigh) hauled in 16 receptions with one TD. Senior DaVon Adams (Durham) has 22 career catches over four seasons, including a TD a year ago.
As for quarterback and running back, the Bulldogs alas will be virtually starting over here.
No one who threw a pass a year ago returns. Rhode Island transfer Trevor Nored and freshmen Luke Smith from Reidsville (Rockingham HS) were the main signal callers during the spring game. True freshman Al Lee, who led Reidsville High to a 2A state championship in 2023, also is on the roster, along with redshirt freshman Nazir Garrett from Henderson.
The only returnee to the running back room with a carry last season is sophomore Tay Long (Winston-Salem). Long appeared in six games, rushed four times and gained 33 yards.
Barton is youthful at the position. Leonard Williams (Fayetteville) is a sophomore, Tobias Joyner (Tarboro) and Dakauri Davis (Baltimore | Garner HS) are redshirt freshmen, while Jackson Parrish (Graham) and Corbin Kerr (Jacksonville) are true freshmen.
Kerr’s high school stats may bring comparisons to Terrell. Kerr rushed for 4,864 yards at Wallace-Rose Hill, scoring 57 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry and 131.5 per game.
But Hester told The Wilson Times earlier this summer he doesn’t expect anyone on the current roster to try and become the next Jordan Terrell, Kam Johnson, Jaquan Lynch or Shane Perry.
“We want them to be themselves and the best version of themselves,” Hester told The Times. “I’m excited about them. I think we’ve got guys that will bring something different to the table.”
Barton will play a pair of non-conference games before launching into SAC play. The Bulldogs will visit Chowan on Sept. 14 in what will be a conference game next season (the two schools will shift into Conference Carolinas for football).
League play starts at Emory & Henry on Sept. 21. Other home opponents this season include Anderson (a new program), Lenoir-Rhyne (defending champion), Catawba and UVA Wise.
Thursday’s foe, West Virginia State, plays in the Mountain East Conference. John Pennington enters his eighth year coaching the Yellow Jackets, who posted a 4-6 record a year ago, with one of the wins coming against UNC Pembroke early in the season.
