BCI Freshmen of the Year

It’s time to hand out some props to a first year player who enjoyed a great season on the field. This season saw freshmen across the country post some great numbers and the University of Cincinnati had its own top frosh to talk about.

Not only did Marcus Barnett make an impact on the field, his style and nickname made him a fan favorite by the time the season ended. Known as “Bones” the skinny wide receiver from Upper Marlboro, Maryland first graced the pages of Bearcat Insider as a high school prospect just hoping to earn a scholarship from his summer camp performance in front of the Bearcats coaching staff. After being hung up by the NCAA Clearinghouse last season Barnett may have been the biggest winner of all when Brian Kelly became the Bearcats head coach.



As the season progressed it was easy to see Ben Mauk had found a receiver he trusted who showed the ability to take it to the house whenever he touched the ball. Barnett did just that hauling in 62 passes for 862 yards and 13 touchdowns during the season. The totals were just short of team leader Dominick Goodman who caught six more passes on the season for seven more yards.

Much will be expected of Barnett next season as he’ll have to fight back from an injury he suffered during the PapaJohns.com Bowl. But don’t be surprised if Bones is back pulling down passes and scoring touchdowns by spring.