Michigan assistant Matt Barnes has been hired as the Maryland football team’s linebackers coach, the school announced on Thursday afternoon.
Barnes has extensive ties to Maryland Coach DJ Durkin, who is nearing the completion of his first staff in College Park. Barnes spent last season as a defensive analyst under Durkin at Michigan, where both men played a role in leading one of the most productive defensive units in the country. Michigan ranked first nationally in defensive pass efficiency, third in passing yards allowed, fourth in total defense and 11th in scoring defense.
Barnes previously served as a defensive and special teams graduate assistant at Florida from 2012 to 2014, directly reporting to Durkin, who was the Gators’ special teams coordinator for three seasons (2010-12) before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2013.