Barnett hired to coach Hawks’ defensive line

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon College athletic department announced the recent hiring of D.J. Barnett as an assistant football coach.

Barnett joins head coach Mike Turk's staff as the defensive line coach.

"I am so proud of the man that D.J. has become and I am thankful that he is coming to work for us," Turk said. "He was a great player here and was our first All-American.  Having the opportunity to watch him grow up in our program, knowing how he was coached and knowing what kind of person he is, I know that he will do a great job mentoring and leading our defensive line group."

Huntingdon's first first-team All-American, Barnett was a four-year player on the defensive line for the Hawks and a team captain as a senior. He played on Huntingdon's first playoff team in 2009 as a freshman and anchored the defense for Huntingdon's first nationally ranked team as a senior in 2012.  

Barnett earned his bachelor's degree in physical education. He spent the past five years teaching physical education at Baldwin Arts and Academic Magnet School while coaching at the high school and middle school level.

During the past three seasons, Barnett served as the defensive line coach at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. During that stretch, the Knights won 30 games, including a school-record 12-1 season in 2019, captured two region titles and finished as the region runner-up once.

Before joining the Catholic varsity team, Barnett spent one season as the Knights' middle school defensive coordinator. The team was 6-2 and finished as the city runner-up in 2016. In 2015, Barnett was a defensive line coach for Park Crossing High School when the second-year program earned its first playoff appearance.

As a player at Huntingdon, Barnett earned honorable mention All-American honors as a junior and was named to multiple first-team All-American teams as a senior. The Hawks' first two-time, first-team All-Region selection, Barnett still ranks second in program history in sacks and tackles for loss, is tied for second in forced fumbles and is third in fumble recoveries.

After Huntingdon, Barnett spent one season in the Professional Indoor Football League and helped the Alabama Hammers win a league championship. Before Huntingdon, Barnett was a three-sport athlete at Jefferson Davis High School. He was a team captain in football and wrestling and qualified for the state tournament in wrestling and track and field.