Elijah Barnes earns fifth star in final 2025 On300, named No. 32 overall prospect
2025 Dallas (Texas) Skyline linebacker and Texas early enrollee Elijah Barnes was named a five-star and the No. 32 overall prospect in the nation in the final 2025 On300, which is being released on Thursday morning.
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Barnes is part of a 2025 signing class brought in by Steve Sarkisian that ranks No. 1 in the On3 Industry Team Rankings.
According to MaxPreps, the 6-foot-1, 239-pound Barnes notched 79 solo tackles along with 31 assisted tackles for 110 on the season. He also added 18.0 TFL and 6.0 sacks, plus an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Here’s what On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power had to say about Barnes in his evaluation.
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“True mike linebacker with a coveted combination of size, speed, physicality and effort level at the position. Measured in at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds prior to his senior year. Has plus length with 32.25-inch arms. A strong athlete and one of the faster top linebackers in the 2025 cycle with a 10.96-secon 100 meter mark at 230 pounds. The outstanding size-speed combo shows up on Friday nights. A menace when working downhill. Flows to the ball at high speed and closes quickly. Finishes with physicality, typically tackling with good form. Length aids in his tackling ability. Disruptive as a blitzer and pass rusher. Finishes plays behind the line of scrimmage at a high rate. Looks to diagnose and key well. Motor runs hot. Makes a bunch of second effort plays and runs sideline to sideline. Very productive as a senior, tallying 110 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6 sacks and an interception while playing strong competition. Has the makings of a future defensive captain and signal caller. A bit of a straight line mover who can improve his fluidity while dropping into space. The physical traits and play personality point to a projectable skill set in college and ultimately the pro level.”
Inside Texas’ evaluation
Strengths — Good height and frame with broad shoulders. Accelerates quickly and his top end speed is remarkably fast for a kid this size. Plays mostly at the Mike behind an even front. Will look to diagnose the play quickly and very fast downhill. Diagnoses the run play extremely well and is routinely shooting gaps decisively on the interior as well as making tackles outside the numbers. Can wreak havoc in the backfield and I’d love to see him attack the interior OL at the college level. Does not accept blocking routinely. A powerful kid who fights though almost all the contact HS OL have to offer. Stacks and sheds easily with good arm lockout and obvious upper body strength. Anchors well but will usually keep his feel moving as he works off of blocks. Very much a ‘see ball, hit ball’ type of player. Very productive with over 130 tackles last season. Sophomore film shows a sensational one-handed interception and some very good hands on offense. A lot of film at running back showing decisiveness and contact balance.
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Areas for concern — Loses speed on change of direction. Read step seemed a bit slower on junior film than on sophomore film. It’s not clear if that is a processing issue or a habit borne out of knowing he can beat anyone to the sideline. Limited opponent film as a junior shows a lack of feel for the zone windows and lack of depth on pass drops (this may be schematic).
