Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, August 7, 2013

We?re 22 days from the 2013 football season kicking off. Indiana (Indiana State) and Minnesota (UNLV) get things started for the Big Ten on Thursday, Aug. 29 on BTN/BTN2Go. To help count down the days to kickoff, BTN.com is ranking the top 25 players. Join us as we count it down, from 25-1, every day.

No. 22: Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State

Deion Barnes could be Penn State's next great defensive end. As a redshirt freshman, the physically gifted Barnes tallied 10 tackles for loss, six sacks (both team highs) and thee forced fumbles (tied for team lead). That's quite the feat for a first-year player, but it's more noteworthy when one considers he played with future NFL draft picks Jordan Hill, Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti. That decorated trio is gone, of course, meaning more focus will be placed on Barnes. The reigning Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year has the skills, body and athleticism to handle the added pressure.

View Barnes' career stats:
2012 stats: 26 tackles; 10 TFL; 6 sacks, 3 FF

BTN.com?s top 25 players of 2013
1.
Aug. 28
2.
Aug. 27
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Aug. 26
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Aug. 25
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Aug. 24
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Aug. 23
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Aug. 22
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Aug. 21
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Aug. 20
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Aug. 19
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Aug. 18
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Aug. 17
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Aug. 16
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Aug. 15
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Aug. 14
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Aug. 13
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Aug. 12
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Aug. 11
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Aug. 10
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Aug. 9
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Aug. 8
22.
Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State
23.
Isaiah Lewis, S, Michigan
24.
James White, RB, Wisconsin
25.
Anthony Hitchens, LB, Iowa