The statistic sheet tells you Anthony Barnes started three games and made 29 tackles for Georgia Tech last season. His position coach tells you a very different story.

Barnes isn't really an experienced player who just has to take a small step to become a full-time starter. He's a talented athlete with a long way to go.

"We don't even count him as a semi-starter," linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said. "He probably played 28-30 percent of the snaps. He's still learning. His package was very limited. He was more of your extra rusher. He didn't have to read a lot of offenses and didn't have to play off different coverages. He was what we call a joker player.

"He's kind of at the same spot as the younger players. He's probably at the same place as they are in terms of learning how to play the game."

Barnes, of course, isn't young. He's 22. But he'll be a sophomore this fall.

He signed out of Cartersville High School in 2005 but had to leave preseason practice that year when the NCAA Clearinghouse ruled him ineligible because a class on his high school transcript didn't count toward the core curriculum. He enrolled for the 2006 spring semester, redshirted that fall and finally got to play last season, when he shared time with Shane Bowen at strongside linebacker.

Now, with Philip Wheeler and Gary Guyton having exhausted their eligibility, Barnes and Bowen both have a chance to become full-time starters. Bowen is sitting out the spring following shoulder surgery, but Barnes has been practicing with the first team every day.