Arizona football recruiting: 3-star cornerback McKenzie Barnes ready to make a decision

Cornerback is a position of need for the Arizona Wildcats. There are a few options for the Wildcats in 2018 class, including recent commit Jhevon Hill.

But another player Arizona has made a major move on is McKenzie Barnes.

The Edison High School (Fresno, Calif.) standout recently narrowed down his list to three schools and is ready to make his decision.

During the last weekend in July, Barnes was slotted to head to Oregon for an unofficial visit, but he ended up taking a little detour instead, heading to Tucson for Arizona’s “The Closing” event.

“They invited me and I talked it over with my dad and my coach,” Barnes said how the visit came to fruition. “We decided that it would be the best trip to go on at that moment.”

“The trip was pretty good,” Barnes continued. “I got a lot of one-on-one time with coaches and some of the players.”

The trip made a good impression on Barnes overall. Of note, there was one part of the trip that stood out to the 6-foot, 190 pound defensive back and it was a different answer in a good way.

“Honestly, one of the best parts of the trip was when I got to sit through and education and life skills meeting,” Barnes explained. “They asked me a couple of my goals and they set out a plan for me to accomplish them. It was a one-on-one experience.”

The successful visit is not the only aspect working in Arizona’s favor. Another positive is his relationship with the coaching staff. It is something that could tip the scales.

“Coach (Vince) Amey is my recruiter,” Barnes stated. “But while I was there I established pretty good relationships with Coach (Marcel) Yates and Coach (Chris) Singletary.”

All of this said, Arizona is in a good position ahead of Barnes’ decision, which is this coming Saturday (Aug. 12).

“I like everything about Arizona and Washington State,” he stated. “Oregon has been my dream school for a very long time.”

Barnes said he is looking for a school that gives him the best chance to get an engineering or business degrees.

“Also an opportunity to go pro,” he said.

Arizona’s coaching staff won’t have to wait long to know if they are going to have an addition to their class. If Barnes commits, the Wildcats will have a player they are looking for — a lengthy corner who has sideline-to-sideline speed and aggressiveness.

Barnes is a two-star recruit in 247Sports’ Composite rankings, but Scout ranks him as a three-star prospect.