A source close to Barnett tells 247Sports that he enrolled Thursday at Palomar Junior College in California, where he will attend school through the spring semester, which ends May 27. From there, Barnett, a class of 2015 five-star recruit per the 247Sports Composite, will return to the FBS ranks of college football to play most of the 2017 season.
Texas A&M has already contacted Barnett directly, 247Sports learned Tuesday — an intriguing subplot given the Aggies and Alabama share SEC West real estate.
Jeff Steinberg, who coached Barnett in high school, told 247Sports in a separate conversation that Pac-12 schools Oregon, UCLA, Washington and Cal had spoken with him about his former pupil.
Michigan State, Miami and Florida have also expressed interest.
"I could see him narrowing it down fairly quickly," Steinberg said of Barnett's recruitment, "and trying to make a decision by Christmas time."
Now that Barnett is enrolled at Palomar, any college is free to speak to him, including SEC programs (players who transfer directly from one four-year institution to another are almost always barred from moving in-conference). As a 4-2-4 transfer, Alabama has no control of where Barnett ends up. It’s a massive loophole that 247Sports reported on when Barnett first announced his intent to transfer.
Barnett redshirted in 2015 and started the Crimson Tide’s season opener this year against USC, but was replaced by freshman Jalen Hurts after just two series. Barnett did appear in three games of the first four games for the top-ranked Crimson Tide, completing 11-of-19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns before deciding to leave the program. His timing to do so along with enrolling at a JUCO allows him to be eligible next season at the school of his choosing. Had Barnett stayed in Tuscaloosa all season he would have had to sit out next fall per NCAA transfer rules.
According to bylaw 14.5.6 in the NCAA transfer guide, Barnett as a 4-2-4 transfer (four-year institution, to a junior college, and back to a four-year institution), can be eligible one calendar year from the date of his transfer (either Sept. 28 or 29, depending on when the paperwork was filed) as long as he graduates with a GPA above 2.5 over an average of 12 hours per term at Palomar.
