Get to Know Your Orange Man: #23, DB Justin Barron

Name: Justin Barron

Position: Defensive Back

Year: Freshman

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 219 lbs

Hometown: Rocky Hill, Conn.

High School: Suffield Academy

2020 stats: Barron was a special teams staple for all of last season, but towards the back half of the season, the injury issues that plagues the Orange caused Barron to make the switch from wide receiver to defensive back. Barron played defensive back for the final three games of the season, racking up 3 tackles versus Notre Dame.

2021 projections: With the defensive back pool needing five bodies on the field for the 3-3-5 and a lack of depth with the losses to the professional ranks, Barron will stick at defensive back and more than likely continue to see the field on special teams and in the secondary as a rotational/depth player unless injuries elevate him on the depth chart.

How’d he get here?: Barron chose the Syracuse Orange over UConn (naturally), Pitt, Virginia, Boston College, and Rutgers.

What’d recruiting sites say?: This may surprise you, but 3 stars!

Money quote: Barron’s high school head coach Drew Gamere had great things to say about Barron’s intangibles.

“You start with his playmaking ability, his ability to catch the ball in traffic and get tough yards after the catch,” Gamere said. “That’s kind of the first piece, but more importantly his leadership was extraordinary. I would say essential to our undefeated season. He really stepped up as a leader in all ways.”

Twitter feed: @justinbarron22

Tweets of wonder: Barron knows who to ride with this season.

What movie would Dino recommend for him?: There’s an amazing subplot in Moneyball, which was written by Syracuse alumnus Aaron Sorkin, where protagonist Billy Bean has to convince former catcher Scott Hatteburg to learn to play first base. Hatteburg ends up being crucial to Bean’s rebuilding plans for the Oakland Athletics.

Interesting nugget o’interest: We won’t hold it against him, but his father Jason played at UConn from 1992-1995.

Let’s get a look at ya: High school highlights time!