Top-20 2027 prospect Martay Barnes names three schools making early push
By SAM LANCE
MURRAY, KENTUCKY — Class of 2027 guard Martay Barnes is one of the nation’s top sophomores with an On3 industry ranking of No. 18. He showed why he’s earned that elite prospect status during the Grind Session on Friday.
Barnes — the 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from the Academy of Central Florida — scored 13 points with four assists and four steals in a 57-54 loss to St. John’s DME. While it wasn’t the result Barnes and his teammates wanted, he was still able to display his impressive shot making and defensive instincts.
“I need to be more of a shot maker and get my teammates open as well,” Barnes said of his role for Central Florida. “And defend like I said man. Just being a point guard. Helping my teammates be everywhere, everyone be on the same track. And just helping score, helping my team out. And defending for sure.”
What separates Barnes is his energy. He plays with an endless motor and is always one of the fastest players on the court. Barnes used to run track and had a 22.6 200-meter dash time in eighth grade. That was two years ago.
On the recruitment side of things, Barnes is still a sophomore, and he’ll have to wait until June 15, 2025 for schools to be able to have extensive recruitment conversations. Right now, the communication is limited to extending offers.
Barnes currently has three schools showing early interest with an offer: UCF, South Carolina and Ohio State. He’s visited both UCF and South Carolina unofficially. He broke down each school briefly to ZAGSBLOG:
UCF: “I love UCF man. It’s family. It’s right around the corner. So it feels like home.”
South Carolina: “South Carolina as well, especially because my brother goes there. If he makes it feel like home, than it’s home for me too.” Barnes’ brother is running back Raheim Sanders.
Ohio State: “It’s nice. I didn’t get to go visit up there yet, but we got to go see.”
Barnes might go back to South Carolina for an unofficial, but that’s probably it for visits during the high school season. When choosing a school, Barnes wants a place that fits the way he plays.
“And good coaching as well,” Barnes said. “Just a place that feels like home.”
Barnes said Kansas is his dream school.
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