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RALEIGH, N.C. — When Devin Grant transferred from Buffalo to Syracuse in December 2023, the first person to take him under his wing was Justin Barron.

That’s why Grant initially struggled to find words to describe Barron’s performance in SU’s 24-17 win at NC State Saturday. All he could muster in the visitors’ tunnel postgame was that Barron played like a “dog” before Grant spotted Barron heading to the team bus, shouting “J-B” in celebration of the night’s triumph.

Barron was the teammate whose example reflected Syracuse’s core values onto him. And Saturday showed him exactly why he gravitated toward Barron so much in the beginning.

“If D.A.R.T. is a word, he exceeded that word,” Grant said of Barron. “I can’t even explain him. He’s more than D.A.R.T. He’s all of D.A.R.T. Detailed, accountable, relentless and tough — that’s how you describe Justin Barron.”

Barron put together his most productive contest of 2024 to fuel Syracuse’s (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) defense in its road victory over NC State (3-4, 0-3 ACC). The safety-turned-linebacker registered eight total tackles, five solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and an interception — all team-highs — to curb the Wolfpack offense. Barron graded at an 80.9 overall player rating, per Pro Football Focus, his best single-game grade of the year.

Even while continuing to adjust to a position change, it was all in a night’s work for Barron.

“(Defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson) and I go over every situation,” Barron said. “Being an older guy, I don’t really have class as much as the other guys. I’ve just had a lot of free time to be in (the practice facility), just talking about situations, what he sees and what I see.

“It’s just the repetition that helps me see the game.”

Barron hadn’t made a significant impact across SU’s first five games. He wasn’t a contributor to any turnovers, and at times, struggled to finish tackles. He entered Saturday’s contest with an overall PFF grade below 60, after tallying an 81.4 grade in the 2023 season.

But his memorable performance against NC State was no surprise to SU head coach Fran Brown.

When Brown did hotel room checks prior to SU’s first two road games of the year, first against UNLV in Las Vegas, then in Raleigh versus the Wolfpack, Barron was never the troublemaker. He said Barron was studying film and jotting down notes into the wee hours of the night. He said it’s the same deal when Barron finishes practice back in Syracuse — he returns to his apartment and gets to work.

Barron takes football with him, Brown emphasized, going beyond the confines of the training facility. The head coach sees Barron’s detail-oriented nature as what carries his on-field performance.

“It’s not a coincidence that he comes out and he has a good game and he’s doing things right, or he can move from nickel to go play well at linebacker also, because he studies the game like that,” Brown said of Barron.

Following Marlowe Wax’s leg injury in SU’s season-opener against Ohio, Brown and Robinson made the decision to push Barron up into the second level from his safety position. He’s bounced around from being a linebacker to a defensive back, and vice versa, before, so he’s used to the fluid change. Though he hasn’t looked more comfortable as a linebacker than Saturday in Raleigh.

His first big moment came early in the second quarter with NC State pushed back to its own 12-yard line. Barron came in flying from the weak side on a second-and-12 screen pass from Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey to receiver Noah Rogers, who Barron stuffed at the line of scrimmage and dragged down for a half-yard loss.

That was one of Barron’s five solo tackles, which came on a one-on-one scenario where Rogers could have easily broken free for a big gain. Barron, however, made his mark with more explosive plays.

With less than five and a half minutes left in the second quarter, NC State running back Kendrick Raphael had a ball punched out by SU linebacker Derek McDonald. Barron was in the right place to corral the recovery, swiftly trailing the play and pouncing on the ball once it hit the ground. Syracuse scored a touchdown on its ensuing offensive drive.

Barron later delivered arguably the game’s most seismic shift. The clock ticked past the 2:00 mark of the third quarter, and Bailey faced a first-and-10 from SU’s 28-yard line trailing 17-7. Bailey took the shotgun snap and immediately looked to his right, where Barron was positioned 10 yards from the quarterback.

Bailey tossed to Wesley Grimes, who was running a drag route over the middle. Bailey’s release came a bit late in Grimes’ route and he overthrew him. The ball tipped from Grimes’ hands and fell right into the arms of Barron, who was on the prowl waiting to make a play. Barron cut upfield after securing the pick and dashed from Syracuse’s 21-yard line to the opposing 38.

A 41-yard interception return set SU’s offense up with more pristine field position, which it took advantage of again with a LeQuint Allen Jr. touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Barron mentioned that takeaways were a point of emphasis for Robinson heading into the week. It’s safe to say SU met its defensive coordinator’s expectations, forcing a season-best three turnovers against NC State. Barron played a large role in two of them.

“It’s about time we start taking the ball away from them,” Barron said. “We’ve been getting one (turnover) every couple of games, and that’s just something we needed to improve on.”

“Without those turnovers, I don’t know if the game goes the same way,” Brown added.

But his last laugh came on the Wolfpack’s final drive. With Syracuse leading 24-14 and defending a second-and-goal from the three-yard line, Barron blitzed from the middle of the field, curling around the left edge and gunning toward Bailey. He collided with the quarterback and forced him to the ground for a nine-yard sack, pushing NC State away from a touchdown.

Brown compared Barron’s outing to Allen Jr.’s gutsy finish in SU’s road win over UNLV last week. He sees two players who live, sleep and breathe football. Brown said each player shows care, commitment and trust — prerequisites to play in the head coach’s system.

“That’s why it was so important when I got here right away for us to retain him on the football team,” Brown said of Barron. “If you get more players to study the game the way he studies the game, the sky’s the limit for Syracuse football.”

Published on October 13, 2024 at 11:31 am

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews