WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary standout safety Marcus Barnes earned a rookie minicamp invite with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Barnes becomes the third W&M player to join an NFL organization this weekend, as offensive lineman Charles Grant was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 99th overall pick in the third round and wide receiver Matthew Akuchie earned an invite to the Indianapolis Colts rookie minicamp.
The trio will join an impressive list of former Tribe standouts who are currently on NFL rosters – Nate Lynn (Lions), Bill Murray (Bears), Luke Rhodes (Colts), Sorsdal (Lions) and Owen Wright (Ravens).
A two-time All-CAA selection, Barnes finished his career ranked 10th on W&M’s all-time list for passes defended (33 – 24 PBU, 9 INT). Additionally, the Jeannette, Pa., native earned 38 career starts and totaled 214 tackles and four forced fumbles.
En route to earning second-team All-CAA honors as a senior, Barnes ranked ninth nationally and tied for second in the CAA with four interceptions. Additionally, he also ranked tied for third in the conference in passes defended (11), tied for fourth in passes defended per game (0.92) and tied for sixth in forced fumbles (2).
