Barnhart Adding to West Branch Offensive Line Legacy
By Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
WEST BRANCH – It is part of the life of an offensive lineman to toil in anonymity.
In most football programs the awards, accolades and most of the attention goes to the skill position players finding the end zone and rolling up yardage.
That’s not the case in West Branch where all-state lineman have rolled through the program like they were on an assembly line for more than a decade.
Strong line play doesn’t go overlooked in West Branch its appreciated by everyone from the coaching staff and players down to the fanbase.
“After every game (former quarterback) Cooper Koenig’s parents would come up and thank me, after every single game,” West Branch senior lineman Jacob Barnhart said. “People really do appreciate lineman here. They know good line play and they appreciate it.”
In a program built around lineman Barnhart is already among the most decorated to play at West Branch.
A three-year starter and a two-time all-state pick, Barnhart is part of a West Branch offensive line pipeline that has produced an all-stater in nine of the past 10 seasons.
“It’s expected here, we’ve run the ball forever so it’s always been about big lineman here,” Barnhart said. “They expect you to be good. You aren’t going to get a pat on the back for making a bad play they are expecting you to play perfect.”
A mountain of an individual at 6-foot-6 and 295-pounds Barnhart has always had the size of an elite offensive lineman.
He used that build to earn all-state honors as a sophomore in 2015.
Over the last two seasons Barnhart has become more than just a big body at the line of scrimmage.
Barnhart spent the past two summers working with West Branch offensive line coach Jack Rummells on improving his technique and foot work.
Heading into this season Rummells can already see that work paying off.
“Technique wise he has gotten a lot better,” Rummells said. “He still has plenty of technique flaws as far as my criteria goes but he is a really good learner and can make those subtle adjustments when I can pick them out.”
An all-American at Northern Iowa who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015 Rummells knows the importance of being technically sound.
Rummells was a two-time first-team all-state pick during his prep days where he developed his meticulous attention to technique playing for his father, former West Branch offensive line coach Larry Rummells.
In his first full season as the line coach at West Branch, Rummells has tried to pass that approach on to the next great Bear lineman.
“Working with coach Rummells has really helped me,” Barnhart said. “He’s so technical with everything. Everything has to be perfect.”
Long-time West Branch head coach Butch Pedersen believes the mix of size, power and technique will put Barnhart on a short list of the top lineman in the state.
“I think he should be able to dominant people,” Pedersen said. “I think he should stand out. When you go to a game and watch if you are really a Division I kind of player that kid should stand out and I think he will do that.”
Earning second-team all-state honors the past two seasons helped Barnhart grab the attention of college coaches.
He turned more heads this summer on the camp circuit including a pair of stops at Iowa which according to Pedersen had the Hawkeyes impressed.
“He attended two camps at Iowa so they got a good long look at him,” Pedersen said. “He has been to a couple of college camps and they have really impressed with his development just from last year to this year.”
There are benefits to being a lineman that plays at a school with a history of producing talented blockers.
There is also pressure that comes with it and Barnhart knows that feeling well.
If the Bears intend to improve on their 6-4 record and first-round playoff exit from a year ago Barnhart and his offensive line mates will need to pave the way.
“It’s all dependent on the offensive line,” Barnhart said. “If the offensive line can get it done, learn the plays and be aggressive I think we can be a very good team, we have the skill players.”
Barnhart doesn’t mind the pressure to perform, he likes the boost it provides and the motivation to work hard.
And as Rummells points out, in West Branch that work of a lineman never goes unnoticed.
“It’s a very selfless kind of community where if you ask a running back how they got 500 yards in a game and they will point to the lineman,” Rummells said. “Coaches make sure everyone knows how important the line is.”