Even before receiving a scholarship offer from East Carolina in April, Phoenix Barnes already envisioned himself becoming a Pirate.

“It was one of the places I had always thought I could see myself playing there,” said Barnes, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end from Jack Britt High school in Fayetteville, NC.

Those thoughts became reality on June 13 when Barnes joined a group of Class of 2027 prospects who offered their verbal commitments to ECU following official visits to campus. He was one of nine high school prospects making pledges to the Pirates between June 13 and 16. The surge helped offset the loss of Miami, FL, quarterback James Parrone, who committed to the Pirates on June 2 before backing off that pledge to join the recruiting class at Pittsburgh on June 13.

There were no such second thoughts for Barnes, even though he entertained other scholarship offers from Appalachian State, Army, Campbell, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, James Madison, Liberty, Massachusetts, Navy, N.C. A&T, Old Dominion, Western Kentucky and Youngstown State. He took official visits to Appalachian State (June 4-6) and Charlotte (May 29-31), but a family connection had ECU as the frontrunner from the start of the recruiting process.

Barnes’ uncle, Nathan Barnes, was a nose guard for the Pirates from 2001-2002, so the family has always followed ECU football closely.

“Growing up, we were always watching East Carolina football on TV because of my uncle,” Barnes said. “In the end I made my own decision, but it was good to see someone from the family loved that place.”

But Barnes literally saw the light about ECU football while on his official visit.

“We went outside (in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium) to take pictures with the head coach,” Barnes said. “They kind of dimmed the lights all around so there was only purple lights in the stadium. I was kind of off to the side by myself. I was just looking and was like, ‘Wow! this mind-blowing.’ My mom came over and she was like, ‘I pretty much like this place.’ I said, ‘I do too.’ I committed the next day.”’

The decision will add a well-traveled and athletic prospect to ECU’s future roster.

Barnes hails from a military family – his father, William Barnes, is a 16-year Army veteran and sergeant major stationed at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville. As a result, the younger Barnes was born in Conway, SC, and lived in several places, including Colorado Springs, CO, before landing in Fayetteville in 2021. Barnes’ football career had barely gotten off the ground by the time he arrived in Fayetteville/Fort Bragg.

“I was kind of on and off with sports,” Barnes said. “I started playing basketball as my first sport. Then I tried flag football my fifth-grade year and I was hooked. But then Covid hit, so I couldn’t really start playing (football) until the seventh grade.”

By the eighth grade, Barnes already had hopes of playing major college football. After a season on the junior varsity at Jack Britt as a freshman, Barnes began proving himself worthy of that opportunity when he became a varsity starter in the third game of his sophomore year when he was used mainly as a blocker.

Barnes became more of a receiving target for the Buccaneers as a junior when he made eight catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his scoring catches were for 46 and 61 yards.

“I think both of those are good examples of my breakaway speed,” said Barnes, who has been timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash. “I think that (speed) and route running ability are two of my strengths. I feel like I’m able to get separation on defensive backs and linebacker really well.”

Jack Britt has earned a reputation through the years for its talented tight ends. Current ACC Network commentator Eric MacLain lettered for four seasons as a tight end for the Buccaneers from 2008 to 2010 before signing to play for Clemson where he transitioned to offensive line. Aaron Kirkland was rated the nation’s No. 3 tight end prospect during his playing days at Jack Britt (2000-2002). Kirkland signed with Tennessee.

Now that his recruitment is complete, Barnes is preparing for a challenging senior season at Jack Britt. The Buccaneers will be regrouping after a 7-5 season that saw 19 seniors graduate. He’ll spend the football season playing for Britt before graduating early and enrolling at ECU next January.

“I’m just going to really enjoy this (senior) ride and have fun with these boys I’ve kind of grown up with,” Barnes said. “Then I’ll enroll at ECU in January. I’ve been looking at their (tight end) depth chart and they have some really good guys up there. My plans are to get there, put my head down and work.”