Karsen Barnhart, an offensive lineman for the Michigan Wolverines, officially announced his decision to enter the 2024 NFL Draft on social media.
The native of Paw Paw, Michigan, joined the Wolverines for the 2019–20 campaign. As a true freshman that season, he saw the field frequently, starting two games at left tackle and adding special teams play in another. After just one season, he appeared in all six games in the postponed 2020 campaign, starting four of them at left tackle. In one game, he also played right tackle as he started to demonstrate his versatility.
Barnhart moved across the offensive line to play some games at left tackle and some at left guard in the Big Ten Championship-winning 2021 campaign. After an injury in mid-October in 2022, he replaced Trente Jones at right tackle, where he spent the remainder of the season after playing one game at left tackle.
During those two seasons, Barnhart’s performance was crucial to the Wolverines’ back-to-back Joe Moore Awards as the best offensive line group in the country.
As a fifth-year player in 2023, Barnhart mainly stuck with right tackle, but he did sneak in some time at right guard due to Zak Zinter’s season-ending injury in the win against Ohio State. For his efforts, Barnhart was selected by the coaches as an All-Big Ten second-team player and by the media as a third-team player.
Over the course of the previous two seasons, Barnhart appeared in 43 games overall, 24 of which he started for Michigan. He played right guard, left tackle, left guard, and right tackle. Michigan’s offensive line, which won the Joe Moore Award in 2021 and 2022, featured him as a versatile player.
We want to wish Barnhart the best of luck in the NFL, just like we do for every Wolverine who chooses to turn pro.
Michigan OL Karsen Barnhart
