Shortly before spring ball got underway and the Buffaloes released their 2021 roster, Oklahoma transfer Robert Barnes being listed at inside linebacker was something that immediately looked interesting.

After all, last season with the Sooners, Barnes made a position change from linebacker to safety, where he played his senior campaign in reserve, starting just one game.

Injuries kept him off the field in 2019, stalling what was a solid sophomore campaign in 2018, in which he played safety.

When the Buffs landed him as a grad transfer, his background indicated that he could very well be something of a moving piece within the defense.

Thus, seeing coaches pin him at ILB to begin spring was notable.

Earlier this week, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound transfer was identified by Karl Dorrell as a guy who has demonstrated his value as a locker room leader from the get-go.

“Robert’s shown great leadership qualities since we started our offseason workouts, getting to know his new teammates and voicing some opinions on how to do some things," Dorrell said. "I’ve been very pleased with what he’s done for us since he’s been here.”

Dorrell also pinned Barnes as a defensive player who has started to stick out to him on the football field.

“Defensively, (one of) the guys who are starting to show up consistently is Robert Barnes," Dorrell said. "He’s easy to tell that he has a comfort level in what we’re doing, so it’s good to see that.”

Whether Barnes sticks at inside linebacker as opposed to roaming around the defense in a more hybrid role, making use of his history as a defensive back, will remain to be seen.

Certainly, Colorado is in need of a veteran up the middle at ILB, given that Nate Landman may very well not be at 100% by the Sept. 3 season opener and now that multi-year starter Akil Jones has moved on from the program.

Notre Dame transfer Jack Lamb is not expected to join the team until summer, so Barnes is most definitely the most experienced player in a position group featuring juniors Jon Van Diest and Quinn Perry and freshmen Marvin Ham, Mister Williams, Zephaniah Maea and (converted outside linebacker) Alvin Williams.

With Dorrell looking to take this spring as more of an evaluation period, it might be fair to assume Barnes won't be a queen on the chessboard, moving around constantly as opposed to entrenching himself at insider backer.

At any rate, Barnes seems to have gotten off to a good start in showcasing what he can bring to the table for the Buffaloes come this fall.

“You can feel his presence on the field," Dorrell said of Barnes. "He’s a vet player, he has a lot of experience and you can see how he carries himself, diagnoses plays, tracks the football and how he fixes on runners. You can tell that he’s been around the block, so to speak."

"I think he’s going to be a really good piece for us and then when Nate (Landman) gets back, there will be a couple guys like him that I think will really help engineer this defense to be a really good defense for the fall.”