Linebacker, Western Michigan, 2018–22
Zaire Barnes
- Number
- No. 3
- Height
- 6′1″
- Weight
- 227 lb
- Class (2022)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Mundelein, IL
- Born
- Sep 3, 1999
Zaire Barnes played linebacker at Western Michigan (2018–22). The New York Jets took Barnes in round 6, No. 184 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
13tackles, career highvs. Ohio, 2022Defense
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Western Michigan | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Western Michigan | 29 | 16 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | Western Michigan | 68 | 45 | 7 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | Western Michigan | 94 | 60 | 5 | 1.5 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Career | 206 | 128 | 15.5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Western Michigan | 3 | LB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2019 | Western Michigan | 3 | LB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2020 | Western Michigan | 3 | LB | Yr 3 | ||
| 2021 | Western Michigan | 3 | LB | Yr 4 | ||
| 2022 | Western Michigan | 3 | LB | Sr. (Yr 5) | 6′1″ | 227 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2022 Western Michigan 12 games, 94 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at Michigan State | L 13–35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 10 | at Ball State | W 37–30 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | vs. Pittsburgh | L 13–34 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 24 | at San José State | L 6–34 | 8 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1 | vs. New Hampshire | W 44–7 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 8 | vs. Eastern Michigan | L 23–45 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 15 | vs. Ohio | L 14–33 | 13 | 10 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | at Miami (OH) | W 16–10 | 8 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Nov 2 | at Bowling Green | L 9–13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 9 | vs. Northern Illinois | L 21–24 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | at Central Michigan | W 12–10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 25 | vs. Toledo | W 20–14 | 9 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 |
2021 Western Michigan 13 games, 68 tackles, 2.5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | at Michigan | L 14–47 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 11 | vs. Illinois State | W 28–0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 18 | atPittsburgh | W 44–41 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 25 | vs.San José State | W 23–3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2 | at Buffalo | W 24–17 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9 | vs.Ball State | L 20–45 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | vs. Kent State | W 64–31 | 8 | 7 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 23 | atToledo | L 15–34 | 8 | 5 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 3 | vs.Central Michigan | L 30–42 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 9 | vs. Akron | W 45–40 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | atEastern Michigan | L 21–22 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 23 | atNorthern Illinois | W 42–21 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 27 ✦ | vs. Nevada | W 52–24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 Western Michigan 10 games, 29 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. Monmouth | W 48–13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | atMichigan State | L 17–51 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 14 | vs. Georgia State | W 57–10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | at Syracuse | L 33–52 | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28 | vs.Central Michigan | W 31–15 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 19 | atEastern Michigan | L 27–34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | vs.Bowling Green | W 49–10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 5 | vs.Ball State | W 35–31 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 26 | atNorthern Illinois | L 14–17 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. Western Kentucky | L 20–23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 Western Michigan 8 games, 15 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8 | atMichigan | L 3–49 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 15 | vs. Delaware State | W 68–0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 13 | atBowling Green | W 42–35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 20 | atCentral Michigan | W 35–10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 25 | vs.Toledo | L 24–51 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 1 | vs.Ohio | L 14–59 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 13 | atBall State | L 41–42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20 | vs.Northern Illinois | W 28–21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
| Drill | Pro day 2023 |
|---|---|
| Height | 6′1⅝″ |
| Weight | 232 lb |
| Arm length | 32″ |
| Hand size | 9″ |
| Wingspan | 76⅜″ |
| 40-yard dash | 4.56 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.57 s |
| Vertical jump | 34″ |
| Broad jump | 10′3″ |
| Bench press | 20 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 7.02 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.27 s |
Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
2 seasons, 13 games with a stat; latest team: New York Giants.
| Season | Team | G | Tkl | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | New York Giants | 8 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 (so far) | New York Giants | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 13 | 36 | 1 | 0 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.