Caleb Barnes enters his second year as an assistant football coach at Nebraska Wesleyan after being hired to a full-time position in January 2019. He will once again coach the Prairie Wolves defensive backs.
Barnes will also be focused on recruiting for the NWU football program.
Prior to NWU, he spent five seasons as an assistant football coach at conference opponent Luther College from 2013-17 where he was the special teams coordinator and a highly successful recruiter. Prior to joining the NWU coaching staff, he was an assistant coach at Olathe Northwest High School in Kansas.
Coach Barnes has over ten years of collegiate coaching experience and has played or coached at NCAA Division III, NCAA II and NAIA programs throughout the Midwest. Barnes has worked with multiple positions on both sides of the football, as well as special teams coordinator.
Other coaching stops for Barnes include two seasons coaching defensive backs at Illinois College and serving as a graduate assistant coach at William Penn University working with the tight ends.
A Michigan native, Barnes earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from Alma College in 2007. While at Alma, he played four seasons of college football as a defensive back. He began his college career at Grand Valley State where he was a member of the NCAA II National Championship team as a wide receiver.
Barnes is married to the former Bethany Nicoll.
