North Carolina State University Athletics
Coaching Profile: George Barlow
9/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - Looking at George Barlow's coaching resume, no one would be able to guess that the cornerbacks coach initially had no interest in eventually instructing players as a full-time job. With 23 years of coaching experience under his belt, Barlow brings invaluable knowledge along with a humble attitude to the Wolfpack coaching staff.
Growing up on the west side of Chicago, Barlow said he was never really into football.
"I didn't start playing football until college," said Barlow. Even then, his route of getting there isn't what one would normally guess.
Instead of playing football in high school and being recruited to play at the next level, Barlow stuck to track and basketball. His speed ended up being a critical factor, as track would be Barlow's doorway to college football.
"I was actually running track and I walked onto the football team and ended up getting a scholarship," said Barlow.
Attending Marshall University, Barlow played safety for the Thundering Herd from 1986-1990. He ended up being named an all-conference player, and was also a member of the 1987 team that played in the NCAA I-AA national championship game.
Recalling the experience as one to remember, Barlow said that the team barely made the playoffs.
"We did a nice job of coming together at the right time," said Barlow. "We had a great playoff run and made it to the championship game. I believe we came up short by one point."
After graduating from Marshall with a degree in business administration, concentrating in finance and business law, Barlow decided he wanted to go back to school. Sticking to his alma mater, Barlow attended grad school at Marshall where he was given a graduate assistantship with the speech department. The coaching card began calling his name, but Barlow was reluctant.
"I actually had no intentions of coaching. I wasn't one who had played football all my life like others. Honestly, I stumbled upon it," said Barlow.
Due to a new coaching staff at Marshall, they needed help for a smooth transition. The coaches knew Barlow was teaching in the speech department, and asked Barlow if he wanted to be a graduate assistant for the team. Barlow said he still had no interest.
"The coaches told me they could do a few things for me that the speech department couldn't. I went into the graduate assistant position wanting to help the new coaches, because I knew the players and wound up really enjoying it," said Barlow.
Barlow stayed at Marshall for another year before he took a job at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas as a defensive line coach.
In 1995, Barlow earned his first job as a defensive coordinator for West Virginia State. His defensive coordinator title proved to become a reoccurring theme for Barlow in years to come.
After coaching at Oklahoma from 1996-1998, Barlow accepted a position at James Madison University and became the assistant head coach. Barlow enjoyed JMU due to the fact that he got to experience building the program up.
"The football program was up and coming," said Barlow. "We built it from the ground up, and we weren't very good when we first got there."
Call it talent or call it luck, but Barlow saw a lot of success during his nine-year stint at James Madison. During their 2004 season, Barlow's defense set a FCS record for sacks, and also earned a championship title.
The next season, his defense led the nation in rush defense. Over his final five seasons at James Madison, Barlow would once again be named defensive coordinator.
From James Madison, Barlow then spent three seasons at New Mexico, where he was named the interim head coach during the 2011 season after four games. However, it wouldn't be long before Barlow got called up to arguably one of the nation's top conferences - the SEC.
Hired as the defensive backs coach at Vanderbilt, Barlow said that the SEC lived up to its reputation.
"You hear a lot about the SEC and it's all true," said Barlow. "The competition is top notch, and it lives up to the hype."
With that being said, Barlow feels as though the ACC has just as much to offer. After hearing about the opening for the cornerbacks position at NC State, Barlow was immediately interested.
"Coach Doeren and I had mutual friends in the business," said Barlow. "When I was offered the job, I knew it was a great opportunity."
Since starting in January, Barlow says he has goals of winning. A simple man, Barlow has two objectives. He said, "I want to win and I want to graduate players."
In order to win, Barlow think that a few things have to happen first. Coaching with a positive attitude is on the top of that list, as well as being competitive.
"Never let anyone outwork you. You have to be willing to make sacrifices to be great," said Barlow.
Along with this mentality comes a laid back attitude from Barlow, and a genuine concern for his players. Barlow said he makes sure to develop a relationship with each and every one of his student athletes in order to help the player-coach dynamic.
"The more I get to know them, the more I am able to teach them in the highest capacity," said Barlow. "I do as much as I can to get to know them, but at the same time, I command respect and leadership."
Barlow's players seem to agree. Redshirt sophomore, cornerback Niles Clark said that Barlow is a teacher and will "pull you aside and tell you what you did wrong, coaching you up immediately."
Aside from his quiet demeanor, Barlow brings an immense amount of knowledge to the Wolfpack staff, along with a hunger to win.
