North Carolina A&T

North Carolina A&T head football coach Vincent Brown named Stephen Barnette, an assistant coach on April 18, 2024. Barnette will serve as the Aggies tight ends coach, taking over a talented group. 

Before coming to Aggieland, Barnette served as the offensive analyst and assistant wide receiver coach at Duke University during the 2023 season. There, he developed second-team All-ACC wide receiver Jordan Moore. Moore finished with 59 receptions, 794 yards, and eight touchdowns. 

The previous season, he served as the wide receiver coach at the University of New Hampshire. He led the Wildcats to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship, formerly the Colonial Athletic Association. Barnette coached a wide receiver group that accounted for 22 of the Wildcats' 27 overall receiving touchdowns and was the highest-rated run-blocking receiver group in the CAA. 

Barnette served as the assistant wide receivers and tight ends coach at Towson University for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. During his tenure there, he developed wide receiver Caleb Smith, who finished with 52 receptions, 614 yards, and five touchdowns. Smith was named third-team All-CAA in 2021. 

Before working at Towson, Barnette started in collegiate coaching at Fork Union Military Academy. He helped the Blue Devils to their first undefeated season in 2018 and developed NCAA Division I athletes during his time there from 2015-2020. 

Barnette was a five-year letterwinner (2010-14) and a three-year starter at wide receiver for the University of Richmond. He was a two-time All-CAA recipient (2012-13) and finished his career with 197 receptions for 2,844 yards (14.43) and 17 touchdowns. In 2013, he led the CAA in receptions (760 and receiving yards (1,189), breaking the program record in single-season receiving yards. He earned a B.S. degree in sociology from the University of Richmond in 2014.