Barnes, an assistant football coach at the University of Arkansas for four seasons, made his move to UCLA in 1950, where he served as an assistant under head coach Red Sanders. In 1958, following Sanders' unfortunate passing due to a heart attack on August 14, fellow Bruins assistant George W. Dickerson was promoted to head coach. However, two weeks later, on August 30, Dickerson was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center due to "nervous exhaustion."

Upon Dickerson's return on September 11, he led the Bruins for three games as head coach. This brief tenure saw a loss to #21 Pittsburgh on September 20, followed by a victory at Illinois, and another loss, this time 14–0, at the hands of Oregon State.

However, just before the Florida game, Dickerson was once again admitted to the UCLA Medical Center, suffering from nervous exhaustion. It was at this point that Barnes stepped in as acting head coach for the remainder of the season. Barnes continued in this role until 1964, during which he achieved a record of 31–34–3 (.478). Notably, he secured two conference (AAWU) titles in 1959 and 1961, leading the sixteenth-ranked Bruins to the Rose Bowl. It's interesting to note that three of the assistant coaches from Sanders' 1954 national championship team, namely Dickerson, Barnes, and Tommy Prothro, all went on to become head coaches for the Bruins. Sanders and Prothro also shared a connection to Tennessee.

Ultimately, Barnes resigned after the 1964 season, having gone 10–20 (.333) in his last three seasons. This decision came about after he learned that athletic director J. D. Morgan had no plans to renew his contract.

👔