UConn transfer brings size and enthusiasm
By Tim Chapman, contributing writer
Posted on November 2, 2006

Every off-season, college football teams look for the best recruits to make their program better. For JMU, it is no different.

Of this year’s acquisitions, one player has stood out: junior defensive tackle John Baranowsky.

“I’m really impressed,” junior safety Tony LeZotte said. “[Baranowsky], right away, has stepped up our intensity on defense and he’s always talking during the game.”

Baranowsky transferred from the University of Connecticut in the spring after two years of limited action. UConn defensive line coach Hank Hughes was the one who suggested JMU.

“Originally I wanted to stay in I-A, but didn’t want to sit out a year even when offered scholarships,” Baranowsky said. “I thought about going home, getting regrouped and playing at UMass, but [Hughes] said JMU would be real good.”

So, Baranowsky got in touch with Madison defensive line coach J.C. Price. Price expressed interest and assured the 6-3, 290 pound  junior that if he came down to visit he’d be sold. Eight weeks into the season and seven wins later, Baranowsky feels the move was the best thing to ever happen to him. JMU head coach Mickey Matthews is in that category, too.

“John has fit us like a glove,” Matthews said. “Football is a very high priority to him.”

Football has always been a high priority to Baranowsky. At Lincoln-Sudbury High School in Massachusetts, he was named All-Scholastic both by The Boston Globe and Boston Herald and first team All-State in 2003. He played a year of post-graduate football at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham. Up until playing at UConn, he had always played linebacker at around 235 pounds. At UConn, he was asked to play defensive end and gain about 35 more pounds. By his sophomore year, he was heavy enough. Now, he is comfortable at tackle and said he felt like he had been holding back almost, and that getting bigger wasn’t too bad.

“I basically just ate more, lifted and made sure it wasn’t bad weight, so I could stay lean and quick,” Baranowsky said.

The transition to playing tackle got even easier once he arrived in Harrisonburg. “The coach here actually played the position,” Baranowsky said with admiration for Price. “He played at Virginia Tech and was an All-American, so he really has a feel and understands how demanding the position is.”

With three games remaining and a playoff berth on the horizon, Baranowsky is being credited with bringing a new swagger to a defense that has held its opponents to only 100.6 rushing yards per game. He brought a tradition of painting his face on game day with eye black John Randle-style, and now, almost every defensive lineman has their own version.

“He’s physical and has made us a lot better than last year,” Winston said. “He stops the run and really gets after the passer.”

For Baranowsky, that all comes down to work.

“I’ve been playing all my life and want to play as long as I can, but whatever ends up happening, I’ll do what I need to do and get to work,” Baranowsky said.