PENDLETON – Football beyond high school had always been a dream for Pendleton senior Sheehan Barnhart. Growing up in the game and watching the likes of Roy Schuening do the very same thing at Oregon State when he was in middle school, Barnhart said he rededicated himself to that dream midway through his high school career.

The extra work put in paid off in a big way recently, when Barnhart signed a letter of intent to play football at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz.

“This was always a dream of mine, but the hardest it hit me was the summer going into my junior year,” Barnhart said. “It was when Walt (Johnson) became our new head coach and he really pushed me. He thought I could play at the next level and I started believing that. That’s why I started working harder and setting it as a realistic goal for the future.”

Through off-season conditioning and strength training, Barnhart entered his senior season at 6 feet, three inches and weighing 260 pounds. His work on the offensive and defensive line for the Bucks earned him looks from schools in the Northwest, including Western Oregon and Carroll College in Montana.

He said Carroll was the school pursuing him the hardest, but on his two-day trip to Flagstaff, everything clicked. Adding in NAU just opening a new business building – Barnhart’s intended major – and the fit was just right.

“I really liked the atmosphere down there,” Barnhart said. “The biggest reason I picked it over Carroll was the size of the division. I wanted to play at a bigger school with more people. That was the main thing.”

Recruited to play defensive line, Barnhart said his main contact from the Lumberjacks was defensive coordinator Andy Thompson. Thompson, who was recently promoted from linebackers coach to his current position of running the defense, was familiar with the Bucks, having played his high school football at Walla Walla.

“During the recruiting process he was transitioning to defensive coordinator, which was pretty timely for us,” said Tony Barnhart, Sheehan’s father. “He liked Sheehan’s film and that’s when he decided on the defensive side. With Andy, we had a local guy who knew the area, and I think that helped. There’s no doubt. Some of these people don’t get a chance to come out to Pendleton and see these kids play.”

For his first year, Barnhart will be redshirting as a walk-on defensive nose tackle. Entering into the workout and nutrition programs, he said he hopes to be up in the 275-280 pound range by the end of his freshman year to make a run at playing full-time and earning a scholarship.

“They want me to work on my hands this season,” Barnhart said. “I didn’t really use them a lot as a senior. It was more strength trying to move guys around. But that’s something I’m going to really be working on, that and my foot speed.”

With fall camps starting August 10, Barnhart said he will be using the next couple of months to train and lift in preparation. He added he has been working with Pendleton offensive line coach Mark Christensen in the weight room, and is currently working out twice a day and will be training with the high school team until he has to report in August.