Michigan tight end AJ Barner (89). Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

College football player prop: Burn for Barner in potential barn burner

By John Dudley | Last updated 1/8/24

This last season with a four-team College Football Playoff hasn’t disappointed, as the two undefeated Power 5 schools survived scares in the semifinals to advance to the national championship. Now either No. 1 Michigan or No. 2 Washington will finish 15-0 and capture its first title since the 1990s. The outcome figures to be determined by how well the stingy Wolverines defense is able to contain the prolific aerial attack of the Huskies, but it’s a pass-catcher on the other offense who gets our support for top prop:

The bet: Over 14½ receiving yards for Michigan tight end AJ Barner (Bally’s)

Playing his first three seasons for Indiana, Barner went from special-teams contributor to trusted target. He didn’t catch his first pass until his sophomore year, when his quarterback was none other than Michael Penix Jr., the Washington triggerman and Heisman runner-up.

While Colston Loveland has been the more productive Michigan tight end, Barner plays more snaps and had a stretch of clearing this low bar in four straight games. His best performance came in a 49-0 drubbing of Michigan State, when he made eight receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. Although Barner went without a catch in the Rose Bowl win over Alabama, he did draw three throws from J.J. McCarthy.

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Tight ends have been highly profitable for this space all season. We most recently went against Michigan by backing Iowa’s Addison Ostrenga at this same number in the Big Ten title game. Despite facing a top-10 pass defense, he responded with seven receptions for 50 yards to lead the team.

In a more favorable matchup versus a bottom-12 unit that just gave up six catches for 75 yards to Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, Barner should return to prominence.

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