50 games/46 starts
Key part of the Vikings ranking #1 in the NFL in rush defense in 2006 and 2007...Helped Vikings defense climb to #8 overall in NFL in 2006…Helped the defense hold opponents to 985 rushing yards in ’06, a team record and the 2nd-lowest total in the NFL since the 1970 merger…Spent most of the 2005 season on injured reserve following season-ending knee surgery after 3 games…Made immediate impact during his rookie season by starting 15 games, which ranks 2nd in team history by a rookie DE, trailing only Kevin Williams…Finished tied for 3rd among all NFL rookies in ‘04 with 5.0 sacks (behind only Kansas City’s Jared Allen-9.0, New Orleans’ Will Smith-7.5)…Was the first USC player selected by Vikings in 1st round (20th) since Joey Browner (19th) in 1983…Joins Browner, Steve Riley (1974) and Ron Yary (1968) as USC players drafted in the 1st round by the Vikings.
2007Keyed the Vikings defense as it ranked #1 in the NFL against the run for the 2nd straight season, allowing only 3.1 yards per rush and 74.1 yards per game...Tied for Vikings lead in sacks and ranked 2nd on team with 30 QB hurries...Set career-high with 53 tackles...Posted 1st career fumble return yards, rumbling 37 yards with a Jon Kitna fumble vs. Detroit (12/2), ending game with forced fumble, fumble recovery and career-high 2 passes defensed in a game played 4 days after his daughter was born...Notched career-high 10 tackles in season finale at Denver (12/30)...Opened the season with sacks in backto- back games vs. Atlanta (9/9) and at Detroit (9/16)...Had a sack and forced fumble at Dallas (10/21). 2006Helped Vikings defense rank #1 in the NFL against the run, setting a team record with only 985 yards allowed on the ground...Matched career-high with 15 starts...Led team with a career-high 13 tackles for loss and ranked 2nd on the team with 41 QB hurries…Posted season-high 5 tackles and 3 QB hurries vs. Carolina (9/17)…Recorded career-high 2 tackles for loss along with 3 QB hurries vs. Detroit (10/8)…Matched career-high with 2 tackles for loss in the next game at Seattle (10/22) and added 3 QB hurries… Posted 2 tackles for loss again and 3 tackles at San Francisco (11/5)…Recorded a career-high 5 QB hurries along with 4 tackles at Miami (11/19)…Matched career best again with 2 tackles for loss and 3 tackles at Detroit (12/10)…Matched season-high with 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 3 QB hurries vs. N.Y. Jets (12/17)…Tied his season high with 5 QB hurries at Green Bay (12/21).2005Started at LDE in season opener vs. Tampa Bay and matched his career high with 6 tackles and added a pair of QB hurries…Posted 1st sack of the season vs. New Orleans (9/25) when he brought down Aaron Brooks and recorded 3 tackles…Inactive for game at Atlanta (10/2), the 1st game of his career he missed due to injury…Was then placed on IR on 10/10 following knee surgery, ending his season.2004His 5.0 sacks were 3rd-best on the team and tied for 3rd-best among all NFL rookies…Led the team with 21 QB hurries...Became only the 4th Vikings rookie DE to start the season opener vs. Dallas (9/12), joining Carl Eller in 1964, Al Noga in 1988, and Williams in 2003…Started in Monday Night Football debut at Philadelphia (9/20) and posted his 1st career sack when he caught Donovan McNabb…Forced a fumble on a sack of Byron Leftwich vs. Jacksonville (11/28) that was returned 77 yards for a TD by KevinWilliams to clinch a Vikings’ 27-16 win and tied his season-high with 6 tackles…Had 6 tackles at Houston (10/10) to set season-high…Posted a sack on Saints’ QB Aaron Brooks at New Orleans (10/17)…Recorded a season- high 3 QB hurries vs. Tennessee (10/24)…Posted a sack vs. NY Giants (10/31) on Kurt Warner…Sacked Joey Harrington at Detroit (12/19) for his 5th sack of the season… Recovered a Patrick Ramsey fumble at Washington (1/2/05) following a sack by Williams…Played in Wild Card game and Divisional Playoff game.
Consensus All-America choice as a junior when he was named National Defensive Player of the Year by NFL Draft Report and Pigskin Club of Washington DC…Tied for NCAA lead in 2003 with 16.5 sacks…The 1st USC defensive lineman to earn All-America honors since Tim Ryan in 1989…Helped USC to a shared national championship, earning the #1 rank in the final Associated Press poll after the Rose Bowl victory over Michigan…Part of remarkable USC turnaround under former Vikings assistant coach Pete Carroll that culminated with national title…Earned 1st-team All-Pac-10 honors as a junior and was named USC’s Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior and as a sophomore…Named to Freshman All-America 2nd-team and Freshman All-Pac-10 team by The Sporting News…Redshirted as a true freshman in 2000.2003 Everybody's All-American after tieing for NCAA lead with 16.5 sacks...Earned National Defensive Player of the Year honors from The NFL Draft Report and the Pigskin Club of Washington, DC...Finalist for Hendricks Award as college football's top DE...Named 1st-team All-Pac 10...Earned team's Defensive Lineman of the Year honors for the second straight year...Started all 13 games...Selected as Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Week for performance against Stanford when he had 4 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and blocked a FG attempt... Recovered a UCLA fumble in the endzone for his lone career TD...Had 4 tackles with 1.5 sacks against BYU...Posted a 6 tackle, 2 sack day against Notre Dame.2002 Started every game for the Pac 10 champions...Helped lead team to 11-2 mark and top Iowa in the Orange Bowl 38-17...Named 2nd-team All-Pac 10...Earned USC's Defensive Lineman of the Year award...Notched 7.5 sacks and had lone collegiate interception...Picked off pass against Stanford...Set a USC record with 6 forced fumbles on the season...Blocked 1st career FG against Washington while adding 5 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble...Had 4 tackles for loss, including 2 sacks against UCLA...Notched 5 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that set up a USC TD against Kansas State.2001 Named to Freshman All-America 2nd Team and Freshman All-Pac 10 team by Sporting News...Honored with USC's co-Lifter of the Year award...Started 10 games...Made transition from DT to DE during fall camp.2000 Redshirted as a DT.
Is one of the most active Vikings in the community by adopting Bancroft School in Minneapolis and supporting the school’s reading program with visits and providing numerous game tickets as incentives to the kids…Takes part in youth mentoring and working with students at the elementary school in Los Angeles where his mother is a teacher…Comes from family of educators as sister is a teacher in Atlanta…Participated in the Vikings High School Coach of the Week program at Minneapolis South High School…Made appearance with 2004 inductee and fellow DE Carl Eller at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in May 2005 as part of the Hall’s Best ofYesterday and Today series that features alumni stars and present players from a franchise…Older brother, Thomas Barnes, attended the University of St. Thomas and law school at the University of Minnesota…Younger brother, Echezona, attended Carleton College in Northfield, MN…Kenechi means “God’s love will always be with me” in Nigerian…Has a collection of antique and replica swords…Majored in sociology at USC...Married to Terrica, the couple has a daughter, Bailey, born during the 2007 season.