Julian Barnett signed with Michigan State as a 4-star defensive back coming out of high school, but he opened fall practices on the offensive side of the ball for the Spartans.

According to Chris Solari with the Detroit Free Press, Barnett was suited up in a green jersey and worked primarily with the offense during Thursday’s practice. Barnett had most of his work at wide receiver for the first practice of the fall. However, it doesn’t sound like this will be a permanent move for Barnett.

Solari pointed out that head coach Mark Dantonio indicated the switch was due to being down a receiver at the moment:

“He’s worked in the secondary through our summer drills and everything,” Dantonio said. “We just want to make sure, because we’re down a wide receiver, that we make sure we’ve got an opportunity to have the right numbers.”

The player they are down right now is 2019 WR Tre’Von Morgan who has been delayed due to academic requirements.

Once Morgan is on campus, expect Barnett to be back at his usual position in the secondary. Then again, with the number of injuries the Spartans dealt with to receivers last season, it never hurts to cross-train a few guys just to be prepared.