All A’s: WKU ‘football nerd’ Barber earns freshman All-American honors
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BVM) — Western Kentucky defensive tackle Ricky Barber came into his Hilltoppers career with a chip on his shoulder. As a senior at Doss Career Academy in Louisville, Barber had earned numerous accolades including a three-star ranking and being listed as a top-15 recruit in the state of Kentucky for the Class of 2019. But there was one thing the senior missed out on — being named all-state.
“I was kind of upset about it,” Barber said.
He was so upset that he would tell his Hilltoppers defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin soon after finding out. Martin, using Barber’s passion to his advantage, told the lineman to not worry about the snub and instead focus on what he can do during his time in Bowling Green.
“He texted me that day and told me, ‘Coach, just so you know, they robbed me again for all-state and I’m tired of getting looked over,’” Martin said. “What I had to do was assure him that when you come here to Western — I already know you’re going to work your tail off — we’re going to go ahead and get the All-American status. All-state is cool, but let’s go ahead and show the nation who Ricky Barber is.”
Now two years later, Barber has reached the milestone he and his coach had set for him even before he stepped foot on campus. On Jan. 18, the Football Writers Association of America released its freshman All-American team. Among the mix of high-profile Power 5 athletes including players from traditional powers Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Notre Dame sat Barber representing one of only two Conference USA players to earn the honor.
𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐋-𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍
🇺🇸 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐑 🇺🇸Congrats to @RIckyBarber75 on earning this tremendous honor from @TheFWAA!#TopsOnTop pic.twitter.com/R4lZbk3702
— WKU Football (@WKUFootball) January 18, 2021
Described by the FWAA as “perhaps the top pass rusher from the Group of Five programs,” Barber saw the achievement as a stepping stone in what he hopes to be a solid career with the Hilltoppers.
“It’s a big accomplishment in my career,” Barber said. “It’s a big step.”
As a true freshman last season, Barber would play in four games and would contribute seven total tackles and his first career sack before being redshirted for the rest of the campaign. This season, the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Barber made his presence felt across the defensive front as he would record 58 total tackles, including seven for loss with four sacks, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. His 58 total tackles tied for fifth among all FBS defensive lineman. According to PFF College, Barber also ranked second among all C-USA defensive tackles with 551 total snaps played and his 30 “stops” topped the charts among those players, while his 27 total pressures and 19 hurries ranked second.
2020 Freshman All-American Highlights pic.twitter.com/FJhpXwsUyF
— Ricky Barber jr. (@RIckyBarber75) January 19, 2021
The jump in performance came as no surprise to Barber’s position coach. Labeling Barber as a “little football nerd,” Martin could tell that Barber was ready to take his talent to the next level to help out his unit.
“He pulls me out of my office every time I’m in a meeting just to watch film, to watch practice, to watch the extra film,” Martin said. “He does the extra and the scary thing about Ricky is he hasn’t touched the potential of who he could be. He still has a lot of room to improve and that’s the scary thing about it. I’m excited to work with him.”
The honor, which represents the fourth time in the past 11 years a Hilltopper has earned the recognition, also gives the Western Kentucky defensive front two former freshman All-Americans as defensive end Juwuan Jones also earned the honor in 2018. With both earning the honor, Barber is expecting a little bit of trash talk to occur between the two parties.
“We haven’t really talked about it yet, but I think it’s definitely going to come up especially when we put the pads on,” Barber said.
With Barber, Jones, defensive tackle Jeremy Darvin and back-to-back C-USA all-conference first team member DeAngelo Malone expected to return to the Hilltoppers next season, the unit will look to become one of the most difficult to handle in the entire country. Of course with that much talent, it may be difficult to stand out, but Barber does so with a blend of toughness and tenacity on the interior.
“I feel like I bring more physicality,” Barber said. “They’re really good outside rushers, but I feel like I mastered how to be more aggressive and more physical on the inside.”
With the added recognition for Barber, Martin believes that it will only add additional fuel to the defensive front’s fire. With the goal of being the top unit in the country let alone C-USA, Martin is excited to see the unit back together in 2021.
“Those guys come to work every day,” Martin said. “We’ll continue to try to do what we do and be better. We’re trying to take the next step. We’re not complacent where we are. … Our entire defensive line has something to prove.”
From an all-state snub in high school to freshman All-American with the Hilltoppers, Barber has shown what time and hard work can do for a player. With multiple years of eligibility left and a relentless passion to learn more about the game, this football nerd will look to keep passing every test put in his way.
