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Small sample size: How much do we know about Drew Barker?
By Keith Farner
Published:
If there were questions who would start the 2016 season at quarterback for Kentucky, the recent transfers of Patrick Towles and Reese Phillips dramatically reduced them. Drew Barker is the lone remaining scholarship candidate.
Barker could have competition in the spring from recruit Gunnar Hoak and walk-on Davis Mattingly, who redshirted this season. They will learn a new system from a new offensive coordinator, Kentucky’s third in three years. The leading candidate is believed to be Cincinnati offensive coordinator Eddie Gran.
The sample size on Barker, though, is still fairly small following two starts at the end of the season against Charlotte and Louisville. Barker was 16-for-29 against Charlotte for 129 yards, and 6-for-22 against Louisville for 128 yards. It’s not enough to confidently predict how he’ll fare as the starter during a full season.
Barker also saw limited action against Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt. But for the season he was 35-for-70 passing for 364 yards, one TD and two interceptions. The Vanderbilt game showed promise and disappointment only moments apart. He led the Wildcats on a scoring drive to open the game, then threw a pick-six only minutes later.
A four-star recruit from Hebron, Kentucky, Barker has the tools to be a solid SEC quarterback. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound quarterback, who received offers from the likes of Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Miami and Mississippi State, has a strong arm and the ability to scramble effectively.
With some experience, and the expectation that he will lead the team, Barker has to perform early to prove to the coaching staff and fans that he can take Kentucky back to a bowl game.
“It’s his time,” coach Mark Stoops told the Associated Press of Barker. “It’s time to step up and be the leader he needs to be.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
