Hogs Haven
A Mason-Brennan dark horse candidate?
Ricky Barber is a 6’3”, 293-pound defensive tackle from UCF and one of Adam Peters' first signings following the 2025 NFL Draft.
He began his six-year college career as a three-star recruit and chose to play for Western Kentucky University over Cincinnati, Indiana, and Purdue. Barber shined in four starts before redshirting the remainder of his freshman year. He had a breakout season in 2020 with 51 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 27 hurries, and a forced fumble. The newly named Freshman All-American entered the transfer portal at the end of the season. Despite hearing from several top programs including Penn State and Tennessee, he decided to follow his defensive line coach, Kenny Martin, to the University of Central Florida. In an interview with Knights247 in 2021, Ricky discussed his relationship with Martin and his decision to transfer to UCF:
"My relationship with Coach Martin played a big role," Barber explained. "I trusted him at Western (Kentucky) and I trust him now... The fan base stands out to me a lot."
Barber shared what he likes about Martin and why his position coach is different from others in college football.
"He’s a perfectionist and he pushes his players to do things at a high level," Barber said about Martin, who also played the defensive tackle position in college before becoming a coach.
Barber, Martin, and Gus Malzahn would have a strong inaugural season including a 9-4 record and win over the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Knights joined the Big 12 in 2022, and Barber was introduced to a whole new level of competition. His full college statistics are listed below:
You will notice a drop in production in 2023, which readers may mistakenly believe coincides with the transition to the Big 12. In fact, he struggled with an undisclosed injury for a good portion of the season. He discussed the injury and his rehab in a press conference before his return:
So, what type of player are the Commanders getting in Ricky Barber? Surprisingly, not an overwhelming athletic one:
The 4.85 RAS is low in comparison to some of Washington’s other rookies, but I would like to point out a couple of items. One, Ricky’s height seems to be somewhat in dispute. He is listed as 6’1 above and by Draft Scout, but both the UCF and Washington rosters list him as 6’3”. In addition, there are no numbers for bench press, an area one would think Barber would test well. Improved numbers in both categories would change his rating to “Good” in the composite size category and improve his overall score. There are no comprehensive draft profiles on the defensive tackle, but a 2022 player profile by UCF Knights on SI summarized his game:
Run Defense
Barber’s natural strength makes him hard to move with one blocker, as USF players undoubtedly know. Additionally, with UCF having other talented defenders up front like Keenan Hester,...
