Spring ball is always an exciting time for college football; the first look at the next team with all of the departures from the year before. Certainly, there will be some added personnel as the summer approaches, but the group that is around in the spring is the bulk of the team that will represent the school on the field in the fall. One big returner for the Florida Gators, both literally and figuratively, is redshirt sophomore Offensive Tackle Austin Barber. Barber returns after a freshman All-American season in 2022 and will likely move from right tackle to left tackle in his third year on campus.
Saturday was the first day of spring practice for Florida and there may not have been anyone more excited than Barber, who is one of the stars of the team returning from a year ago.
“Just going back out with all the guys and all the new guys, it was awesome, getting back on the field with our helmets on,” Barber said after the practice. “I know we don’t have pads on but, just to get out and move around, playing with some new guys, it’s just a good experience right now.”
Barber earned his freshman All-American stripes as a right tackle, but the 6-foot-6, 311-pound mountain of a man looks to be moving to the other side for 2023. That does not mean he will be in unfamiliar territory.
“I’m taking first- team reps at left tackle right now, and I think that’s where I might stay, but who knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “Just right now that’s where I’m at, first practice. I’m excited for it. I came in as a freshman as a left tackle, and I played both last year. Just to see me playing on the side I came in at is pretty cool. I can’t decide if they are going to move me around or not, so I’m just going to let them decide.”
With four regulars gone from last year’s offensive line, Barber is going to have to assert himself as one of the leaders. As a leader he wants to take on the toughest spot to play, the one that will be the most scrutinized.
“It’s awesome, protecting the blind side,” Barber said. “I feel like that’s just the best position on the offensive line in my opinion. I don’t touch the ball like the center, but I think I protect the quarterback a lot more. It’s an honor to be at left tackle here at the University of Florida.”
There is no trepidation with Barber. He is ready to assume the new role and believes showing the ability to play different spots on the line will benefit him when it comes to his professional prospects.
“The diversity of me playing both sides puts me in better position for maybe the next level or whatever, it shows I can play both sides,” he said.
With all the losses to the offensive line after last season, Florida used the transfer portal to fill it out for this year. They brought in three very large players that have gotten the attention of onlookers because of their size. But Barber says he can hold his own.
“I may not look as big as these guys, but I can eat more than all of them,” he said with a giant smile.
Barber feels like he is ready for 2023 and a lot of that has to do with the strength program that is geared toward position-specific workouts. All of it points to success in his mind.
“I feel so much stronger,” he said. “They’ve customized these lifts and these runs and stuff for our position, and it’s paid out big time. Especially in practice today, I saw a lot stronger movement, moving some guys around. I feel a lot better, my body just feels better.”
The reflection on last season also steers him in the direction of knowing he needs to be better. As good of a year as he had, there is always room for improvement.
“Just going back and watching every single game and every single clip of how I played and what I can fix day in and day out,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff that I watched, even in season that I was like ‘dang that needs fixed’. Looking back after, giving myself some time and myself time to reflect on the season. Like, you know it went great, but there’s a lot of things I can fix in my game to get where I want to be. At the end of the day, I’m trying to be like one of the greats around here, and I can’t do that if I’m playing at the same level as I did last year.”