Despite unlikely journey, freshman DB Ashlynd Barker confident he can help FSU defense

Over these past four years, Mike Norvell and his staff have shown repeatedly they have no qualms about bringing in players who have been passed over — or simply not evaluated — by other schools.

If a player meets their requirements — physically, mentally and in every other area — they will not hesitate to extend an offer.

From unheralded high school signees like Markeston Douglas and Shyheim Brown to less-proven transfers such as Johnny Wilson and Trey Benson, several of the Seminoles’ projected starters this season will be players who were not sought-after by other top programs.

But perhaps no one on the FSU roster has a story quite like Ashlynd Barker.

The Columbus, Ga., product came from a less-than-prominent high school football program, and he missed substantial time there due to injuries and the COVID pandemic. Then after receiving little interest from major colleges coming out of high school, he spurned some smaller four-year programs and signed with Iowa Western Community College in March 2022.

“I believed in myself,” the FSU freshman safety explained when he met with the local media recently. “I felt like I could do better than the schools that were reaching out to me.”

Barker certainly did that — despite not even playing a snap at Iowa Western.

Because the Reivers’ roster was so loaded — they would go on to win the 2022 junior college national championship — the Iowa Western coaching staff decided to redshirt Barker and some other talented young players. Instead of having him play mop-up duty behind other future Division-I signees, they decided to save the defensive back’s year of eligibility.

“Of course, I wanted to play last year,” Barker said. “But my coach had a better insight for me.”

That decision couldn’t have worked out better for him or the Florida State Seminoles.

FSU defensive scout Justin Crouse, who previously worked at Iowa Western, heard from his contacts how impressive Barker had been in practices last fall and this spring. So after relaying that information to the rest of the Seminoles’ staff, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller went out to Council Bluffs, Iowa, earlier this year to see Barker for himself in spring practice.

“He liked what he saw,” Barker said.

Within days, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive back would be taking an official visit to Florida State. And just a couple days after that visit, Barker announced he was committing to the Seminoles.

Barker, who enrolled at FSU this summer, admits it’s a journey that he didn’t even know was possible when he was coming out of high school with such little recruiting interest. But after practicing last fall with the nation’s best junior college team — a squad filled with future D-I players — and holding his own, his entire outlook changed.

“We had a lot of players that went Division-I this past year,” Barker said. “Before I went there, I didn’t really know my potential. So me being able to fit in with those types of guys, my confidence definitely went up.”

It went up to the level where he feels like he belongs on a Florida State team that some believe will compete for a national championship in 2023.

“I feel like I still have to earn my stripes here, of course,” Barker said. “But I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the challenge.”

During his first few weeks on campus, Barker said, veterans such as Akeem Dent, Shyheim Brown and Kevin Knowles went out of their way to offer him guidance and advice. And he said FSU’s coaches have explained that they don’t have a great deal of experienced depth at safety this season.

So with that in mind, he is working overtime to learn the FSU playbook and says the transition has been relatively seamless.

When asked about what he brings to the safety position, Barker said he’s confident he can cover in space and also help in run support.

“I can come down and make a hit,” he said. “I feel like I can fit right in with this defense.”

Saying his favorite player growing up was Seattle Seahawks star Richard Sherman, Barker said he loved the defensive back’s play-making ability and attitude on the field.

Whether he can bring those attributes to FSU during the next few years remains to be seen, but the Georgia product is ready to bet on himself — just like he did when coming out of high school.

“I definitely feel like I can be able to help this team out on the back end,” Barker said. “The playbook’s not that hard to learn, but it comes with reps … I can definitely be able to learn it before the season starts, easily.”

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.

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