Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545007
2 0 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M at their current school. They then have to weigh what that looks like. He handled it like a pro. The one thing that I ask of our guys is that they be transparent and hon- est. If something is going on, come tell me, so we're prepared to counter to keep you. But he handled it the right way, and he wants to be here." With all of the moments of uncertainty out of the way, Barker has gone to work on both improving his craft and becom- ing a leader. The de facto captain of the special teams now that Dominic DeLuca is gone, Barker has been stepping up off the field this year. He is one of the oldest Penn State returnees on the roster. And considering he's one of just two kickers — redshirt freshman Matthew Parker is the other — he is also a leader of the team in general. "He's been awesome," new Penn State punter Nate Tiyce said. "Him and long snapper Blaise [Sokach-Minnick] have just been really helpful. If you need any- thing, it doesn't hurt to ask, and they'll do anything in their power to help you with that. And then the leadership group. "If you ever think you need some- thing, they're more than happy to go tell the coaches and get that sorted. So, yeah, they're amazing." A Steady Presence Barker still has two seasons of eligi- bility left. He is happy to be back with Lustig and getting to know this new Penn State staff. It has been an adjustment, of course. But, unlike the wide receivers who are learning a new offense or the safeties trying to figure out a new defense, Bark- er's task is simple, no matter who the head coach and his coordinators are: put the ball through the uprights. So far at Penn State, he's been very good at that. He is now 33 of 37 (89.2 percent) on field goal tries and 92 of 94 on extra points. The former number is the best percentage for a kicker in Penn State history. Barker will try to better it — and last year's single- season high-water mark — in 2026. And he'll get to operate again under Lustig, despite both having a chance to leave this offseason. "He wasn't really revealing too many cards, but he also, I don't think, knew what he wanted to do for a little bit of time," Barker said. "So, it was a lot of unknowns for a lot of us going on at one time. It was kind of just like a silent period of not really talking about anything with each other. But when I saw that he had announced or someone had announced Barker was all smiles after hitting 4 field goals, including the winner in overtime, to lift Penn State past USC in October 2024. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "This place means more to me than I can put into words. I'm in- credibly grateful for everything the university has done for me and for the role it has played in my journey up to this point." B A R K E R