2021 OL Austin Barber Commits to the Florida Gators
With the news of former commit Javonte Gardner heading to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State, a newfound spot opened up for Florida, allowing Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.) offensive tackle Austin Barber to be added into the Florida Gators 2021 class.
Barber, a former Minnesota commit, just won a state championship with fellow UF signee WR Marcus Burke on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7, 295-pound tackle, who received a late offer on Thursday, December 17th, quickly joined Florida's class with no hesitation.
Florida landed the SI All-American candidate over the likes of Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Maryland.
The Jacksonville native played left tackle for TCA, which is a position of serious need as redshirt senior starting left tackle Stone Forsythe is expected to head to the NFL draft.
On the field, Barber is a mauler who has inconceivable strength, as most of his senior film is filled with him pancaking all kinds of defensive linemen and linebackers.
The state champ could use some improvement with his pass set and speed, but he rarely gets beat and always keeps his defender in front of him. Barber is very agile for his massive size and is a beast in the run game.
Looking ahead to the second signing day, Florida could potentially add another offensive tackle in Tristan Leigh, who will announce his college decision on January 2nd.
Below, you can find a snippet of Barber's SI All-American scouting report. You can welcome Barber to Florida by following him on Twitter here.
Polish: Barber possesses a massive frame with surprising athleticism. He can add definition and improve overall strength to be more physical at and through the point of attack. His ability to get to the second level is desirable, but he needs to reduce negative steps to be more effective.
Bottom Line: Austin Barber is a long, massive, athletic tackle prospect with desirable agility and ability to bend. He lacks physicality and timing, and can benefit from added strength in his upper body. He is consistent in his sets, but he needs to reduce negative steps to be efficient at the college level. He projects as a Power-5 starter over the course of his career.