Penn State's Most Underrated Roster Move: Retaining its Kicker

Penn State coach Matt Campbell made perhaps his most underrated retention move on special teams, bringing back kicker Ryan Barker for the 2026 season. Barker announced his decision on social media by stating that, “Penn State gave me the opportunity to pursue a dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember.”

“This place means more to me than I could put into words,” Barker said in his announcement. “I’m incredibly grateful for everything the university has done for me and for the role it has played in my journey up to this point.”

pic.twitter.com/ap4VfJwDQw
— Ryan Barker (@RyanBarker111) January 2, 2026

To describe Barker’s impact on the Nittany Lions as big would be an understatement. The redshirt sophomore owns the best career field-goal percentage in Penn State history (89.2 percent) and the top field-goal percentage in the FBS this year (94.7 percent), which broke the single-season Penn State record.

Barker has been as reliable as it gets from 50 yards and in. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from 40-49 yards this season, as his only miss this season came from a blocked 53-yard attempt at the end of the first half against FIU in September.

Barker capped his historic 2025 campaign by drilling kicks from 22, 43 and 48 yards in a frigid Yankee Stadium against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl, showcasing why he was such a vital player for Campbell to retain.

“We just sometimes take it for granted something that's so difficult, because he makes it look so easy,” Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith said following the win over the Tigers. “But man, he's been so reliable and dependable that we just count those three when he goes on to the field.”

Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker celebrates his game-winning overtime field goal against USC in 2024. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Barker is a former walk-on who worked his way up to the starting role after former Penn State kicker Sander Sahaydak went 2-for-5 through the first four weeks of 2024. He quickly emerged as a reliable kicker after making a 36-yard field goal in overtime over USC in just his second game as the starter. Barker went from walk-on kicker to walk-off hero in that game.

Since then, Barker has been among Penn State’s most consistent players. He was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals and 12-for-12 on extra points in last year’s College Football Playoff and made a 40-yard field goal in a freezing Beaver Stadium vs. SMU. To be that consistent required Barker to commit to consistent mental preparation through the season.

“Everything just kind of seemed to take care of itself this year,” Barker said after the Pinstripe Bowl. “I wouldn't say that [this year] was too hard physically; it was a lot of just mental battles and trying to make sure that I was just as ready for each kick and not treating any kick separately than the others.

"... It was more of a mental battle with myself to want to come in and work every single day with the same work habits and work ethic. That's something that I was working on throughout the whole year, during practice, during the week, was the mental preparation.”

Campbell’s move to retain Barker began before the Pinstripe Bowl. The Pennsylvania native said that he had one “really good conversation” with Penn State’s new head coach. Barker said Campbell “thinks the world of me,” and that he expected Campbell to “lead us to success.”

Then, when asked if he’ll be in Happy Valley in 2026, Barker said, “I would love to be here.”

Barker, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, returns as one of the nation’s top kickers, though awards season didn’t reflect that. Despite leading the FBS in field-goal percentage, Barker was not a candidate for the Lou Groza Award and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten.

“Of course I’m going to take note of it, but there’s nothing I can do for it,” Barker said. “Obviously if I don’t like where I stand, I’m always going to use it as fuel to get better and be that person in that spot next year.”

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