GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On the bus trip to Jacksonville for their clash with No. 1-ranked Georgia, the Gators will pass Exit 355 on Interstate 10, located about 11 miles west of TIAA Bank Field.
Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber could look out the bus window and point toward nearby Conquerors Stadium, where he starred for Trinity Christian Academy on the way to a state championship in 2020. Barber returns home to play in his first Florida-Georgia game Saturday. It's a game Barber needs no introduction.
"I've been to multiple games,'' he said this week. "This is going to mean the world to me. I have a bunch of family coming, friends coming, they're all going to be behind me supporting me, so I'm excited."
UF offensive lineman Austin Barber has started the last five games at right tackle. (Photo: UAA Communications)
Barber grew up in Jacksonville and remembers going to the Florida-Georgia game, hanging outside the stadium with his parents as they tailgated. They did the same on occasion at Jacksonville Jaguars games.
However, the 6-foot-6, 312-pound Barber is prepared for a much different experience on this trip to TIAA Bank Field. A redshirt freshman, Barber has started the past five games and played in all seven, taking over as the starting right tackle when Michael Tarquin missed four games due to a lower-body injury before returning to action two weeks ago in the loss to LSU. Barber earned recognition for his play this week when the College Football News named him to its midseason Freshman All-America Team.
Barber signed with the Gators after helping Trinity Christian Academy win the Class 3A state title in December 2020 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. He entertained offers from Southeastern Conference schools Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Outside the conference, Minnesota and Miami were among the schools that pursued Barber on the recruiting trail, but Barber opted to remain in his home state.
As a result, he now gets to play in his hometown.
Here is a Q&A with Barber from a session with UF beat reporters earlier this week: AUSTIN BARBER Q&A
Q:What improvement have you seen from quarterback Anthony Richardson since Tennessee? A: Oh, I think he's grown exponentially. Each week he's getting better and better. From that game on, he's been a leader for us, he's been a guy that's been vocal, trying to get us right and I feel like him growing from week to week is going to keep us going. I feel like he's at a point where he can lead this team and get to a victory.
Q:How much confidence does the offensive line have in his athleticism? A: He makes us look good sometimes. I feel like him being the athlete like that, he makes plays when we mess up, so it's like if we have a guy back there who can move around and run, we can be subpar when he's on his best.
Q:How long did it take to turn attention to facing Georgia coming off a tough loss to LSU? A: I don't think it took a lot. I feel like we're a team where we can take a loss and build on it and grow from it. This has probably been one of our best weeks of practice, which we need to go against the No. 1 team in the nation. I feel like we're just growing and growing.
Q:What do you know of the Florida-Georgia game atmosphere? A: I see it on TV and I've been there before. It's loud. Half and half, which is exciting. It's cool to see.
Q:How much does having two offensive line coaches help? A: I feel like it's helped out a lot. You've got two points of who you can talk to and when you want to talk to somebody. One guy could be getting in your tail about doing something wrong, but you can go to the other guy and say, 'Hey, how can I fix it?' It's like a yin-yang type of thing.
Q:What made this one of team's best weeks of practices? A: I think it's us knowing that we came off a loss. The two weeks we've had, I think it's given us more confidence that we've had more time to prepare, more time to watch film on these guys and I think our energy level, and how we practice, has been our best.
Q:With few Jacksonville guys on the roster, what does this game mean to recruiting? A: I feel like Jacksonville has some of the best recruits. I played there, you got [Marcus] Burke, you've got a bunch of guys that are coming in. I feel like we just established that we can recruit in Jacksonville. It gives us confidence that more guys want to come and play here.
Q:You guys are big underdogs, does that provide extra motivation? A: Yeah. I always feel like we have a chance in every single game. Regardless of however far we're down points-wise, it's a rivalry game. Anything can happen. We're playing in a neutral spot. Anything can happen.
Q:What about spoiling their season? A: I would love to do that. I'm not a big Georgia fan. It would be great to have that. I feel like we can. We just gotta hone in on it.
