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Kentucky Wildcats

Drew Barker embracing his new role as leader of Kentucky’s offense

Michael Wayne Bratton

By Michael Wayne Bratton

Published:

Heading into his third season in Lexington, redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Barker stands alone at the top of Kentucky’s depth chart after seeing meaningful action in only two games last season.

After inconsistent quarterback Patrick Towles transferred out of the program last winter, the opportunity for Barker to seize the starting job in the spring presented itself. Following a strong spring performance, the third-year player did just that.

According to Kentucky quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw, winning the starting role hasn’t led Barker to become complacent. Quite the opposite actually, as winning the job has forced the sophomore to prove to his teammates he is ready to lead them on and off the field.

“If you want to be a leader, you have to be a leader all the time, on the field and off the field,” Hinshaw said he told Barker, according to Jennifer Smith of Kentucky Sports. “You’ve got to lead by actions. You’ve got to lead by being the first one in the weight room. They’ll follow you, but you’ve got to do it. And he has done it.”

A former U.S. Army All-American coming out of high school in 2014, Wildcat fans are eager to see what their new starter will do on the field this season in the team’s revamped offense under Hinshaw and new offensive coordinator Eddie Gran. However the fans aren’t the only ones eager to see what will happen.

“He’s anxious,” Hinshaw said. “He wants to go out and prove to everybody that he’s the quarterback that will lead this team. We’re excited about that.”

Entering the 2015 season, Towles was being projected as one of the league’s best quarterbacks but certainly failed to deliver on the hype. In fact, Towles regressed significantly as a passer and ultimately ceded the quarterback duties to Barker down the stretch of the season. If Kentucky has better luck this season with the more talented Barker, expect the Wildcats bowl drought under Mark Stoops to finally come to an end.

Michael Wayne Bratton

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com

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