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Penn State lands commitment from '23 kicking specialist, Ryan Barker

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•06/28/22•

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Penn State landed the verbal commitment of Ryan Barker on Tuesday evening. (Photo courtesy Ryan Barker Twitter)

Penn State has added a preferred walk-on kicker to its recruiting Class of 2023. Announcing his decision via Twitter, kicker/punter Ryan Barker has landed on the Nittany Lions.

And he’s 100 percent committed on the decision, he wrote.

Rated as a 4.5-star kicker and a 4.5-star punter according to Kohl’s Kicking, Barker carries rankings of No. 44 and No. 91 in the same categories, respectively.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Barker is nearing his junior season at Kennett High School.

Ryan Barker’s commitment statement:

“After what has been a thrilling recruiting process I am beyond grateful to say I am committing to Penn State University. I would like to thank my family for always pushing me to be great, my coaches for always believing in me, and my friends for always supporting me on Friday nights.

“Thank you Coach Franklin and Coach Collins for giving a small town kid a chance. This is truly dreams turned into reality. I am excited to get to work, and see where this journey takes me.”

Kohl’s Kicking profile:

According to his Kohl’s Kicking profile, Barker is a fast-rising prospect boasting accuracy and leg strength after competing at the Kohl’s Eastern Showcase in May.

From the profile:

“He made 10 points during the field goal charting and demonstrated next level leg strength with multiple 76-yard kickoffs with over 3.7 seconds of hang time. He had a great overall day and was able to win the camp-wide Kickoff Competition at the end of camp as well.

“Barker put together such an impressive camp during the 2022 Kohl’s Future Stars Camp. He scored 9 points during the field goal charting, finished with an average kickoff score of 107.25 points and average 45.3 yards per punt. Barker has the potential to be the best overall combo prospect within his class.”

On top of his strong recent showings, Barker also appeared twice at Penn State’s June camps.

First attending the Nittany Lions’ June 5 specialists camp, he noted that he was a field goal finalist at the event and won the kickoff competition. He then followed it with a June 15 workout for head coach James Franklin, Barker reported on Twitter. It was then when he landed his offer to join the program.

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