Ricky Barber
Career Summary
Ricky Barber is a defensive tackle from Louisville, Kentucky, who played college football at Western Kentucky and UCF.
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Early Life
Barber was born in Chicago and moved to Louisville when he was four or five years old. He played basketball before beginning football as a high-school freshman.
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High School
Barber attended Doss Magnet Career Academy in Louisville and played for coach Phillip Hawkins. He earned All-USA Today Kentucky Football first-team, Louisville Courier-Journal second-team all-state, all-District 4-5A and Metro Louisville all-area honors in 2018, and he was selected for the Best of the Bluegrass All-Star Football Game. He recorded 48 tackles as a junior and was a three-star 247Sports prospect.
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College Career
Barber appeared in four games and redshirted at Western Kentucky in 2019, recording seven tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry. In 2020 he started every game, posting 51 tackles, four sacks, 27 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He transferred to UCF in 2021 and started 24 games for the Knights. In 2022 he started all 14 games, recorded 49 tackles, nine tackles for loss, led UCF with 12 quarterback hurries and was second on the team in tackles for loss. In 2023 he started 10 games and recorded 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. In 2024 he played all 12 games with 11 starts, totaling 34 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries.
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Path to the NFL
After taking up football as a high-school freshman at Doss, Barber signed with Western Kentucky and became a Freshman All-American in 2020. He followed his former position coach Kenny Martin to UCF, where he developed into a multi-year starter and captain.
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Career Accomplishments
Barber was a 2020 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American and an All-Conference USA honorable mention selection. He earned first-team All-AAC honors from conference coaches, Pro Football Network and Phil Steele in 2022, along with honorable mention All-America recognition from Pro Football Network. In 2024 he received All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition and an honorable mention for the conference's defensive lineman of the year.
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Playing Style
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Barber played defensive tackle. His official profiles describe a productive interior defender who generated tackles for loss, sacks and quarterback hurries, including a UCF-leading 12 hurries in 2022.
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31382, 00-0040314, 2001-01-31, Ricky Barber, Ricky, Barber
MFT PLAYER RANKINGS
Current player ranking
MFT Score: 52.9
2026 preseason baseline. Position-relative and updated through the site’s weekly review process.