The Ray Guy Trophy, presented to Georgia’s Drew Butler in 2009, sits prominently in a display case in the second floor elevator lobby at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. Collin Barber walks by it almost every day. Occasionally he’ll stop and look it over real close.
“Yeah, I’ve looked at it,” the Bulldogs’ junior punter said with a grin. “I’ve seen it. It’s motivation, definitely.”
As close as the trophy is to Barber physically, it never seemed as far away as it did last season. A year that started with incredible promise ended with Barber losing his job. In between some really strong performances were some mishandled snaps, blocked punts and inexplicably bad days.
“It was just a rough time for me honestly,” Barber said of last season. “I started off the season good, hitting them really well. Then that concussion against Tennessee came and it took a toll on me. I got hit and it was like I was in an LED light. I was blind as soon as it happened.”
Barber was blind-sided by Geraldo Orta well away from the play after his blocked punt was picked up and returned for a touchdown by Tennessee’s Devaun Swafford. The Bulldogs held on to win in overtime, but Barber never seemed the same.
As is medical protocol for concussion treatments, UGA doctors ordered Barber not to do anything for a week after the Tennessee game. He didn’t even pick up a football, much less punt one.
That was evident the next week against Missouri. After punts of 30 and 34 yards early in that game, Barber was replaced by walkon Adam Erickson. After that, Barber had some decent days, but he also mishandled a couple of imperfect snaps and had another punt blocked. Erickson ended up becoming the Bulldogs’ primary punter for the final three games of the season.
“I never caught back on,” said Barber, who signed a scholarship with Georgia out of Cartersville. “I have a strong work ethic, but I’d try to work and my head would hurt. My drive just kind of left me. It was kind of like a depressing moment in life. I’ve never been one to ride the bench, but there I was, overtaken by another guy.”
Barber said he set his mind to change his fortunes this season, not to mention his attitude. To start off, he feels better. The headaches are gone now and he has refined his drop to a point he feels like he’ll be able to deliver more consistent kicks and get them off quicker.
“I’m here for two more years and a lot of kids can only dream about that,” he said. “I realize I can’t take that time for granted. I’ve got to be the best I can be every day. Nothing in life is handed to you, so I have to work for what I want. I’ve got a different mindset this year and hopefully it will pay off.”
Coach Mark Richt last week gave the early edge to Barber in a renewed position battle with Erickson that might not be decided until game day.
“I just want to finish strong,” Barber said. “It’s definitely a goal of mine to win the Ray Guy and be an All-American. But if I can win that, I just want to help the team out as much as I can and be a better team player. If an individual stat or goal happens, it happens. But I’m more focused on the team than my individual goals.”
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