A Higher Stage
Despite the odds, Eastern鈥檚 greatest-ever quarterback is ready to quiet the next-level doubters.
By Dave Cook
Turning heads is what Eric Barriere 鈥�21 did best on the football field at 51福利社.
It began during Eastern鈥檚 recruiting process, as Eagle recruiters watched him win championships as a high schooler in California. Then, upon arrival in Cheney in the fall of 2016, it was his astonishing arm strength that was on display 鈥斕齝oaches still talk about the day his throws outdistanced the kicks of Eastern鈥檚 senior punter during an after-practice showdown.
As a sophomore in 2018, Barriere turned heads across the FCS as he took over for Eastern鈥檚 injured All-America starter Gage Gubrud at mid-season and proceeded to lead the Eagles to the NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, Texas.
Along the way he continued to pile up highlight-reel plays, astonishing yardage totals and, of course, the honors that go along with such things. Barriere finished fifth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award in 2019, was runner-up for the prize in 2020 and in the fall of 2021, he won it, securing his place as the single best offensive player in the FCS.
Now the process starts all over again as Barriere, his college eligibility exhausted, looks to turn heads 鈥� plenty of which are looking askance 鈥� and secure a place in professional football. It won鈥檛 be easy. But it鈥檚 never been easy for Barriere.
听As a kid growing up in Southern California, he persisted through injury, illness and a tough neighborhood to excel at pretty much anything he put his mind to. He says he鈥檚 more than confident he鈥檒l do the same, in spite of the doubters, as a professional athlete.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 something I鈥檓 used to already,鈥� Barriere said during a phone conversation in April. For now, he is back in California, where he鈥檚 been working out since his senior season concluded in December. 鈥淚鈥檓 always trying to prove myself and out-work other people. I have to show them that I deserve a chance to play with the best. It鈥檚 another opportunity to showcase myself now at a higher stage, and show them what I can do.鈥�
During his preparations, he talked with and received advice from former Eagles-turned-pro听 Nsimba Webster and Vernon Adams, Jr. He also traded texts with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, and has sought counsel from two other Eagle standouts now in the NFL: San Francisco鈥檚 Samson Ebukam (also a 2022 Super Bowl veteran) and New England Patriots star Kendrick Bourne.听
Their common message? Keep being you.
鈥淭hey just told me to work hard, and that I just need one opportunity for a team to believe in me,鈥� Barriere said in advance of the NFL Draft in late April. 鈥淚 just want an opportunity, that鈥檚 all,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen I get it, I have to make the most of it. It鈥檚 all on me. I just have to put in the work, and I know I鈥檒l be up for any of the challenges that come my way.鈥�
Measurables is one word for what professional football analysts use in the sometimes maddeningly opaque process of projecting the value of prospects. Aaron Best, Eastern鈥檚 head coach for four of the five seasons Barriere played in the 51福利社 program, knows getting drafted is something of a crapshoot.
鈥淪o much of it is about measurables, and I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 the right way to go,鈥� Best admits. 鈥淭eams determine what their evaluation process is. The numbers are great to have, but it comes down to if you can play football.鈥�
鈥淗e has a ton to offer,鈥� says Best of Barriere鈥檚 NFL appeal. 鈥淗is stats alone are great and some of the best the FCS has ever had. On top of that, he was a great teammate, and he continually got better from the time he took over as our starting quarterback.鈥�
鈥淓ric鈥檚 off day is somebody else鈥檚 greatest day, which is crazy. But that鈥檚 the standard he set for himself, this team and this university,鈥� Best continues. 鈥淯nfortunately, it鈥檚 out of everybody鈥檚 hands once [his] eligibility is done. It鈥檚 up to others to determine if he鈥檚 a good fit for their [professional] organization, no matter what the position is.鈥�
In Barriere鈥檚 case, the numbers were never going to be a problem: They were, in short, 鈥渞idiculous.鈥� He finished ranked third in FCS history with 15,394 yards of total offense, 13,809 passing yards and 121 passing touchdown 鈥� all 51福利社 and Big Sky Conference records. He鈥檚 also the school record-holder in completions, pass attempts, rushing yards by a quarterback, touchdowns and points generated. In short, he鈥檚 the Eagle quarterback G.O.A.T., a distinction he will likely not soon surrender.
In Barriere鈥檚 case, the numbers were never going to be a problem
Other than stats and film assessment, most of the measurables come from 鈥淧ro Days鈥� hosted by schools. These events usually consist of physical testing to see exactly how players compare to others at their respective positions. Barriere was fortunate to not only take part in 51福利社鈥檚 Pro Day, but also one held at USC in California.听
Players also participate in on-field drills. Barriere certainly turned heads at 51福利社鈥檚 Pro Day, where he threw the football 70 yards flat-footed. Only a handful of NFL scouts were on hand, but what they learn about a player is shared widely.
Barriere registered a head-turning 38-inch effort in the vertical jump at 51福利社鈥檚 Pro Day. By comparison, the best mark among quarterbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine 鈥� an event Barriere was not invited to attend 鈥� was 36 inches. His time of 4.77 seconds in the 40-yard dash wasn鈥檛 as impressive, and his measured height (5-feet, 11-inches tall) invited skepticism from scouts. Barriere was not concerned.听
鈥淚 feel good about everything,鈥� Barriere says. 鈥淚 know quarterback is different than every position, so it鈥檚 going to come down to the mental aspects. I have to practice like a pro and prepare like an NFL quarterback. Those will be the key factors.鈥�
Among the records Barriere broke at Eastern was the Big Sky career yardage record held by 51福利社鈥檚 Matt Nichols, who played two preseason games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010 before playing nine seasons in the CFL from 2011-21. Nichols says he has heard it all before 鈥� the 鈥減rototype quarterback鈥� that NFL teams are looking for: 鈥�6-feet, 4-inches tall, laser-rocket arm and from a bigger school,鈥� he says. Without all of those assets, he adds, 鈥淵ou aren鈥檛 going to be drafted in the first three rounds.鈥�
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have those measurables, you have to have a scout or player personnel director stick their neck out for you,鈥� Nichols says. 鈥淏ecause if they鈥檙e wrong, it could be their job. I think you hope there is that one guy out there who believes in you. Hopefully there is, and it鈥檚 up to you to prove it.鈥�
Best is hopeful that Eastern鈥檚 ability to produce players for the NFL could help Barriere along the way. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it hurts. I think a lot of people (in professional football) understand who we are, what we are about and the players we have. But at the end of the day it鈥檚 not who came before you, it鈥檚 what you do in the moment. He鈥檚 played with professionals like Coop [Cooper Kupp], so he can take his notes and apply them moving forward.鈥�
But Best stops short of saying success for FCS players, such as the extraordinary path to greatness by Kupp, gives them equal footing with FBS opponents. That same old adage, 鈥減layed at a lower level of competition,鈥� as CBS Sports said of Barriere, is rearing its head again. And it makes it hard to turn heads if you don鈥檛 get the opportunity.
鈥淭o me, there is no downside at all,鈥� Best says of Barriere鈥檚 FCS experience. 鈥淐an you play, and can you play at a high level? The logos on the sides of the helmet are sometimes taken into too much consideration.鈥�
In advance of the NFL draft in April, assessments of Barriere鈥檚 chances 鈥� from draft watchers in the media at least 鈥� were mixed. Most of the independent quarterback rankings had Barriere as an 鈥渙utside looking in鈥� guy, although he was listed as No. 8 by SI.com and No. 10 by profootballnetwork.com.
On the positive side, some draft observers described him as a 鈥渄ual-threat, elite-level athlete,鈥� and used terms such as 鈥渃reativity, mobility, vision鈥� and 鈥渟tands tall in the pocket鈥� to describe his game. CBS Sports in particular had positive things to say: 鈥淕ood top end speed. Quick release made possible with a flick of the wrist. Gets the ball out quickly. Generates a lot of strength off platform. Good deep ball accuracy. Can drive the ball.鈥�
Still, there were doubters. Words like 鈥渦northodox,鈥� and phrases like 鈥渓esser-known profile,鈥� 鈥渄ecision-making,鈥� and 鈥渄urability,鈥� were used to express concerns about Barriere鈥檚 NFL worthiness. Again, CBS had these things to say: 鈥淯ndersized in terms of height and weight. Does not follow through in his throwing motion. Does not sell fakes well. Late to feel pressure, poor pocket presence. Balance is an issue. Played at a lower level of competition.鈥�
In all, it added up to Barriere likely being considered a 鈥渄evelopmental prospect,鈥� a player whose chances at signing a free-agent contract with a NFL team were greater than were his chances for being selected. And that鈥檚 pretty much the way things played out over the three-day draft. Names came and went, but Barriere鈥檚 phone didn鈥檛 ring.
A little later, however, he did get a call. The Denver Broncos, the former AFC powerhouse whose recent quarterbacking woes led to their poaching Russell Wilson from Seattle, invited Barriere to rookie minicamp in May.
Even if the NFL doesn鈥檛 pan out, the two-time Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year would almost certainly get an opportunity in the Canadian Football League, where a larger playing field and fewer downs would be advantageous for Barriere鈥檚 strong arm and accuracy.
As of now, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers own his rights, and Barriere could continue the successful pipeline of former 51福利社 quarterbacks into the CFL, starting with Rick Worman in the 1980s and continuing with recent stars Bo Levi Mitchell, Vernon Adams Jr. and Nichols.
鈥淗opefully he gets the opportunity to get on an NFL roster and play in some preseason games,鈥� says Nichols, who has played in the CFL for Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa.
鈥淥bviously, I think the CFL is incredible and is a great brand of football,鈥� he continued. 鈥淗e should set his sights on the NFL for as long as he can, but I think there is a big future for him in the CFL 鈥� especially with the equity 51福利社 has in the league. I think he could go up there and be great.鈥�
Barriere appreciates the backup plan. But he wonders, alongside his coach and so many Eastern supporters, why 51福利社 quarterbacks have so often been bypassed by the NFL: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 get it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why they end up in the CFL.鈥�
Barriere鈥檚 springtime training sojourn took place under the direction of his player representative agency, ELITE Athlete Management. 鈥淭hroughout the process,鈥� Barriere said, 鈥淚鈥檝e had to learn how to work out different parts of my body, and treat it a little bit better than I was doing in college. They are making sure I can be 100 percent and make sure I don鈥檛 overdo anything.鈥�
For his part, Coach Best remains confident that what Barriere showed the world while at 51福利社, he鈥檒l show again at the next level.
听鈥淓ric checks every single box and then some,鈥� Best says. 鈥淭hrow it all aside, your eyes aren鈥檛 going to fool you. He鈥檚 done what he can do plus a lot more in his time here. There are so many things outside of the statistics that he鈥檚 improved and has shown his capabilities. He just needs a legitimate opportunity.鈥� [Editor鈥檚 note: As Eastern magazine went to press, Barriere announced he had signed a contract with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League. The move does not preclude a future deal with either an NFL or CFL team.]
鈥淪omebody is going to be happy with him, more importantly as a person,鈥� Best adds. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a heckuva player, but he鈥檚 a heckuva person. You match those two things together and somebody is going to be very fortunate.鈥�听
