Austin Barber

Early life

Barber is from Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida, where he played football and basketball. An offensive lineman in football, he was named to the Florida Times-Union Super 11 team as a senior, helping his team win 12 straight games that year while defeating Chaminade–Madonna College Preparatory School 25–22 in the Class 3A championship. Barber also helped Trinity Christian post 2,127 rushing yards that season. He initially committed to play college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers before de-committing. In December 2020, a day after winning the state title, he committed to play for the Florida Gators. He was ranked a four-star recruit in the class of 2021.

College career

Barber redshirted in 2021 as a true freshman at Florida, appearing in three games. He then played in all 13 games in 2022, five as a starter, earning selection to the College Football News Freshman All-America team. He started eight games in 2023 while battling several injuries. In 2024, Barber started all 12 games at left tackle. He started all 12 games again as a senior in 2025, earning third-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he received an invite to the 2026 Senior Bowl.