Ricky Barber

Early life

Barber was born on May 7, 2001. He attended Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he played football as a defensive lineman, earning third-team all-state honors after recording 48 tackles as a junior in 2018. He then was named first-team all-state by USA Today, all-district and all-area as a senior in 2019. A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

College career

Barber redshirted as a true freshman in 2019 after appearing in four games, then became a starter at Western Kentucky in 2020. In 2020, he posted 58 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and four sacks, earning honorable mention All-Conference USA honors and being named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America team. After the 2020 season, Barber entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to UCF. He started 10 games for the Knights in 2022, recording 29 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and three sacks. In 2023, he started all 14 games and was named first-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) after recording 49 tackles. He was also named an honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Network (PFN). He had 34 tackles, six TFLs and 2.5 sacks in his final season, 2024. He was invited to the 2025 Hula Bowl.