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Before the sun rises over the Tallahassee skyline, Florida State football safety Ashlynd Barker is at the Seminoles' football facility working on the jugs machine, in the film room, or rehabbing his body.
It's part of an overhauled offseason routine ahead of what Barker hopes is an impactful redshirt junior season with the Seminoles.
Barker said he's more intentional with what he's training and learning defensively from position coaches, and he's in bed by 9 p.m. and up at 4:30 a.m. to maximize his time at the facility and around his teammates.
"I set my bedtime for 9 p.m., I make sure I get a shower at 8 p.m., hydrate before that," Barker said of his routine. "Just go to bed and cut everything off."
The change required a new level of discipline for Barker, who said he struggled at first with the early wake-up time but is comfortable with it now and has felt the benefits of his new schedule. He wants to build on a breakthrough season in which he posted 48 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a pair of pass breakups, while developing into one of the team's leaders.
It's not just Barker who's getting a head start to the day, with fellow members of the secondary Ma'Khi Jones and CJ Richard often joining him in the early hours. Barker credited former Seminole DB Jerry Wilson, who followed a similar routine last season, for inspiring him to do the same.
Barker said the communication and feeling with those in the secondary, including Jones and Richard, and throughout the team is positive, and he's pointed to a lack of egos on the roster as to why.
"It's great. They work super hard. There is no egos when people are talking to them, along with them saying stuff to other people," Barker said. "Everyone wants to help each other out."
The open communication throughout the team has allowed Barker to step into a vocal leadership role. Barker said he previously was someone who led by actions, but felt like he needed to be more vocal, especially with 57 new players on the roster.
He was selected to break the rock for the Seminoles to conclude summer workouts, an honor given to the most impactful player. Head coach Mike Norvell said Barker has taken ownership of his actions and the way he's approached the season.
While Barker didn't leave the Seminoles program, he did flirt with entering the portal before reversing course. He publicly criticized the FSU roster on social media during the offseason, something Norvell said he learned from and chalked up to a player who cares about the program and is still maturing in adulthood.
"It's through his ownership of all things. Sometimes we forget that these are 18 to 22-year-olds; there are a lot of different situations, whether social media, whether it's things that are out there. But at the end of the day, you still learn from every experience you go through," Norvell said.
Defensive backs coach Blue Adams went a step further and called Barker the "standard" for players to follow. It's high praise for Barker, who was previously labeled an "NFL player" by safeties coach Evan Cooper. Now he needs to translate his offseason changes into a career year with the program.
The Seminoles are 7-17 in the last two seasons and haven't won on the road, but Barker has already expressed his confidence that the team will be "super good" this year. An improved defense, particularly in the run, will help turn things around, and Barker is trying to do his part to right a wayward ship.
"In his daily regimen of tasks that he's doing, whether it's grabbing younger guys, whether it's him coming in, getting extra [work], I don't know of a time this summer where I'm coming in, I get here pretty early and I mean he's out there doing extra things, whether it's on a jugs machine, whether it's film study, whether it's doing just prepping his body to be the best that he can be," Norvell said of Barker.
During the workouts, you felt him. His willingness to challenge everybody, starting with himself by what he was, what he was willing to do, then, if there was something that wasn't to the standard, I mean, he wasn't waiting for a coach to correct it or waiting for somebody else."
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ashlynd Barker embracing new opportunity with FSU football
Continue reading...
It's part of an overhauled offseason routine ahead of what Barker hopes is an impactful redshirt junior season with the Seminoles.
Barker said he's more intentional with what he's training and learning defensively from position coaches, and he's in bed by 9 p.m. and up at 4:30 a.m. to maximize his time at the facility and around his teammates.
"I set my bedtime for 9 p.m., I make sure I get a shower at 8 p.m., hydrate before that," Barker said of his routine. "Just go to bed and cut everything off."
The change required a new level of discipline for Barker, who said he struggled at first with the early wake-up time but is comfortable with it now and has felt the benefits of his new schedule. He wants to build on a breakthrough season in which he posted 48 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a pair of pass breakups, while developing into one of the team's leaders.
It's not just Barker who's getting a head start to the day, with fellow members of the secondary Ma'Khi Jones and CJ Richard often joining him in the early hours. Barker credited former Seminole DB Jerry Wilson, who followed a similar routine last season, for inspiring him to do the same.
Barker said the communication and feeling with those in the secondary, including Jones and Richard, and throughout the team is positive, and he's pointed to a lack of egos on the roster as to why.
"It's great. They work super hard. There is no egos when people are talking to them, along with them saying stuff to other people," Barker said. "Everyone wants to help each other out."
The open communication throughout the team has allowed Barker to step into a vocal leadership role. Barker said he previously was someone who led by actions, but felt like he needed to be more vocal, especially with 57 new players on the roster.
He was selected to break the rock for the Seminoles to conclude summer workouts, an honor given to the most impactful player. Head coach Mike Norvell said Barker has taken ownership of his actions and the way he's approached the season.
While Barker didn't leave the Seminoles program, he did flirt with entering the portal before reversing course. He publicly criticized the FSU roster on social media during the offseason, something Norvell said he learned from and chalked up to a player who cares about the program and is still maturing in adulthood.
"It's through his ownership of all things. Sometimes we forget that these are 18 to 22-year-olds; there are a lot of different situations, whether social media, whether it's things that are out there. But at the end of the day, you still learn from every experience you go through," Norvell said.
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Defensive backs coach Blue Adams went a step further and called Barker the "standard" for players to follow. It's high praise for Barker, who was previously labeled an "NFL player" by safeties coach Evan Cooper. Now he needs to translate his offseason changes into a career year with the program.
The Seminoles are 7-17 in the last two seasons and haven't won on the road, but Barker has already expressed his confidence that the team will be "super good" this year. An improved defense, particularly in the run, will help turn things around, and Barker is trying to do his part to right a wayward ship.
"In his daily regimen of tasks that he's doing, whether it's grabbing younger guys, whether it's him coming in, getting extra [work], I don't know of a time this summer where I'm coming in, I get here pretty early and I mean he's out there doing extra things, whether it's on a jugs machine, whether it's film study, whether it's doing just prepping his body to be the best that he can be," Norvell said of Barker.
During the workouts, you felt him. His willingness to challenge everybody, starting with himself by what he was, what he was willing to do, then, if there was something that wasn't to the standard, I mean, he wasn't waiting for a coach to correct it or waiting for somebody else."
Florida State football schedule 2026
- vs. New Mexico State | Aug. 29
- vs. SMU* | Sept. 7
- Bye
- at Alabama | Sept. 19
- vs. Central Arkansas | Sept. 26
- vs. Virginia* | Oct. 3
- at Louisville* | Oct. 9
- at Miami* | Oct. 17
- Bye
- vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31
- at Boston College* | Nov. 7
- at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
- vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
- vs. Florida | Nov. 27
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ashlynd Barker embracing new opportunity with FSU football
Continue reading...
