If you listen to the press conferences from the coaching staff, they will tell you who’s playing well at practice. Sometimes you have to discern whether they are using the media to motivate certain players or if they are genuinely giving a player props for performing well.
One player who Mike Norvell mentioned unprompted a few days ago when asked about the safety position was senior Ashlynd Barker (13:37 mark in the video below):
Barker has incredible potential in Tony White's defense if he takes Earl Little's role.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Barker is one of the guys that Norvell is highlighting. He was second on the team in tackles, third in tackles for a loss, and had 3.5 sacks. last year.
He did that while missing a game and playing banged up. Barker brings great physicality to the safety position and should be even better in his second year in Tony White’s system. He’ll likely take over the role that Earl Little Jr. had last season, which led the team in tackles.
Barker was one of the players who flirted with the transfer portal before ultimately deciding to stay in Tallahassee. He admitted how he handled a few things in the offseason was a mistake and something he learned from.
Barker's return with Jabril Rawls at the cornerback spot gives the FSU secondary a lot of experience and production returning in 2026. If they can get solid play from the defensive front and a pass rush, I'd expect this FSU secondary to be a handful to deal with for most opposing offenses.
It wouldn't shock me to see Barker exceed 75 tackles in 2026, while improving in other areas, just as he did from 2024 to 2025.