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Star player in FSU football's defense: Safety Ashlynd Barker

Ashlynd Barker is the real deal.
ByTaylor Devers|
Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Osceola and Renegade before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Osceola and Renegade before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

FSU FOOTBALL

Florida State football set the tone early in the 2025 season with an eye-opening victory versus Alabama by a score of 31-17. The Seminoles were thought to be "outmatched" and the game "will be uncompetitive". However, both narratives were dismissed after the season opener.

Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams is probably still having nightmares about all the physicality that he saw. The 18-year-old phenom witnessed. Defensive coordinator Tony White's unit came to play.

While I know that the squad brought in forty-four new players to the roster, the defense has had some of the same contributors that were on the team last year, making game-changing plays.

ASHLYND BARKER

One player who has surprised fans has been redshirt junior safety Ashlynd Barker. Individuals didn't know what to expect after the Seminoles picked up the JUCO product in the transfer portal. However, the fans were intrigued by his 6'3" and 216-pound frame.

Pro Football Network's Cam Mellor highlighted Barker as one of the highest-graded safeties in all college football. The JUCO product was raved about today in head football coach Mike Norvell's presser, where he expressed that the Columbus, Georgia native has shown up and gone to work.

If fans don't remember, there were individuals who questioned veteran Shyheim Brown not being part of the starting lineup at the safety position, even when Tony White's defense included three of them. However, it is all starting to make sense as Barker is emerging as a leader on the unit.

Fellow safety Earl Little Jr. might get a ton of attention with his physicality on the football field, but Ashlynd Barker should also be getting some much-deserved love.

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