Undrafted UCF alum Ricky Barber explodes onto the NFL scene, racking up a sack and five tackles in his Commanders debut amid defensive line injuries.
Former UCF standout defensive tackle Ricky Barber made an instant impact in his first career NFL game Sunday for the Washington Commanders. Early in the fourth quarter, Barber beat left guard Tyler Booker, the Dallas Cowboys first round pick in last year's draft.
Barber shot threw the line of scrimmage, tracking down Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott and sacking him for a loss of nine yards. He also added five tackles, including one for loss.
Lynnell Willingham, radio host for 106.7 The Fan, tweeted "Nice rush there from Ricky Barber. Where has he been?"
Barber, who was picked up by the Commanders after going undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, was elevated from the practice squad for the first time Sunday. He got his opportunity due to a plethora of injuries to the Commanders' defensive line, including veteran tackle Eddie Goldman, who was shut down for the remainder of the season after suffering a concussion.
Washington is also without one-time Pro Bowler Daron Payne, who is missing his second game of the season with a back injury.
The former 2022 first team All-AAC selection started 24 games at UCF, accumulating 49 tackles his senior year. He also led the squad with 12 quarterback hurries and was second in tackles for loss with nine.
Barber shone in UCF's match-up with Navy, recording a career-high 13 tackles and one sack. Barber's impressive senior campaign also earned him an All-American Honorable Mention by Pro Football Network.
Prior to UCF, Barber was a 3-star prospect from Doss Magnet Career Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. At Doss Magnet, he received all kinds of recognition, such as all-USA Today Kentucky Football first team, Louisville Courier-Journal second-team all-state, all-District 4-5A team and Metro Louisville all-area team in 2018.
After graduation, Barber committed to Western Kentucky where he redshirted his freshman season. In his lone season as a Hilltopper, Barber was named a 2020 Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and All-Conference USA honorable mention.
In his redshirt sophomore season, Barber decided to join UCF and follow his coach from Western Kentucky, Kenny Martin. Martin had become the new defensive line coach for UCF at the time and helped bring Barber to Orlando.
Although it took a while for Barber to get his opportunity, he certainly made the most of it and he will likely have increased opportunities the rest of the way with a Commanders team dealing with injuries and out of playoff contention.