Harvard Lands Top Tight End Recruit, Topping Stanford

The early bird catches the worm, right?

That’s what the Stanford Cardinal thought back in June. Six days ago, the adage was proven false–in Harvard’s favor.

Tight end Blake Barker, the top high school football recruit in Massachusetts, decommitted from the Palo Alto, Calif. school on Oct. 16 and verbally declared his allegiance to the Crimson ranks.

Harvard might not have been the early bird, but the addition of the Rivals.com No. 9-ranked tight end in the country is something to sing about.

“[With Barker] coming with the kind of reputation like that from the scouting, that obviously bodes well for what he’ll do here,” captain Carl Ehrlich said. “You can never tell anything until you really throw on the pads, but he looks like a great player.”

At 6’6 and 235 lbs., Barker will provide a physical force on offense—a Scout.com report listed his size and blocking capabilities as noteworthy strengths. Although he might be poised to wreak havoc amongst Ancient Eight defenses next year for these reasons, Barker may never receive a touchdown pass—the Crimson coaching staff might very well make use of his equally qualified skills on the defensive line, where Barker has a knack for getting at enemy field generals.

In addition to recording 450 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions, Barker made 12.5 sacks last year as a junior in the ISL, one of New England’s most competitive high school leagues.

The year before, the tight end racked up 189 yards, seven scores and 4.5 sacks in his first year on the varsity squad of his high school, Buckingham Browne and Nichols (BB&N).

Speaking about his eventual position on the Crimson, Barker simply expressed the urge to get on the field.

“I’m happy either way,” he commented.

Aside from Stanford, other schools that pursued the top prospect included Florida, Penn State, Boston College and UVA.

“For him to turn down an offer from a school like Stanford bodes well for Harvard and how well we recruit,” Ehrlich said.

The switch came as a surprise to most of the college football world, a community in which dozens of websites associated Barker’s mug with a redwood tree.

“After [the original decision] happened and all the recruiting hype died down, I had more time to think about it,” Barker said. “I just realized I didn’t want to be that far away from home...I’ll be around my parents so they can come see my games and be part of my life more than if I were in California.”

Athletic deals aside, Stanford could not provide the perks of regular parental visits—nor a family legacy.

Barker’s grandfather, John Copeland ’58, played three sports for Harvard, including the tight end position for the football team. Barker reminisced about watching games at Harvard Stadium with his grandfather as a youngster.

Perhaps this focus on family can explain why Robin Barker, Blake’s mother, was not surprised at her son’s decision.

“He has always wanted to go to Harvard,” she answered in a confident tone. “It has been a busy year for him, looking at schools and speaking with various coaches around the country, but despite all the scholarship offers, it never changed the fact that he wanted to go to Harvard.”

The Barkers live in Wellesley, Mass. and proximity to Cambridge also allowed for easier access to the Harvard facilities and coaching staff.

“We’ve known Coach Murphy and Coach Lamb for the past year,” Robin said. “They’ve known how Blake has felt about everything.”

“I’m really looking forward to next year playing for Coach Murphy and Coach Lamb,” Blake added. “They’re just great guys and I’ve heard such great things about them as coaches.”

Barker’s decision represents a huge success for Harvard recruiting, especially in the midst of the recent, disappointing end to some highly-touted men’s basketball prospects—some of whom committed to Stanford. Furthermore, a commitment from the top player in the state could draw additional looks from similarly-touted recruits in the future.

“Anytime that a kid will turn down an offer from a bigger school to come to Harvard…it shows that it is a top level football school,” Ehrlich said.

—Staff writer Emmett Kistler can be reached at ekistler@fas.harvard.edu.