LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former UK quarterback Drew Barker will not be leaving Lexington after all. But he won’t return to the football team either.
Barker, who
announced earlier this month he would use the NCAA’s graduate transfer option to play his final season of eligibility elsewhere, has instead decided to give up football to focus on finishing his master’s degree, Barker’s father, Terry Barker, told Courier Journal Saturday.
Barker finished his undergraduate degree at UK in August and spent the fall semester working toward a master’s degree in public financial management at UK’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration. He now plans to stay at UK to finish his graduate degree, his father said.
BACKGROUND:
Drew Barker’s dad says transfer is to find better offensive fit, not because of Terry Wilson
Barker lost the UK starting job after a season-ending injury in 2016. While Barker was injured, quarterback Stephen Johnson led UK to seven wins in 11 games then held onto the job after Barker returned to action before the 2017 season.
Barker completed 4 of 7 passes for 49 yards in limited snaps as Johnson’s backup this season but was expected to compete for the starting job in 2018. In his UK career, Barker completed 57 of 113 passes for 747 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games, including five starts.
With Barker gone, sophomores Terry Wilson, the No. 1 junior-college quarterback in the 2018 class according to ESPN, and Gunnar Hoak, UK’s No. 3 quarterback last season, are expected to compete for the starting job in spring practice.
