St. Thomas Aquinas Receiver Mark Barr Jr. Switches From Marshall To UC

Bringing in football recruits on official visits is continuing to pay off for Tommy Tuberville and the Bearcats as they reeled in another commitment who visited last weekend in wide receiver Mark Barr Jr. He had been a commitment to the Marshall Thundering Herd since late November but a visit to Clifton appears to have swayed his loyalty. It appears that some of Cincinnati’s new coaches have been keeping an eye on Barr for a while now and with their opportunity to show off the UC campus, they opted to bring him up and offer him a scholarship, which he accepted. Other that Marshall, the St. Thomas Aquinas receiver also garnered offers from Boston College, Indiana, and Mississippi State among others. Let’s get to his highlight reel.

Overview

According to Barr he has 4.54 Forty speed and it shows on film. But it’s not the top end speed that impresses me, it’s his quick starting and stopping abilities that allow him to manipulate cornerbacks and keep himself open. His feet are constantly moving as he works to find empty space in the field. Barr’s body control is also impressive. He seems to do a nice job finding the ball in the air, adjusting in the middle of the route, and snagging it even if the pass is over/under thrown. That intelligence and physical awareness will serve him well at the next level.

Outlook

There’s a logjam at wide receiver in 2013 with just about everyone returning to the unit. Anthony McClung, Alex Chisum, and Chris Moore will probably be front runners to earn starting roles but guys like Nate Cole as well as Jeremy Graves could be in the mix. Overall there are a lot of young and experienced players filling the ranks of wide receiver next season. However this is one of the easiest positions to transition from the high school game to college and if Barr impresses coaches enough I could absolutely see him get some reps as a true freshman.