Peyton Barber has been sitting.
He sat on the bench for two years, while Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne ran roughshod over defenses, burying him on the depth chart.
He sat on an injury table after hurting his ankle on his first carry of the 2014 A-Day game.
In a few weeks, he will be sitting in the locker room, waiting to take the field in the Georgia Dome, potentially as the starting running back.
As a three-star recruit out of Milton High School in Georgia, Barber ran for over 1,700 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior. But even then, he was overshadowed by fellow Auburn commit and five-star defensive end Carl Lawson.
When he arrived on campus, Barber had aspirations of playing as a freshman.
Then Tre Mason erupted. Barber was slapped with a redshirt and forced to sit out the season.
The next year, Barber’s dreams were ground to a screeching halt when he suffered a high ankle sprain on his first touch of the 2014 A-Day game.
Barber would recover, but the time spent on the sidelines opened the gates for Artis-Payne to claim a stronghold on the starting job, with Corey Grant settling in behind him.
As a result, Barber only recorded 10 carries during 2014, all of which came in garbage time in games that had already been won or games that Auburn was never in danger of losing.
Now, with two years of experience under Gus Malzahn’s running attack, Barber suddenly finds himself the old head of a running back group that includes sophomore Roc Thomas, junior transfer Jovon Robinson, and freshman Kerryon Johnson.
Barber is ready to finally earn what is his.
“Now it’s his time,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. “He’s been patient, but also it’s been a really good process for him because he’s ready.”
Part of what makes Barber so easy to root for is that his attitude never wavered when he was forced to take a backseat to other running backs. He never complained to the coaches, never talked behind his teammates’ backs and never stopped working.
“If you don’t like Peyton Barber, you’re the problem,” running backs coach Tim Horton said. “I trust Peyton Barber, and you’re gonna see Peyton Barber play; his time’s now.”
Barber’s season got off to a good start - in the 2015 A-Day game, he ran nine times for 46 yards, the second-most on the team behind Thomas’ seven carries for 69 yards.
Now a few weeks into fall camp, Barber has been making the most of his time in practice with the starters.
“I think [he’s taking advantage] of his time in camp,” coach Gus Malzahn said. “He’s got more experience than any of the tailbacks that are here. He’s getting to be a guy that we can really count on.”
Following Auburn’s second scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 15, in which he reportedly made a few spectacular plays, Barber visited the media room to answer questions. As he sat and talked to reporters, he looked calm. However, after a while, all the players were escorted out, so Barber got up and walked out, determined.
Peyton Barber has had enough sitting, and he plans to keep it that way.
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