Interview: Hawaii 2018 QB Stephen Barber Gaining Interest on Camp Circuit

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

A year’s worth of great stats for a quarterback might not be as valuable as displaying great footwork, the ability to receive coaching, and showing great arm strength in a three or four hour camp working in front of the right coaches. Year after year, more and more junior high and high school underclassmen are more focused and intent on reaching the next level than the generations that came before them. Punahou High School’s Stephen Barber is one of those underclassmen ready to showcase his skills on the field or during any kind of camp loaded with great high school talent.

Barber had an outstanding freshman season but spent his sophomore year playing behind a senior in 2015. Undaunted, Barber has continued to work on his craft preparing for his moment under center to show opposing Hawaii defenses what he is capable of doing when the opportunity presents itself and is ready to prove to next level coaches that he could be their quarterback of the future.

Recruits coming out of Hawaii are talented but often get overlooked for a myriad of reasons. For college coaches on the east coast to take a trip to Hawaii to see a recruit in person on a Friday night is just too much. The same holds true for coaches from the Midwest and west coast. This leaves many high school players in Hawaii having to fly to the mainland for camps to get in front of the right people to showcase their skill sets; this is easier said than done for most.

Barber has not shied away from any opportunity to throw for coaches attending numerous camps including the Gridiron Performance Academy Maximum Experience Football Camp winning the Top Quarterback Award in 2014. While attending the 2015 FBU Camp, Barber won the Overall Camp MVP Award and Quarterback MVP Award. Also in 2015, Barber won the Rivals Camp Series Young Gun Award in Los Angeles.

The 6’3”, 210 pound, gunslinger has started the 2016 offseason right being invited to the U.S. Army National Combine and was a finalist (No. 3 overall) in the Rivals Quarterback Challenge in Los Angeles out of 77 participants that included several highly rated Class of 2017 and 2018 attendees. Barber continues to fine tune his skills with quarterback coaches Joe Charles Jr. and Joel Lane. He is also working on his speed and agility with trainer John Posey rounding out his athleticism in the pocket. Barber has been to more than 20 camps over the past four years and has also worked with Marcus Mariota’s high school quarterback coach, Vinny Passas, at several camps.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Barber going over his progression on and off the field as a quarterback, his offseason schedule, and received a recruiting news update.

Interview

Stephen, before we get into the specifics with your game and skill set, I have to ask about playing St. Louis (Honolulu) three times in one season. I know they are a powerhouse year in and year out. You guys got them the first time (51-45), then they got you (30-14), and then it went down to the wire in the playoffs (27-23).

“They are one of our rivals. We actually played them twice in the playoffs. They were a strong team. Playing against them helped us bond as a team. They are a good team and great competition for us.”

Alright, thanks for answering. I was curious. On to you. What are your strengths on the field at this point in your career as a quarterback?

“I feel my strengths are I’m a natural leader. I pick others up when needed and I lead my team. I don’t go down on first contact and I play at a quick pace with a lot of speed.”

What about from a technical point of view with your mechanics?

“I feel like one my strengths is my arm strength. I have a very strong arm. My footwork, I’ve been working hard on my footwork and I am doing better with that as well. My speed and quickness with my release, I feel that my release is really good right now.”

What are you working on in the offseason for your junior year? You just mentioned your footwork, but are you working on anything else?

“For this coming season I want to make quicker reads and have a better understanding of the plays inside and out. I’m working on developing a rhythm on the field.”

Are you working with any quarterback coaches on your own time to help develop your craft?

“Yes. I am working with two, Coach Joe Charles and Coach Joel Lane.”

What are some of the things your personal coaches are working with you intently to improve upon?

“My release – making sure it is quicker, my drop back, and getting the right release point. We are working on my anticipation on the pass to the receiver, putting the ball in there and letting the receiver run to it.”

Will you be the starter for the Buff n’ Blue in 2016?

“This upcoming season, there will be a senior that is a really good quarterback coming back. It could go either way but it will be a good competition between the both of us.”

I know you have already been to the Nike Opening regional in Los Angeles and the Rivals camp also in Los Angeles. What other exposure camps or college camps are you going to attend coming up?

“I’m going to UCLA, UH (Hawaii), USC (Southern California), Arizona, and ASU (Arizona State) camps and the Airborne Elite Camp for quarterbacks.”

How did the Nike Opening regional in Los Angeles go for you?

“It was really fun. It was a good experience. I got to compete against a lot of great players. The coaches introduced some new drop backs. I learned some good things to do as a quarterback at that camp. It was a great experience for me.”

Have you taken any unofficial visits yet?

“So far I have been to Arizona, Arizona State, USC, UCLA, and Stanford, and Cal.”

How did your visit to UCLA go?

“It felt like a bigger version of my school. It was a really nice environment. I got to see the campus and the facilities. I felt really comfortable there.”

How did your trip to USC go?

“That was another great campus. They had a really nice weight room and nice facilities. All the coaches were really nice there as well.”

Which schools are showing interest in you right now?

“I’ve been talking with Coach (Marques) Tuiasosopo since he was at USC, now he’s at UCLA. I’ve been talking to UH as well but it is still pretty early for me with recruiting.”

How is everything going in the classroom for you?

“Last semester I had a 3.0.”

Nice. Are you taking the ACT or SAT this year or are you waiting?

“I’m waiting until next year.”

What is your favorite subject in school?

“My favorite subject is English. I’m into writing and reading stories. I like taking in information from the stories.”

Is there a college or NFL player you model your game after?

“Yeah, actually Marcus Mariota. I really like him and he’s a great person. He’s great on the field and has a great release. His high school coach, Vinny Passas, was the one who taught me when I was starting out.”

Are you playing any spring sports?

“I played soccer and last year I ran track and played volleyball. This spring I am focused on football. I’m focused on getting into form for the season.”

Preface this as a dumb question, but do you have any cool Hawaiian outdoor hobbies that the rest of us on the mainland might not get to do regularly?

(Laughs) “Uh, I’m really into fishing, offshore and spear fishing. That is one of the things I like to do that might be a Hawaiian outdoor hobby.”

Last question, circling back to football, what is your favorite part of playing football?

“I feel like there is no other sport like it. You form a real brotherhood on the field. I like the dynamics of the game and the physicality of the game.”

Stephen, thanks for your time today and good luck with your upcoming camps and visits.

“Thank you.”

https://youtu.be/pY_6NtOxfBA

Photo credit: scoringlive.com; No. 2 Stephen Barber finds a hole in the defense.

Photo credit: Mike Walder; No. 2 Stephen Barber drops back to pass.

Photo credit: Mike Walder; No. 2 Stephen Barber tucks the ball and runs.