By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Brighton senior center DJ Barker made it official today, he will be a Rhodes Lynx in 2018.
Barker became a part of the Brighton Cardinal roster after moving from the St. Augustine, Fla., area last November. The 5’10, 200 pound athlete joined Head Coach Robin Jacobs team this past year as an offensive lineman.
Before suiting up for the Cardinals, Barker impressed the coaches at Rhodes College during a summer camp drawing serious interest.
Once an injury hit the starting center for Brighton, Barker had a chance to validate the coaches at Rhodes and his parents Donald and Tatiana Barker.
DJ took over the duties and has shined for the Region 8-5A champions all season along side Alex Belue, Enrique Toliver, Jordan Johns, Tyler Carmack and Zach Dickinson.
Today in the Brighton High School Library, Barker was joined teammates, parents, brothers Dima and Dominic for National Signing Day ceremony.
Barker will join Jim Ryan’s Lynx program next fall and play NCAA Division III Football in the Southern Athletic Association. Ryan was named head coach of the Lynx for the 2016 season. He came to Rhodes after serving four years as defensive coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU). Ryan was named the 2015 NCAA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association in 2015.
