The 2011 Scouting Report: Walk-on who is competing for playing time at wide receiver ... Also expected to play a key role with NU's special teams ... Coming off his best spring to date.
2011: Reserve wide receiver ... One of NU's several talented walk-ons ... Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
2010: Academic All-Big Ten ... Played in five games ... Caught first two passes of his career at Vanderbilt for a total of 17 yards.
2009:Played in one game, versus Towson ... Named team's offensive practice player of the week vs. Minnesota ... Named team's special teams practice player of the week vs. Miami (Ohio).
2008:Did not see action.
High School:Second-team all-region wide receiver and safety for the Ramblers in 2007 ... Named to Erie's city all-star team ... Caught 15 passes for 253 yards (16.9 ypr) and 4 TD's his senior season ... Totaled 51 tackles and a pair of interceptions as a safety ... Team captain ... Caught a 58-yard TD pass from younger brother Pat on the game's first play vs. Hempfield Area ... As a junior, blocked a punt against Warren Harding to win the game ... Elected to play in City-County All-Star game ... Helped lead the Ramblers to a two-year mark of 20-5 and a pair of District 10 and Region championships ... Cathedral Prep went 11-2 his junior year ... Also lettered three times on the Ramblers' basketball team as a forward ... Averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game ... Winner of school's Tyzinski Award (awarded for athletic talent, leadership and sportsmanship), which is voted on by student council, senior class advisors, senior class officer and all varsity head coaches ... Hails from the same school that has prod uced several college and pro players, including NFL All-Pro safety Bob Sanders (Iowa and Indianapolis Colts) ... Class secretary, National Honor Society, First Honor Roll ... Participated in Prep Scholars program ... Awarded the President's Education Award (must maintain a 3.5 GPA all four years and score in the top 85 percent on SAT) ... Coached by Don Hall.
Personal: Born Brendan Patrick Barber ... Son of John and Bridget Barber ... Fourth of five children ... Political science major and international studies minor.
The Barber File
Q: Name five favorite songs (and artist) on your I-Pod:
A: Kenny Chesney: "I Go Back", Brad Paisley: "Mud on the Tires", Eminem "When I'm Gone", Nirvana "Come As You Are", Jack Johnson "Home"
Q: If you could dine with anyone from any period in history, who would it be and why?
A: I would dine with my grandparents because I never had a chance to meet them and would like to know my family history from a first-person perspective.
Q: What is the greatest lesson in life that you have learned?
A: Fight through adversity and compete everyday.
Q: My favorite place to visit is and why?
A: Right now it's Erie, Pa., because it's where I grew up and is where most of my family and friends are located.
Q: Which current NU football player is the biggest jokester on the team and why?
A: Sid Stewart. He's funny even when he doesn't mean to be.
Q: My favorite thing about NU is and why?
A: The feeling of being a part of an intimate community and alumni network both through the student body and the football team.
Q: Best part about being a Northwestern football player is:
A: Playing in the Big Ten.
Q: Describe Coach Fitzgerald in five words or less:
A: Confident, Competitive, Irish.
Q: Describe your position coach in five words or less:
A: Focused, Intense, Demanding
Q: Most humbling experience:
A: Working with mentally and physically handicapped people both in Erie and Chicago.
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement and why?
A: Being a member of this team and university because it illustrates the hard work in athletics and academics I have put forward in my life up to this point.
Q: The person that inspires me the most is:
A: My dad, because he is mentally tough and a true leader.
Q: When I played football as a kid, I pretended to be:
A: Bob Sanders of Cathedral Prep (went on to play for the Colts).
Q: My favorite food is:
A: Steak
Q: Best thing about Northwestern is:
A: Lake Michigan and the beaches
Q: My ultimate SportsCenter highlight would be:
A: A game-winning touchdown catch at Penn State.
Q: My favorite television show is and why?
A: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, because it's hilarious.
Q: If I were not playing football, I would be:
A: Sleeping a lot more than I do now.
Q: The three words that best describe me:
A: )Resilient, Determined, Fortunate.
Q: If the Big Ten expands, pick one school you'd like to see added and why?
A: Pitt. because it's close to my hometown and I have a lot of friends who go there
| RECEIVING | ||||||||
| Season | Games | Rec | Yards | TD | Long | Rec/G | Avg/C | Avg/G |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2010 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 0.4 | 8.5 | 3.4 |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 8 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 0.4 | 8.5 | 3.4 |