Georgia’s tight end commit had one of the biggest plays of the season last weekend on national television.
Ethan Barbour is the type to credit everyone else before himself.
Just take his dagger performance on national television last week, for instance.
“My offensive coordinator, great play by him. He checked it to that play,” Barbour said.
“CJ [Wiley] had a great block,” he said.
“My guy Derek [Scott], No. 55 offensive lineman, had a great block,” Barbour added.
“Luke [Nickel] just got it to me,” he said.
In conclusion: “It was just a great play all the way around from the offensive coordinator.”
The play in question? Barbour’s de facto game-sealing catch-and-run on ESPN last Friday. Milton went down to American Heritage territory to play in the south Florida showcase. Up 2 with the ball, Milton went through a no-play check to see what the defense was running. Milton offensive coordinator Stevie Jackson saw the look the defense was giving and went with a play the Eagles had worked regularly in the week leading up.
It got Barbour the ball just behind the line of scrimmage. Barbour took two lead block and found nothing but empty space for a 72-yard catch-and-run to put the game out of reach.
It was the moment of the high school football slate last weekend.
“It was just a great play all the way around from the offensive coordinator. We repped it the whole week. I was just blessed to take it to the house,” Barbour said. “Whenever I saw that seam and saw my boy Derek out there, I was like, oh yeah, I know I’m going. They’re not catching up to me. People didn’t know about the speed, so I had to show them what the speed was like. It felt good for the people doubting my speed, proving the haters wrong. It was a great moment to share with the teammates and family and soak it in.”
By the time Barbour returned to the postgame locker room, the phone notifications were already unhinged.
But there were two messages in particular that stood out from the rest.
“It was a lot of people hitting me up. Coach Hartley and Coach Smart were the two big ones. All the people from Georgia were just showing me the love from it. It was just a really great experience,” he said. “They were just juiced. They were like, big time players make big time plays. They’re just happy that I can bring that to the room at Georgia, and they were just hyping me.”
Barbour also scored a touchdown out of the Wildcat, a package Milton plans to utilize all season long.
“It’s great. They just believe in me that I can get them short yards in short distances. I’m a big body and not a lot of people wanna tackle me,” he said. “They either go low or move out the way. I think we ran it two or three times, and the first time, I did get the first down. Then I took it to the house. Another great play call by my offensive coordinator showing my versatility and what I can do on national television.”
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