For a premier physical specimen like Anthony Barr, talent was never an issue.
Barr came to UCLA as a running back, but was converted to outside linebacker in the spring of 2012 after struggling to find playing time during his first two seasons.
The fresh start came at an ideal time for Barr, as UCLA was coming off a second consecutive losing season and had brought in the defensive-minded Jim Mora Jr. to the helm.
“It was difficult,” Barr said about the mental adjustments during a conference call. “When you focus primarily on offense and have that type of mindset, you kind of have to switch it up a little bit in terms of being the aggressor and having a more physical approach to the game.”
The Pac-12 quickly found that Barr had little issue adjusting to physicality on the other side of the ball, as the 6-foot-4, 248-pounder terrorized opposing backfields during his first season at linebacker. With an explosive first step and innate ability to chase down opposing quarterbacks, Barr recorded 13.5 sacks — the second most in the nation.
“He tries to blow past people but at the same time, if that’s not working out for him, he’ll throw dudes. I’ve seen him throw dudes to the ground,” Oregon left tackle Tyler Johnstone said about Barr’s ability to penetrate the line of scrimmage.
“He reminds me of Dion (Jordan),” Johnstone said. “Dion kind of had that same transition. He came in as a wide receiver and switched to outside linebacker and defensive line. They have very similar styles and they definitely use their length to their advantage.”
At the top of nearly every pre-season All-American list, Barr entered his senior season as not only a top NFL prospect, but as a leader for an improving UCLA defense. The Bruins are allowing just 19.2 points per game this season and are tied for tenth in the nation in yards allowed per play.
This week, UCLA will face a much different style of offense when they make the trip north to Eugene to take on the Ducks. In the Bruins’ last game, Stanford was able to neutralize UCLA’s athletic linebacking core by forcing them to stack the box for much of the game, but Oregon will be much more inclined to spread the field out on Saturday.
“I think we’re better suited to play an Oregon team as far as from an athletic and speed standpoint. I think we match up with them just a little better than we did against Stanford,” Barr said.
Barr has come a long way from being an afterthought on UCLA’s running back depth chart to a potential top-ten pick in May’s NFL draft.
“I’ve always felt like if I (was given the) opportunity, I would be able to be successful. I’m internally motivated and strive for greatness,” Barr said. “Those were things I always possessed. It was just a matter of getting me to the right situation.”