Barker excited to join MidAmerica Nazarene football program

Louisburg senior Aiden Barker recently signed his letter of intent to play football at MidAmerica Nazarene University this coming fall.

Football has always been a big part of Aiden Barker’s life, and by the time his high school career was done, Barker wasn’t ready to leave the sport he loves in the rear view mirror.

Instead, Barker gets a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream close to home.

In late April, the Louisburg senior signed his letter of intent to play at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe next season and he is ready to get started.

“College football has been a dream of mine since a was a little kid running around with a football in my hands hoping to be the next great player,” Barker said. “It meant a lot to me to sign in front of my friends and family and to have all those who have supported me and pushed me to get where I’m at now being able to sign and play at the collegiate level.”

Barker was a force on the offensive and defensive lines for the Wildcats, but it was his performance on the defensive side where he made his mark.

As a defensive end, Barker was a first-team All-Frontier League selection as he finished with 58 tackles on the season to go along with 11 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks.

He will be playing a similar position with the Pioneers, but one that offers more flexibility and fits his strengths better. He will be playing as a standup defensive end that will drop back and play like a linebacker.

Although it is going to be a big transition for him, Barker knows he will have a chance to succeed if he puts the effort into it.

“I’m really excited to move onto the next level of football,” Barker said. “I put pretty high expectations on myself to go out and perform at my best.”

When weighing his options, Barker felt right at home when he made his visit to MidAmerica and he felt at ease with the Pioneer coaching staff, and head coach Paul Hansen.

“I picked this coaching staff because they came off as great people and they really wanted to get to know you so that they could evaluate if you could fit in with the others and if you were going to be able to build a better program in the future.,” Barker said. 

“I liked MidAmerica because they stood out to me as really genuine people and I think that the program is going to be able to mold me into a better player.”

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