‘They Still Have a Chance’: Penn State Commit KiAndrea Barker Considering SEC School

Weeks later, the three-star, 6-foot, 190-pounder told NSN’s Mike Vukovcan that, although shutting down his recruitment didn’t fully stop schools from contacting him, he wasn’t interested in talking to those schools.

But in another interview, Barker said he’s still considering the University of Arkansas.

“I’m keeping Arkansas in the back of my head,” Barker told Nate Olson of HighSchoolSI.com.  “They still have a chance.”

Arkansas is where Barker grew up.

He played his first two seasons for Beebe High School in the state. From there, he transferred to The Woodlands School in Houston, Texas.

Barker initially planned to play his senior season at Miami Central High School, but told Olson that he’s returning to the state of Arkansas and finishing out his high school career at Newport High School. Barker grew up in Newport and lived there until moving to Beebe with his mother in the eighth grade.

“I am glad to be back in Newport where I grew up,” Barker told SI. “The [coaching staff] is glad to have me. It is just weird how it has played out. I don’t even know, it’s weird. It is just how it played out.”

Barker has been committed to Penn State since April 2023.