Harrison Barton
	Height	6-3
	Weight	285
	40-yard Dash	5.1
	Bench Press	345
	Squat	535
	Vertical Leap	27 inches

ESPN: ***
247sports: **
Scout: **
Rivals: **
All-SPC (Southwest Preparatory Conference) as junior and senior
Greater Houston Top 100 (Houston Chronicle)
Houston Touchown Club finalist for Lineman of the Year — preseason and postseason
Two-time school athlete of the month
Houston Area Top 50 (Vype)
Lombardi Award quarterfinalist (given to best offensive lineman, defensive lineman or linebacker in Houston area)

Last Year Statistics

93 percent season grade
61 pancakes in 10 games
0 sacks allowed in sophomore, junior, senior seasons (2.5 as a freshman)

Strengths as a Player

Harrison Barton is an aggressive, athletic, blocker who plays with a non-stop motor. A smart, versatile athlete, he has played every position on the offensive line, and also has played on the defensive line and on special teams. Barton benefits from his time playing defense on his high school lacrosse team (through his junior season), a position that requires him to get on an opposing offensive player’s hip and drive him out of the goal crease, and a sport that requires more running than most offensive linemen ever have to do. At Houston Christian, Barton was sort of the quarterback of the offensive line, always the last blocker to get down in his stance because he assumed the unusual role of calling audibles for his fellow linemen from his tackle position (a task usually performed by the center). Finally, Barton is a tough player who can fight through pain; he missed just one play when his shoulder came out of its socket and none when he suffered a high ankle sprain.

Interviews

Harrison Barton on why he chose SMU:

I think I want to live in Texas the rest of my life, and have thought maybe Dallas, and if I want to live in Dallas, there’s no better place to graduate from college than SMU.

The coaches there were different, the way they made me feel was different than the feeling I got from other coaches at other schools. There were some schools that said I was the top guard or the top center on their board, but the SMU coaches really made me feel important, like I was important to what they were putting together.

My family was a big part of the decision, and SMU gives my parents a chance to come see me every Saturday. When this all started, we looked at a lot of schools, and I think my parents had their favorites, but they kept those away from me until we sat down and talked about committing. I had a lot of really good choices, but it’s the ultimate combination of football and academics, and that made it the obvious choice. My parents liked a lot of the schools we looked at, but they really loved SMU, and when Coach Morris gave me that big hug he gives all of (the players who commit to SMU), we knew it was the right place.

I’m really looking forward to playing for Coach (Dustin) Fry. Sometimes it’s hard to like a coach as a person, but I know all of the guys (at SMU) like him a lot. I have talked a lot with Keaton Bates and Chad Pursley, and they have great things to say about Coach Fry. They think he’s awesome, and I know he’s willing to help me learn and grow.

(The linemen in SMU’s 2016 class) have gotten to know each other pretty well (through social media). We have talked about working together to make the offensive line one of the real strengths of the team.