Barker has decision timeframe

The pre-junior year off-season has become the most important for quarterback prospects, and one of the most active signal callers in the 2014 class this spring and summer was Burlington (Ky.) Conner's Drew Barker.

The 6-foot-3, 204-pound Barker landed offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Louisville, Purdue, South Carolina and Western Kentucky in recent months, with dozens more showing interest. But Barker does not plan to wait long to make a commitment.

"My decision, I am probably going to make that at the end of the season or right after," Barker said. "I wouldn't say I have one school at the top over any other schools right now."

Preparation for that decision will involve attending college games this fall and Barker is already compiling his schedule of visits.

"Right now, the schools I know I am going to for games are Louisville, Ohio State, Purdue and most likely Alabama," Barker said. "Those are the only ones I know for sure right now. I am still trying to figure out what dates I can go to some other ones.

Barker will be at Ohio State's opener on Sept. 1 and then will travel to Louisville for their opener against Kentucky the following day. He will see Cincinnati's opener against Pitt on Sept. 6 and also plans to be at Ohio State's season finale versus Michigan and Purdue's Oct. 6 contest in West Lafayette.

Other game visits could be determined by who extends scholarship offers early this fall, and several teams are paying close attention to how Barker opens his junior season.

"Right now I am kind of in a holding pattern because the schools that haven't offered, they want to see my in my first three to four games," Barker said. "The schools that are telling me that are Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, LSU and Georgia."

Barker was very active this off-season attending camps across the country, including the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge in Dallas on July 8. That allowed him to meet fellow 2014 standouts like Raekwon McMillan, Dante Booker, Clifton Garrett, Thaddeus Snodgrass, Orlando Brown, Demetrius Knox, Artavis Scott and Mikel Horton.

"I have been talking to a lot of top 2014 guys about going to the same school, and I feel I can recruit some of those top guys into the school I am going to and get a really good recruiting class," Barker said.

Barker's team has a bye in week zero of the high school season and will open their 2012 campaign at Boone County on Aug. 24.