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Mark Barron
File:Mark Barron 2011.jpg
Barron during the 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game
No. 23     Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Strong safety
Personal information
Date of birth: (1989-10-27) October 27, 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth: Mobile, Alabama
High School: Mobile (AL) St. Paul's Episcopal
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Debuted in 2012 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career history
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 2012–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
* First-team All-American (2010, 2011)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2013
Tackles     176
Quarterback sacks     2.0
Interceptions     2
Forced fumbles     1

Mark Barron (born October 27, 1989) is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Alabama, was twice recognized as an All-American, and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft with the 7th overall pick.[1]

Early years[]

Barron was born in Mobile, Alabama. He attended St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile, where he played for the Episcopal Saints high school football team, under the coaching of Eddie Guth. He played multiple positions, including running back, wide receiver, and linebacker from 2004 through 2007. As a junior, Barron had 785 yards rushing as a junior on 78 carries and added 368 receiving yards on 23 catches, scoring a total of 12 touchdowns. As a senior, Barron was the MVP of the 2007 Class 5A state championship game after rushing for 1,094 yards on 122 carries with 15 touchdowns in his senior season. He was also named first-team Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State selection in Class 5A as a senior.

He was ranked as a five-star prospect and the number one weakside linebacker in the 2008 class by scout.com. He was also ranked as the 5th best player in the state of Alabama and the 55th best player in the nation in the class of 2008 by rivals.com.[2] Barron chose to play at Alabama over offers from Auburn, LSU, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee among others. In addition to playing football, he also competed in track and field, where he won multiple 5A individual state titles in events ranging from the shot put to the long jump during the 2008 season.


Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Mark Barron
S
Mobile, Alabama St. Paul's Episcopal 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 210 lb (95 kg) 4.50 Aug 24,
07 
Scout:File:5 stars.svg.png   Rivals:File:4 stars.svg.png   ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12 (WLB)   Rivals: 55 (WLB)  ESPN: NR
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:


College career[]

Barron accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2008 to 2011. As a true freshman for the 2008 Crimson Tide, he made his first appearance on kick-off coverage against Clemson. He had his first career tackle early in the game on a crushing blow of Jacoby Ford on a kickoff return.[3] Barron played in all of Alabama's 14 games, recording 18 tackles and a sack.

During his sophomore season in 2009, Barron took over as a starter at safety and was second on Alabama's national championship team with 74 tackles and an Southeastern Conference-leading seven interceptions and a touchdown. He also had a career high two interceptions against Mississippi State.[4][5] Barron finished the regular season tied for third in the nation with 7 interceptions and tied for sixth in the nation with 17 passes defended.[6] He was recognized as a first-team All-SEC selection and third-team All-American at safety.[7]

Barron was the Crimson Tide's only returning starter in the defensive secondary for the 2010 season. He finished the season with 77 tackles and three interceptions, and was named an FWAA All-American.[8] In 2011, he was again a first-team All-SEC selection and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

College statistics[]

Year GP–GS Tackles Sacks Pass Defense Fumbles Blocked
Solo Ast Total Loss–Yards No–Yards Int–Yards BU PD QBH No–Yards FF Kick
2008[9] 14–0 9 9 18 1.5–11 1.5–11 0–0 0 0 0 0–0 0 0
2009[10] 14–14 43 33 76 3.5–18 0.5–2 7–125 11 18 4 0–0 0 0
2010[11] 12–12 54 21 75 3–19 2–15 3–6 6 9 2 0–0 1 0
2011[12] 13–13 43 25 68 5–9 1–2 2–14 5 7 1 1–0 0 0
Total 149 88 237 13–57 5–30 12–145 22 34 7 1–0 1 0

Professional career[]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

Barron was drafted with the 7th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 NFL Draft.[13] He is the highest selected Alabama defensive back in school history, surpassing Antonio Langham, who was chosen ninth overall in 1994.

"Boy, is this a solid pick. I love this kid because his floor and ceiling are the same thing. His ceiling is to be a Pro Bowl safety; his floor is to be a Pro Bowl safety. That's how good this young man is. This is going to be a good football team next year."
-Mike Mayock, former NFL safety and current NFL Network analyst

On July 20, 2012, Barron agreed to a 5-year deal with the team worth $14.5 million over four years, with no offset language.[14] Barron was expected to be the strong safety starter his rookie season alongside the longest tenured player on the team, Ronde Barber, as free safety. On week 3 of the preseason, Barron picked off Tom Brady for his first NFL touchdown in his career. Barron started the regular season strong with 42 tackles, seven passes defended and one interception in his first six NFL games, but trailed off towards the end of the season before finishing with 89 tackles. He started all 16 games and made the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team, even though the team was the NFL's worst pass defense.[15]

References[]

  1. Lourie, Steven. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2012 Draft Grades". http://www.footballfanspot.com/buccaneersdraft2012.htm. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
  2. Mark Barron Rivals.com (Yahoo Sports)
  3. [1] First Career Tackle
  4. ESPN.com stats
  5. Mark Barron player profile Rolltide.com
  6. [2] NCAA stats
  7. [3] All-SEC Teams
  8. [4] 2010 All-American Team
  9. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "2008–09 Cumulative Season Statistics: Overall Defensive Statistics". RollTide.com. http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  10. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "2009–10 Cumulative Season Statistics: Overall Defensive Statistics". RollTide.com. http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2009-2010/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  11. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "2010–11 Cumulative Season Statistics: Overall Defensive Statistics". RollTide.com. http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2010-2011/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  12. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "2011–12 Cumulative Season Statistics: Overall Defensive Statistics". RollTide.com. http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.DEF. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  13. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/profiles/mark-barron?id=2532789
  14. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82ab3154/article/mark-barron-signs-contract-with-buccaneers
  15. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/07/tampa_bay_buccaneers_get_secon.html

External links[]

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