After the competition for placekicker was reopened during the last week of practice, redshirt freshman Ryan Barker was announced as the starter ahead of Penn State football’s 27-11 win over UCLA on Saturday.

Barker, who came to Penn State as a walk-on two years ago, won the job after Sander Sahaydak missed two 40-yard field goal attempts against Illinois two weeks ago, prompting James Franklin to reevaluate the position.

While competing with redshirt junior Sahaydak and junior Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer, Franklin said Barker was in the lead for the job at the end of spring practices. Sahaydak began to improve his practice numbers and overtook Barker during preseason camp before being named the starter against West Virginia.

Even after months of practice evaluation, the decision was still close, with Franklin saying it could’ve gone either way before the season opener. After another tough game against Illinois for Sahaydak, Barker got a shot.

“It came down to a percentage camp all during training camp,” Franklin said after UCLA. “Based on it being a tight competition already, and then how the games have gone from a production and execution standpoint, we felt like it made sense to give Barker his opportunity.”

Barker took advantage, making all three extra point attempts while going 2-for-2 on field goals from 25 and 40 yards, the same distance Sahaydak missed from a week prior.

Barker’s journey to the starting spot started long before he was a standout at the end of the spring practice session. Barker arrived on campus before the 2023 season as a walk-on and quickly made an impression on the coaching staff.

“We loved his statistics and we loved his film, and then we met him,” Franklin said. “He’s been a real pleasant surprise. He was literally competing for the job last year with less experience.”

Barker redshirted his freshman year but was firmly in contention for the job with both Sahaydak and Meyer as the season approached. Sahaydak trotted out to try the first field goal attempt of the season against West Virginia, but after a 2-for-5 start on field goals, Barker was called up.

While his practice data might have been below Sahaydak’s, Franklin said the decision is based on more than just that.

Not only does Franklin believe Barker has the mental strength to succeed as a kicker, but he also knows Barker can place the ball exactly where he wants it.

“He doesn’t get too high and he doesn’t get too low. He’s got a very mature way about him,” Franklin said. “But the thing with him is he’s like a machine, a large percentage of his kicks are right down the middle. It’s not just how many he’s making, but the accuracy of the ones he’s making.”

Even though Barker is like a machine right now, Franklin acknowledged that kicking is a fickle thing, and every rep is under a microscope. With scrutiny comes increased pressure to succeed, but Franklin isn’t worried about the young kicker.

“That ability to flush the last play, good or bad, and move on to the next one is really important,” Franklin said. “I think from what I’ve seen from him, he does a very good job.”