2020 Introduction: Graham Barton
Summer camp season offers an opportunity for prospects to make a name for themselves, and 2020 Ravenwood offensive lineman Graham Barton did just that at Vanderbilt last month. The 6-foot-4 and 255-pound offensive lineman talks about his experience.
“Vanderbilt’s camp was awesome. I learned a lot from Coach Norcross and got to get better. The facility was nice, and I loved the energy the coaching staff brought to the camp. I loved the atmosphere and would love to go back there and check out the rest of the campus,” said Barton.
“I talked to Coach Norcross following the camp. He told me I could potentially have a future with them, and that he will be in touch after my Junior year of high school starts because that’s when coaches are allowed to contact you.”
Barton is familiar with the Vanderbilt program due to the location. He also likes the academic part, as he sports a 3.9 GPA through two years at Ravenwood.
“With Vanderbilt, I love that I can get a great education, be close to home, and play football in the SEC,” said Barton.
In addition to the Commodores, the 2020 prospect is garnering interest from several other schools.
“I’ve been in conversation with Northwestern, Wake Forest, Duke, and several other schools have visited my high school to talk with me such as Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, MTSU, and a couple of others,” said Barton.
Barton helped lead the Raptors to a 6A semifinals appearance, but he has lofty goals heading into his junior season.
“I want to win a state championship. That’s been a dream of our team since we were freshman. Also, our team not only wants a state championship but we want to play as a team and form a brotherhood. We believe this will help us achieve a state championship,” said Barton.
“My personal goal is to develop into a legitimate D1 offensive lineman. I am going to develop into my frame and put on some mass while maintaining great footwork and quickness. I am also going to work hard in the classroom.”
In addition to Barton, Ravenwood sports another 2020 standout offensive lineman in Gabe Sleenhof. Despite only heading into their junior seasons, Barton believes they make one of the best tackle tandems in Tennessee.
“Absolutely, we are both multi-sport athletes who have a strong passion for the game and work hard. I’ve been playing with Gabe Sleenhof since pee wee football. We are both developing really well. We both started varsity as sophomores last year and have had each other’s backs the whole way,” said Barton.
In addition to his work on the football field, Barton also plays lacrosse. Ravenwood opens the 2018 season against Centennial on August 17th.