Jordan Barlow had quite a prep career in the two seasons he played quarterback at Van Buren. The Ouachita Baptist-bound signal caller will red-shirt this coming fall.
Not only did Barlow excel on the field, but also in the classroom. He carried a 4.0 GPA and scored a 31 on his ACT test.
And he earned 30 college hours while in high school.

Q: What are your college expectations?
A: We had a really good signing class. I haven't had a chance to meet all of the guys. We've had a real good defensive signing class. I know our quarterback (Austin Warford) started last year and he is back, so I'm red-shirting behind him. Personally, I'm expecting to grow and get into the system.

Q: What do you need to do to become a starter?
A: Talking to coaches, they love that I'm accurate with my passing. The quarterback coach (Jay Derby) and quarterback have to be on the same page; we have to build a relationship. A lot of coaches don't see me as a dual threat, but I can run a little bit.

Q: What was it about Ouachita Baptist that intrigued you the most?
A: I know two years ago they won conference, and last year they had a solid season. I've been down there to two games last year and one my junior year; the atmosphere is amazing. I feel like they develop relationships with players, and they want them to succeed. Also, the biggest thing for me was off-the-field is in the classroom. I know I"ll have a great education there.

Q: Speaking of good grades, you performed as well in the classroom as you did on the field.
A: Both my parents (Kelly and Derek Barlow) did well in school, and they pushed me and stayed on top of me. I'm not 6-5 and I don't run a 4.4, so I'm not going to the pros. I have to be able to take care of my family someday. I scored a 31 on the ACT and earned 30 college hours. I'm thankful I'm able to help pay for college.

Q: Wow, 30 college hours?
A: Van Buren offers concurrent classes through Arkansas Tech. If you pass your test, you get three college hours a semester, so I was able to take World History and English, and some AP classes.

Q: How difficult was Van Buren's transition from 2014 to 2015, learning two systems with different coaches.

Q: My junior year with coach (Brooks) Coatney), he was a heavy passer. When coach (Greg) Warner came in there was all this talk about the triple option. One of the first things he did was sit me down and tell me we're still going to play to your advantages. The best thing about coach Warner is how he connected with the players; he pushed us to a whole new level. We didn't do so well, but we were three games away from being 5-5. To get all your seniors in one year, to flip to a whole new system, is pretty difficult.

Q: Was moving from Darby (ninth grade) to Southside and then Van Buren mentally tough?
A: It definitely was as far as football. I love Southside to death. Honestly, I have nothing but respect for those guys. It was hard to leave those guys, but I wanted to be back in Van Buren with my family and all the people I knew. I believe it paid off. I broke a couple of school records.

Q: Did you take a little from all the coaches you've had ?
A: The whole backstory of Darby, our football team had half as many players as other schools. Most of our players played both ways. Most of the other schools had more community support. What I took from that was how to work hard. At Darby, you're not entitled to anything. You have to work for everything you have. Going to Southside, being a backup to Isaac (Jackson), I had to learn the speed of the game. With Coatney, he taught me a lot about passing. With Coach Warner, I can't begin to tell you how influential he was. He taught me how to take care of your business on and off the field. In your life, you don't wake up and get paid $85,000, you have to earn it.

Q: Warner really means a lot, doesn't he?
A: He would give these speeches throughout the year, and I loved them. He was one of the best motivational speakers I've been around. He changed me as a man.

Q: Last question is about basketball. Have you gotten over the excruciating overtime loss to Bentonville in last March's 7A semifinals game?
A: There's no way I will ever get past that. Anytime I think of basketball, that haunts me. My junior year, Malik (Monk) beat us by 20, so it's a little easier to swallow. But this year, I believe we were the better team. Just not that day.

Photo Credits: Kevin Taylor