TANNER BARRETT LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL

At 5-11, 190 pounds, Tanner Barrett seemed a little undersized playing on the defensive line for Little Rock Central. Barrett made up for his lack of size with a large portion of strength and speed.

“I was constantly going against guys who were 220 and 230 pounds,” Barrett said. “And most of them were 3 inches taller. But I was quicker. By the time they were making their first move, I was already three steps ahead of them. Some teams got smart and put two guys on me, but that made it easier for our linebackers to make plays. I considered that a win-win situation.”

Barrett was in on 95 tackles for the Tigers in 2017. He collected 4 sacks, forced 2 fumbles and broke up 3 passes. He was named to the 7A-Central All-Conference team in both his junior and senior seasons, but he also established enough of an academic background to earn a scholarship to Hendrix College in Conway.

“I’ve been gunning for Hendrix since I was a sophomore,” Barrett said. “It’s a young program and they’ve done well in a short amount of time. I think they’ll get even better and I’d love to be a part of that.”

Barrett will not have to play on the defensive line at Hendrix. Instead, he’ll be able to play at linebacker.

At Hendrix, Barrett plans to major in pre-med. He said he will either specialize in biology or psychology.

“When I was in the ninth grade I had an injury to my lower back,” Barrett said. “I went to a chiropractor and although I don’t want to be a chiropractor I decided that being in the medical field would be the best thing for me to do.”

Barrett