Barker reverses his field, chooses to play at Harvard

But in the last few months, Blake (above) started to have second thoughts about his decision. After concluding that Palo Alto, Calif., is too far away, he withdrew his commitment to Stanford last month.

“I didn’t take into account where each of the schools were,’’ Barker said Wednesday in an interview. “After the hype died down, I was thinking about it. I didn’t want to be in California, I didn’t want to be far away from home. I think that was the main reason.’’

So although there were offers on the table for the 6-foot-6 offensive and defensive end from a number of Division 1 programs, including teams in the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, and Big Ten as well as independent Notre Dame, he chose to stay really close to home and play for Tim Murphy at Harvard.

As a receiver this fall, Barker is having a very productive season for the Knights (6-0 headed into Friday’s game), with 16 catches for 322 yards and three scores. On defense, where he faces many double teams, Blake has recorded four sacks.

Suiting up for the Crimson and playing in the Ivy League does not diminish his dream of playing professional football. He points to a few Harvard grads, including perennial Pro Bowl center Matt Birk, now with the Baltimore Ravens; Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick; and Desmond Bryant, a rookie defensive tackle with the Oakland Raiders.

“If you work hard enough and become the best player you could be, the NFL would have a way to find you anyhow,’’ Barker said. “It depends on how hard you want to work.’’