Once overlooked at Male High, Chris Barclay returns as part of Louisville football staff

Chris Barclay came with a warning.

Whenever college coaches would come to Male High School to see the budding football star in the early 2000s, then Bulldogs head coach Bob Redman would inform the recruiter of what to — or better yet, what not to — expect.

“He would tell coaches just be aware that when he walks in, he may not look like much,” Barclay recalled Redman saying. “He may look like he belongs in the corner of a library with his glasses and things like that, but he can play now. Just cut the tape on.”

There was nothing particularly intimidating about Barclay’s physical appearance. He is 5-foot-8 “and change,” as he says. As a result, when he played for the Bulldogs, Barclay didn't garner as much attention as some of his teammates like running back Michael Bush or wide receiver Montrell Jones. That was OK with him, though. In some ways, Barclay thrived as an underdog.

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The kid who looked more like he belonged in a library than on a football field became a record-setting running back at Wake Forest. He’s now back in his hometown where he is entering his first season as the University of Louisville’s running backs coach.

“I think that chip has always kind of been present,” Barclay said. “My dad kind of instilled that early on. He told me that physically I might not be appealing to everybody, but he used to always tell me they can't measure heart and inches and pounds, and that's what you’ve got. So, you’ve just got to go out there and give it everything you’ve got every day and attack every day.”

'He always delivered'

Before the 2000 KHSAA Class 4A state championship game was officially over, Montrell Jones was being interviewed on the sidelines by media members who had braved chilly temperatures to watch Male thrash Trinity 34-14 on Dec. 2.

Jones, then a junior who went on to play at Tennessee, had done a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs and became the state’s leader in career receptions and touchdown catches after making two TD catches in the game. For as spectacular as Jones — Kentucky’s Mr. Football that season — was, Barclay, also in his junior year, wasn’t too far behind. He rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries (5.9 yards per carry), with a 1-yard score and a 7-yard catch in the win, accounting for 33% of the team’s offensive yardage.

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The next year, Michael Bush was the big name. While he would go on to play running back at Louisville, Bush, who was also a Mr. Football award winner in Kentucky, played quarterback for the Bulldogs and passed for 331 yards in the 2001 state championship — a lopsided 45-19 loss to Trinity. Brian Brohm, now Louisville’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, had 377 passing yards and three TDs for Trinity in its win.

Barclay didn’t have any rushing yards but was Male’s second-leading receiver with 70 yards on four receptions to go along with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to end his senior campaign. He also picked off Brohm.

“They were all standouts,” Redman said of Jones, Bush and Barclay, “but Chris was that guy. He was the senior. He was the go-to guy when you needed a big catch, a big play on defense. He played both ways.

"For example, in the state championship game, he was the guy that you look for to provide that big play when you needed it and his success rate in those situations was remarkable. He always delivered.”

Setting a standard

Barclay departed Wake Forest in 2005 as the Demon Deacons’ all-time scoring leader with 240 points. He now sits fifth on the list. But Barclay is still atop several lists at Wake Forest — career rushing yards (4,032), career rushing touchdowns (40), career all-purpose yards (4,930), most carries without a fumble (368) and most 100-yard rushing games (tied with 15), to name a few.

“After he left (Male) and did what he did (at Wake Forest), I had a lot of college coaches that would come through ... and they would always ask me if you've got anymore Barclays,” Redman said, laughing. “He definitely set a standard.”

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Barclay also led the ACC in both rushing (1,127) and all-purpose yards (1,508) as a senior in 2005 and was Wake’s rushing and all-purpose yards leader in each of his final three seasons with the Demon Deacons.

In 2001, Redman — who started coaching high school football at Male in 1992 and retired in 2009 — said Barclay was one of the best running backs he’s ever coached. Twenty-two years later, he still stands by that statement.

“In the open field, (Barclay was) very elusive and his side-to-side motion was just incredible,” Redman said. “He saw what was around him, always could find that open spot and was strong enough and tough enough to always get that extra yard where you needed … Whether it be in a locker room, whether it be in a classroom, he was a guy you could trust.”

'What Chris Barclay has developed into'

Barclay's return to Louisville and the ACC has been almost two decades in the making.

After a successful college career as a Demon Deacon, the 2018 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame inductee was signed to the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent and played football professionally overseas before starting his coaching career.

Starting as a graduate assistant at Wake Forest in 2011, Barclay spent time coaching running backs at William & Mary, Marshall, Western Kentucky and Purdue prior to last month's full-circle moment when he was officially named the Cardinals’ running backs coach on Dec. 26.

“It was definitely a whirlwind for the first couple of weeks,” Barclay said of his move back to Louisville. "I know my wife was excited that things settled down and (we got to) visit with family a little bit for the holidays. But now that I'm back, it's just so humbling and an honor to be back home. I've always had a lot of respect for this program. Certainly, love the city.”

In his first season with the Cardinals, Barclay is also looking forward to working with U of L running backs Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner, who were the driving forces behind Louisville’s 24-7 win over Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17. Much like Barclay, the two were overlooked at the beginning of the season. The fall depth chart had Jordan as the potential third stringer with Turner’s name not mentioned at all.

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Four months later, Jordan and Turner were the only remaining backs from an original group of five. But they carried the load well, Jordan’s efforts earning him the Fenway Bowl’s Offensive MVP honors.

“It was a pleasure to watch those young men in the bowl game just take off,” Barclay said. “Obviously, it was a collective effort. The team played well. But offensively, I thought those two were the shining stars on the offense for the game. That was really exciting, as a coach, to know that I've got two home run hitters that I'm gonna be able to coach and help them elevate their game to the next level.”

Between recruiting, meeting with current Cardinals and everything that comes with relocating, Barclay has had a full schedule. Redman is among the many people who are excited about Barclay's return home and his new role at U of L.

“With a whole lot of my players that I've had over the years, a bunch of guys that have made it to the top that have played high school, college and (in the) NFL had great careers,” Redman said, “but to see them in their business lives, in their coaching lives after football, to see their contributions to society ... I think that's the most important aspect of my coaching career was to see these guys develop into just what Chris Barclay has developed into.”

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: Overlooked at Male High, Chris Barclay returns