Avon's Grant Barr commits to continue football career at Albany

Grant Barr really loves wearing purple and gold. After two state championships seasons at Avon, Barr will spend the next four years wearing those colors at the University at Albany. Barr announced Sunday on X that he had committed to the school over the weekend while on an official visit. "They got a new coaching staff and I reached out, then like two weeks ago, they called me and invited me out for a visit," Barr said. "When I went out, they offered me a full-scholarship opportunity on the spot and I accepted it." Barr was a first-team All-Ohio receiver for the Eagles in 2025, catching 60 passes for 1,032 yards and 12 touchdowns, including one in Avon's Division II state title game against Cincinnati Anderson. "Of course, I'm biased In my humble opinion, Grant is the best wide receiver in the state of Ohio," Avon coach Mike Elder said. "Albany is getting a great player. They made him a priority and offered him a full-ride scholarship. They feel he can help them right away and I do too." Barr made an immediate connection with new Great Danes coach Tom Perkovich and his staff. When he made it to campus, everything quickly fell into place. "I loved the campus. Their field is really nice. I love the culture there. I just felt like it was the right place for me to go," Barr said. "Albany puts a lot of time and resources into their athletics, I feel like their new coach can do a lot with that and I can help him make a difference." The Great Danes are members of the Coastal Athletic Association in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision. "It really didn't matter the level," Barr said. "I'm just excited to find a place where I'm going to have a good time and succeed and fulfill my dream of being a college football player." Choosing a college is one of the toughest decisions in a young man's life, but Barr made an equally tough decision during his sophomore year when he switched from quarterback to wide receiver. "The choice was I just wanted to play," Barr said. "I was going to be behind Nolan Good, obviously a really good player, and I didn't want to sit on the bench for two extra years. I wanted to play and help out the team." Barr was in the starting lineup at wide receiver by the midway point of his sophomore season, and two state championships later the rest is history. "He's got the greatest catch radius of anybody I've ever coached," Elder said. "Throwing the ball to Grant is like throwing to the garage door. If you come close, he's going to come down with it. He has elite speed to take the top off of defenses, he's physical in the run game. He's got great size and he's very durable." Elder likes to call what the receiver brought to the offense the "Grant Barr effect." "Everyone sees when a kid is catching passes, and he's caught a lot of them, but the common fan doesn't realize the impact he has when he doesn't get the ball. When he gets double-covered, it opens up other receivers. It gets people out of the box in the run game, so you run the ball more effectively. When he's not the primary receiver, his speed is able to clear out the defense and get things open underneath." Barr recognizes he probably wouldn't be where he is today without the support he's received along the way. "When I have people like my parents and coach Elder, so many others that have been in my corner rooting for me and telling me everything was going to work itself out, it took off a lot of the pressure," Barr said. He thinks the lessons learned at Avon will be easily applied at Albany. "Avon is like a college program. You have to be disciplined and you have to do things the right way," Barr said. "I am going to be more prepared than some of the others. I am going to be able to help my teammates become more prepared." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.