CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington quarterback Eric Barriere had quite a journey to winning the FCS' the top award on Friday.
"It’s still kind of crazy that I won it all, but it’s a great feeling because it’s something nobody will ever take away from me," reflected Barriere.
Last spring Eric Barriere won every major award at the FCS level that he could—except for one.
He finished just six votes short of winning the Walter Payton Award.
He set out on a mission this fall season to knab that final elusive trophy, and he did it.
"In the back of my mind before they announced it, my heart was kind of beating fast. I had a feeling I was going to win it, but I wasn’t sure because I was still thinking about the spring and all that stuff. Once my name was finally called, it was a big relief. Like, finally, they didn’t try to pull no BS," said Barriere with his patented grin and a chuckle.
The senior says he heard from legendary former Eastern quarterback Vernon Adams after the win, and yes, he heard from the most famous Eagle of them all as well.
"Coop texted me, and he was telling me congrats and telling me that he knew I was the best FCS player," said Eric.
Barriere could’ve traded those FCS dreams in for FBS ones this spring. His stock was certainly high enough that he could’ve hit the transfer portal and tried his luck at the next level, but he didn't. Why?
"I could’ve taken a different route, could’ve chose the other route that people have been doing, but I wanted to stay at Eastern. I committed there as a freshman, so I wanted to finish it out my senior year. I felt like Eastern has done a lot for me as a program and as community, so I felt like I owed that to them, and I kind of owed it to myself. I, personally, don’t like to run away from challenges," said Barriere.
Barriere ends his EWU career having run past nearly every challenge set forth to him.
He sits third all-time in the FCS is both total offense and passing yards, and he sits atop the record books in both of those categories at the Big Sky level.
To put it simply, Barriere is in elite company for an Eastern program that doesn’t lack in star power at the quarterback position.
"That’s even crazy to think about because all the quarterbacks that came to Eastern," said Barriere, reflecting on being one of the best QBs in Eagle history. "For me, to be the one to win the Walter Payton but also set all this records, that’s, like, stuff that I didn’t think coming in that I was going to be able to do. Once look back on all of it, it’s just a huge accomplishment. I’m just thankful for everything that took place at Eastern. I’m glad that I chose Eastern," said Barriere.