Not many reserve linebackers can say they've scored a touchdown in a college football game.
Barton Lester has done it twice.
A mainstay on Auburn's special teams units the last two seasons, Lester has found himself in the right place at the right time twice, recovering two blocked punts for touchdowns – one against Arkansas last season, and another this season against Georgia State.
"That was probably my favorite, Georgia State this year when I recovered that blocked punt from Caylin (Newton)," Lester said. "The one in the Arkansas game (in 2020) was a big impact, but this one… our season would have really gone downhill if we had not won that Georgia State game."
Growing up in Montgomery, Lester has had Auburn in his blood his whole life. Both his father and grandfather attended Auburn, he grew up attending games, and he always knew he would end up on the Plains.
"I've got a good picture on my phone of me and my dad at an A-Day game from probably 2002," he said. "I'm wearing a Cadillac jersey. I showed that to (assistant coach Carnell Williams) a couple of years back. So yeah, I've been here since the beginning."
Lester's journey to Auburn started at Montgomery Academy, where he helped turn the Eagles' program from an 0-10 record as a seventh-grader to a 9-2 mark as a senior two-way player. After a redshirt in 2017, he enrolled at the Air Force Academy for 2018 before deciding to transfer to Auburn.
He walked on and did not see any game action in 2019, but he made a major impact in the Tigers' third game of 2020 as he recovered Jordyn Peters' blocked punt for a touchdown in the pouring rain against Arkansas.
"That play was the coolest at the time because I think it was so unexpected from everybody as my first game playing," Lester said.
It was made even more rewarding by the long journey to get to step on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium in a real SEC football game.
"When I first got here, I knew I wasn't going to be know by anybody. I had to walk on after transferring from Air Force. I knew a couple of guys on the team, that's kind of how I had the connection to get on. I knew I had to come down and just work my butt off for however long it took until I got noticed.
"It wasn't really until 2020 fall camp, like the second scrimmage, before anyone really knew who I was. But I had a good scrimmage, and after that, it felt like my hard work had paid off. So these last two years have been super rewarding.
"Even in 2019, when I was ineligible, just working on the scout team, I got to see guys like Tanner Dean and Spencer Nigh and some of those other guys I looked up to. I tried to model my work ethic after how they practiced."
Lester has already earned his undergraduate degree in finance and is currently pursuing his MBA with a focus on cybersecurity and supply chain.
Auburn honored Lester and 31 fellow seniors before the Iron Bowl, a game he grew up watching while cheering for Auburn.
"An awesome feeling," he said. "Kind of a lifelong dream, hard work paying off. With my family being there and people that have seen me go through pretty much everything, An awesome moment."
Blocked by Barton: Lester blocks a punt vs. Alabama State in 2021
