Dylan Barrett is ready for his senior season at St. Charles East, but his eyes already are focused on his future.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman is excited for one last run with his friends, but as soon as that is over, Barrett will graduate early from East and head to Wisconsin to get started on the next part of his journey.
“The dream is the NFL,” Barrett said. “That’s always been the dream. Once I picked my college, I knew where I wanted to go to get to the NFL.
“I think Wisconsin gives me the best opportunity to do that, and graduating early will put me a step ahead of everyone else in my class that isn’t graduating early.”
The fact he knows where he eventually wants to wind up made Barrett’s decision to leave high school a semester early an easier one.
“I’ve been brought up with sacrificing for what you want, so I really thought this is what really needed to be done in order to reach my end goal,” Barrett said. “I think it was the best decision for me.”
Saints coach Bryce Farquhar knows Barrett is going to the right place to eventually have a crack at the NFL in Wisconsin, which has become an offensive lineman factory over the past decade.
“When you go to a school like Wisconsin, you have goals to play for the rest of your life,” Farquhar said. “Football is something he lives, not just something he does. People that are successful in this game live it. It becomes who they are.”
Farquhar said while Barrett has a bright future, he’s committed to this team.
“It’s all about spending time with your friends, creating those memories with the guys you grew up with,” Farquhar said. “Every time I’ve been around him, you don’t hear about what he’s going to do at Wisconsin. It’s more what he can do to help the team win right now.”
This season, Barrett will anchor an offensive line without his buddy, Justin Hull, who’s off to Minnesota Duluth.
“I miss him,” Barrett said of Hull. “I know he’s doing big things in Minnesota. I’ve talked to him basically every day since he’s been up there. I can’t wait to see what he does out there.”
Barrett is adding to his workload by playing defense this season. He will line up frequently at nose tackle.
“I’m excited because I get to do what I hate as an offensive lineman right back to them,” Barrett said. “It opened my eyes to another side of the ball that I go against every day. I think it’s very beneficial.”
Barrett spent a lot of time in Madison over the summer, including his official visit. He will be a regular on the sidelines at Wisconsin games this fall. He and his fellow recruits are already bonding via group text.
It won’t be long before Barrett is fully immersed in the Badgers’ culture with his eyes toward his ultimate goal. But he still has work to do with the Saints.
“It’s coming fast, especially since I’m graduating early,” Barrett said. “I’m just ready to ball out with my boys here, hopefully get that ring here and then get to Madison and start work there.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
