Offensive lineman Dylan Barrett was so excited to get his college football career started at Wisconsin that he graduated in December from St. Charles East for an early taste.
While it hasn’t gone exactly to plan thanks to the campus being shut down for the past two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, which also canceled the Badgers’ spring football game, Barrett confirmed everything else has been the perfect fit.
“When I was on my recruiting visits, I knew it was the place to be in every aspect,” Barrett said. “I jumped in pretty well, I think. All the guys accepted me as a freshman and expect me to work as hard as they do. I had to raise my game to be with them and compete.”
Despite the fact he couldn’t get on the field this spring at Wisconsin, Barrett has learned much about college life and Big Ten football.
He was thrown into the weight room and meetings when he arrived in early January. He also learned how to balance school and football at the next level.
The shutdown threw a wrench in everybody’s plan, but Wisconsin offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph was happy with what he saw from Barrett.
“I think he’ll use this as an advantage,” Rudolph said. “Being able to come in and spend time in the weight room and training room, he has a clear idea of what it takes.
“He was excelling and he has improved. It will help him even at home at this time, just knowing what to do. He did an awesome job.”
St. Charles East coach Bryce Farquhar isn’t surprised Barrett adapted quickly.
“He’s very grounded,” Farquhar said. “Even with not playing spring ball, he understands the size and speed at that level. I’m confident he’s putting in work and doing the best he can under the circumstances to make himself better.”
Right away, Rudolph saw the traits that Barrett displayed on the recruiting trail.
“He’s such a conscientious and hard-working kid,” Rudolph said. “Those things stood out.”
Graduating high school early, though, is not for everybody. Barrett admitted to being nervous about jumping into a full load of classes and directly into a Big Ten weight room.
“I wasn’t too worried after a couple weeks,” Barrett said. “I got a grip on things. It’s a heck of a load, to be honest. It’s more to do than high school.”
Even coming in early, Barrett knew it would be an uphill battle to earn playing time as a freshman. That’s where missing out on the spring game hurt.
“That would have been a big part of the process,” Barrett said. “I wanted to go out there and do all I could to put my best out there for the team and see where it takes me.
“It’s a bummer being back home, not being with them and not being in the weight room. I just wanted to make a name for myself as early as I possibly could.”
Now, Barrett is doing what he can — the same as his teammates. He’s working out at home and sitting in on Zoom meetings with his coaches and teammates.
Whenever he gets back to Madison, however, Barrett knows that he belongs.
“At the end of the day, it’s Big Ten football,” Barrett said. “You have to rise to the occasion for that. We want nothing more than to win a national championship.
“The coaches and everyone are on the same page on where we need to go and how we need to get there.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.