Coach: 2020 OL Dylan Barrett Has Worked For What He's Got

Dylan Barrett‍ knows what he wants and he’s made sacrifices to put himself in a position to claim it.

“As a freshman, he knew he wanted to play Division-I football and has worked to get there,” St. Charles East High School head coach Bryce Farquhar said of his 2020 offensive lineman.

Barrett has already landed offers from Illinois and Northern Illinois.

“He’s proven that,” Farquhar said. “Now, he’s looking at different schools trying to figure out what the best fit for him is.

“Being a sophomore still, he’s got a lot of interest right now. A lot of people coming in and talking about him. I think he’s got a bright future and he’ll be able to look at a bunch of schools that meet what he’s looking for and hopefully the schools find something in him that they like.”

Beyond the early offers, Barrett has received interest from several schools, including Notre Dame, where he will visit on Thursday.

“I think his plan was to visit a few before the spring recruiting period starts just to get a feel for some programs before the coaches start coming in in the spring,” his coach said. “Being a Midwest kid, you always kind of look at Notre Dame and the Big Ten as your standard. To get that Big Ten offer early I think was big.

“He’s a Notre Dame fan too, so I know it’s a big deal for him to go to Notre Dame and see what Notre Dame has to offer and see how he clicks with the coaching staff and make sure there’s that two-way street. Obviously, the Notre Dame staff has to like him and he has to like them.”

Barrett’s frame is one thing college coaches like about him right now.

“You’ve got to have the size and the height to get that type of interest,” his coach said. “You’ve got to hit the measureables and I think he does that. He’s around 6-5 and anywhere from 290 to 295 these days. He’s put himself in a situation. He’s got a great work ethic in the weight room. He really, really knows what he wants down the line and has really worked hard to get there.”

Barrett plays guard for St. Charles East and Farquhar guesses he sticks there.

“He’s always been a guard for us,” the coach said. “He’s still listed as a guard. He’s got good feet, he’s got good movement. He’s probably going to stick at that guard spot unless he grows a few inches, which he could. I know the doctor still projects him to grow taller than he is now, so who knows? Right now, we’ve got him at guard. He’s got good pull-steps.”

Off the field, Farquhar said Barrett is “a good kid.”

“We brought him up to varsity halfway through his freshman year,” he added. “He’s been with us and around our culture for quite some time. He’s a driven kid. He really has his head on straight and knows what he wants.”

Barrett wants to study Engineering in college, which could be a big factor in his ultimate decision.

“We talk a lot about just making sure he can find a school that develops him as an athlete, as a person, spiritually; just a school that’s going to challenge him to be a better person when he’s done.”