OL Cruz Barrett

[NamelessHusker]

Hootin, it's like you said, it's all about perception. Could be the coaches saw something in him that could earn him immediate playing time. Who knows. As far as what Lemming said, you will get different feedback on players depending on who you ask. Just like Rivals and Scout have different ranking systems, people have different opinion.

[Eric the Red]

Mainland's Barrett opts for Huskers

 

By BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN

Prep editor

 

Last update: December 03, 2005

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH -- Cruz Barrett has decided where he wants to play college football -- and it just happens to be a university known for producing top-notch offensive linemen.

 

The Mainland senior offensive guard, who stands 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, visited the University of Nebraska the weekend of Nov. 12, the day after the Bucs fell in the regional quarterfinals at Melbourne Palm Bay. On Friday, he called up the coaches at Nebraska and verbally committed to play for the Cornhuskers.

 

"I got to experience the game atmosphere, and met the players and the other recruits and just had a good time," said Barrett, who claimed that Nebraska came back into the hunt for his services in October, after a long period where there was little contact. "They are pretty straightforward, and said that if I was good enough, they're going to play me soon."

 

Nothing is official until signing day the first week of February. Verbal commitments are non-binding.

 

Barrett likely will now cancel a Dec. 9 visit to West Virginia. He is listed as the No. 39 offensive guard in the nation by Rivals.com, and was ranked one of the top 100 players in Florida this year regardless of position.

 

He is hoping to become a part of the resurgence in the once-proud Nebraska program.

 

"They pretty much said it's got to start with the O-line, and they need some guys in there," Barrett said. "I said I'm pretty much down with that. . . . Believe me, I love Florida State and the other Florida schools, but for them to come down and go for me so hard changed a lot.'

 

During Barrett's visit to Lincoln, Neb., in November, the Cornhuskers pulled out a 27-25 victory over Kansas State and went on to finish 7-4 this season. While there, he was hosted by Barry Cryer -- a junior defensive tackle with the Cornhuskers. He was amazed that the fans had signs with his name on it. And the colder weather didn't bother him.

 

"Everybody is saying I'm going to freeze my butt off, but I like cold weather -- just not too cold," said Barrett. "I mean, if you make it to the pros, you don't know where you're going, and it could be cold."

 

Barrett is the third local football player to choose the Division I-A school he'll play for. Mainland teammate Tony Wilson made his verbal commitment to the University of Georgia in August, while Seabreeze linebacker A.J. Morosco chose the United States Air Force Academy during the season.

 

brian.mclaughlin@news-jrnl.com

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[hootin' annie's goatfarm]

hello, I have read that cruz barrett's parents have both passed away, he is a ward of the state of fl, & he lives w/ a friend's family.

 

also, seth jensen, who visited UN w/ barrett on 11/11, & barrett have became good friends & have remained in touch w/ each other since, & that seth & his seth's father were instrumental in cruz's verbal to UN

 

p.s. mainland hs in daytona beach is the former hs of buster davis, who really liked UN on his visit 4 yrs ago, but his mother persuaded him to stay closer to home because of cultural difference & distance (he & ngata really broke UN's heart that yr)

2nd p.s. mainland is also the former hs of v carter

[kramer]

In the end, Cruz Barrett chose Nebraska over offers from Florida State, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma and West Virginia. Now that's impressive recruiting.

[Red Snow Sword: Husker Sentinel]

I'm glad we got another Olinemen

 

 

 

 

He sounds like an interesting kid, and I hope he's has lots of success here at NU

[ghusker]

It looks as if Florida State offered him yesterday after slow playing him all year. Barrett has said previously that he would go to FSU if they ever offered so we shall see. He also had a FSU coach come in for an in-home visit yesterday. Hope he stays with us.

[Eric the Red]

Mainland High athlete wins with a lot of help from friends

 

By RANDY RORRER

Staff Writer

 

Last update: December 23, 2005

 

DAYTONA BEACH -- The holidays are a time for family, but 17-year-old Cruz Barrett has no family members around.

 

N-J | Jessica Webb | BUY THIS PRINT

Cruz Barrett, a Mainland High School senior, walks to his apartment after checking his mail Tuesday. Barrett grew up in foster homes, but is now able to live independently.

 

Ron Zychowski, president of Community Based Care, said foster teens living in furnished apartments are generally 17 years old, though, they have had 16-year-olds.

 

"It's a great way to prepare them for aging out of the system and living on their own," Zychowski said.

 

The six teens are part of 145 foster teens in Volusia and Flagler counties ages 13 to 17 who also receive life-skills training, including how to manage money and how to cook.

 

The Independent Living program also has about 34 former foster youth older than 18 who are still receiving some assistance from the state, including 19 who are provided a monthly stipend of up to $892 a month if they continue going to school and work.

 

-By Deborah Circelli

 

Instead, the Mainland High School offensive lineman relies on a vast network of supportive friends to live on his own.

 

Barrett never knew his father. His mother died when he was 9. The grandmother he lived with for five years after his mother's death moved back to Costa Rica when he was 14.

 

Since his freshman year, he has bounced around foster homes and state-run group homes. For the last year, he has been in an independent living program, which allows him to live in an apartment with a roommate.

 

"In 30 years of coaching, he has had it tougher than any other kid I've been around," Mainland head football coach John Maronto said.

 

The early chapters in Barrett's story leave much to be desired, but the 6-foot-5-inch, 315-pound athlete has worked hard to write a happy ending.

 

Earlier this month, Barrett accepted a full scholarship to play football at the University of Nebraska, well-known for churning out top-level offensive linemen.

 

"This is his opportunity," said Tudy Tabasky, the mother of two of Barrett's high school linemates (Eddie and C.J.). "We've stressed to him that he had to get his college education, so some day he could have a family."

 

During Barrett's junior season, Tudy Tabasky packed three lunches each day -- two for her sons and one for Barrett.

 

"He's just a great kid," Tabasky said.

 

Football is the portal to Barrett's success story, but it came as an afterthought.

 

"When I got to high school, I was tall and skinny," Barrett said. "I was a basketball player. Coach (Glenn) Barnes and all my friends said I should go out for football because of my size. My grandma didn't want me to play. She said I was too soft."

 

The coaches and players at Mainland were persistent, however.

 

"I remember coach Maronto coming to me and saying, 'I'm going to make a football player out of you, and you're not going to want to play basketball any more.'

 

"I looked at him like he was crazy."

 

What was crazy was thinking Barrett might be anything but a football player.

 

"There are two things you can't coach," Mainland assistant football coach Terry Anthony said. "It's size and speed. Actually, there's three things -- size, speed and heart. Cruz has all three."

 

Barrett hopes he can develop into a prototypical Nebraska lineman and get a chance to play in the NFL. If not, he said he intends to get a degree in computer science and work in that field.

 

That he is getting the chance to earn a degree says a lot for Barrett and all those who helped him. When Barrett starts to list all of them, he sounds as if he has just received an Oscar. The list goes on and on: coaches, teachers, school administrators, teammates, family members of teammates, social workers . . .

 

"He's a kid," said Shelly Coluccio, whose son graduated last year but has continued to contribute emotional and financial support to Barrett. "I'm the kind of person who would give somebody the shirt off my back. He needed it, and he has always done his part."

 

Tudy Tabasky said one thing that makes Barrett so endearing is that he has so many needs, but he never expects anything.

 

"The families, coaches and friends that helped him had to ask him if there was anything he needed," Tabasky said. "And he was always very appreciative of what you did for him."

 

So, the extended Mainland family gave. When Barrett needed a tuxedo for the prom, they rented one.

 

When he needed groceries, someone bought him food.

 

When Barrett suffered a broken arm in a car accident at the end of his junior season, his network offered moral support and made sure Barrett caught up with his schoolwork after leaving the hospital.

 

Huge scars on either side of Barrett's left arm serve as reminders of the crash. There are also plates and screws in his arm.

 

"That was a tough time for him," Maronto said. "It kept him out of football, and he fell behind academically. It took forever going through the state system for him to get cleared to start working out for football after the accident, so he fell behind in his conditioning."

 

But Barrett always kept going. He maintained his grades in honors classes -- a 2.8 grade-point average, he says -- and he kept showing up for practice.

 

Despite the setbacks, he doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him.

 

"I've never had any trouble fitting in," Barrett said. "Everybody knows me. I'm kind of a clown, and I make people laugh. A lot of my friends' parents know about my situation, and they help me. They're like another family."

 

Several Mainland families extended invitations for him to spend Christmas with them. He'll spend most of the day with Anthony, the assistant coach.

 

"People forget sometimes that he's a kid, because he's so big," Anthony said. "It's different, though, because at school he's a kid but then he has to go home and take care of himself like an adult."

 

Living on his own hasn't been easy. He shares a two-bedroom apartment, a few miles from Mainland, with an 18-year-old male roommate.

 

"I try to keep the place clean for when people come over, but right now there's clothes on the floor and my bed's unmade," Barrett said.

 

Meals consist mainly of things he can take out of the freezer and microwave, like Hot Pockets.

 

He doesn't have a car, and relies on others to get him to and from school and to the grocery. He receives a monthly stipend for expenses but gets by largely on the generosity of his Mainland network.

 

"The toughest part is having so much freedom," said Barrett, who has a curfew for visitors and other restrictions through the independent living program. "Sometimes it's tough to make myself do the things I need to be doing or should be doing. I have a lot of people, though, that stay on top of me and make sure I'm doing what I need to do."

 

Barrett's story shows you can overcome anything if you persevere, Anthony said.

 

"Sometimes it was hard to get him to focus on what was going on on the field because of the things going on in his life," Anthony said. "But we got him to understand that just because you've been dealt a bad hand in life, you don't have to lose. You may be dealt bad cards, but the next card dealt may make your cards the best hand."

 

It has been a long trip, but Barrett now seems to be holding all the cards.

 

randy.rorrer@news-jrnl.com

[BigRedDallasTexan]

Excellent story. Sounds like we're getting a great kid. I'm glad he's a husker.

[Hunter94]

is Barrett a solid comitt or are we about to lose him too? anyone?

 

 

hunter

[Blackshirtsguru]

is Barrett a solid comitt or are we about to lose him too? anyone?

 

 

hunter

No one can answer that but Cruz himself. We can play the what if game all day!

[DJR313]

I just looked on rivals, and Cruz is listed as a soft verbal commitment. I thought he was listed as a solid verbal commitment initially. Honestly, does anyone who gives a soft verbal commitment ever stick to it? It just seems like recruits say that and shop around till they find a better offer. Doesn't look that good for getting him, I hope he stays N though.

[DaveH]

I am pretty sure he's solid.

[Hunter94]

as most of you know, he doesn't have a family, grew up tough.....NU would be a "great family" for this guy......

 

 

hunter

[husker rob]

a tough way to grow up, and has lived on his own basicly fo rthe last few years.

 

his maturity level should be a lot more advanced then most 18 year olds

 

stay N bud, you'll love it here

[Eric the Red]

Florida ST. is recruiting him hard.