But Lincoln was a long way from home. Other than the years Barry lived in the West African nation of Guinea as a toddler, he had never been so far from Georgia. His first season was more bitter than sweet. He arrived later in the summer than his teammates because of academic qualification issues. He partially tore shoulder cartilage, which required surgery. As a result, he redshirted.
The silver lining: He posted a 3.6 grade-point average in his first semester at Nebraska, a big improvement over his slow academic start in high school.
Otherwise, the redshirt season was rough. He couldn’t play — couldn’t even practice. He watched two other true freshman linebackers — Dedrick Young and Tyrin Ferguson — play significant roles. He watched another freshman linebacker — Adrienne Talan — leave the program entirely before the season.
What made Barry stick around despite missing his friends back home?
For one thing, he liked Nebraska — the place and the people.
