Wisconsin offensive lineman Dylan Barrett (61) snaps the ball to quarterback Myles Burkett (16) during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday, September 17, 2022 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin beat New Mexico State 66-7. © Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa State earned its latest commitment out of the transfer portal on Friday in Wisconsin offensive lineman Dylan Barrett.
Barrett committed after being in Ames for a visit this week.
“The visit was good,” Barrett said. “It was my first time, officially, being in Ames. The facilities are outstanding, Jack Trice Stadium is a great place to play and Ames is a town that seems like a great place for me and a great fit. I honestly fell in love with it when I got there.”
Barrett brings more size into coach Ryan Clanton’s offensive line room, coming in at 6-foot-5, 322 pounds.
“The opportunity arose kind of out of the blue in a way,” Barrett said. “It was exactly what I was looking for going into the portal – a great place to get my education and also a great opportunity to get on the field and be a contributor right away.”
Iowa State first reached out two weeks ago, ahead of the Cyclones’ appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Clanton was exactly the coach Barrett was looking for when he entered the transfer portal.
“Coming from Wisconsin, I was looking for a good O-line coach that was able to coach me and develop me the right way, in the way I was looking for,” Barrett said. “It was great for coach Clanton to call me and tell me that he thinks ‘you’re the exact guy we’re looking for to fill that center spot.’ It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
He earned academic all-Big 10 honors in each of the last three seasons with Wisconsin.
“You’ve got to do good in the classroom to be eligible to play, right,” Barrett said. “The discipline you learn from football, you have to take into the classroom. I was like ‘hey, you’ve got to do school anyway to play football, so might as well exceed in that too.'”
Barrett will have at least one year of eligibility and may have a COVID-year available to use in 2025, as well.
