Excerpt:
For Ferguson and Barry, there is confidence in the belief that what they've done in high school has come against some of the better prep talent around.
Barry doesn't hesitate in saying it: He thinks the best high school football is played in Georgia and Florida.
"Because it's more than just football down here," said Barry, whose Grayson High School played in Class 5A, the second-highest class in Georgia. "It's played with a lot of passion...Even people that don't have all that talent, they are still good because of all the training and the coaching. Our coaches pride themselves. It's their reputation and all that, so they coach to the best of their abilities and they develop stars. That's why I feel like Georgia football, Florida football, is the best, because you're playing against the best every week."
And Ferguson: "I feel like I can compete with these guys. I can compete with anybody. Anybody that's put in front of me, I'm going to try to beat them. And if they beat me, I'm going to beat them the next play. That's my mindset, you know what I'm saying."
Barry understands exactly what he's saying.
There were plenty of other options for him during his recruitment. Barry liked Miami a lot. Even seemed to favor the Hurricanes at one point.
Then one night in January, four Husker coaches, including Riley, came into his family's house. They were there for more than three hours. That, as they say, was that.
A school like Miami might have the beach and the hot spots. But, as Barry saw it, those are just distractions to get in the way of football.
"I'm going away, but I got to handle business up there," Barry said. "I picked Nebraska over Miami and all that stuff because I want to go up there and focus. Be the best. I felt like Nebraska was the perfect setting to be the best."
LJS article
For Ferguson and Barry, there is confidence in the belief that what they've done in high school has come against some of the better prep talent around.
Barry doesn't hesitate in saying it: He thinks the best high school football is played in Georgia and Florida.
"Because it's more than just football down here," said Barry, whose Grayson High School played in Class 5A, the second-highest class in Georgia. "It's played with a lot of passion...Even people that don't have all that talent, they are still good because of all the training and the coaching. Our coaches pride themselves. It's their reputation and all that, so they coach to the best of their abilities and they develop stars. That's why I feel like Georgia football, Florida football, is the best, because you're playing against the best every week."
And Ferguson: "I feel like I can compete with these guys. I can compete with anybody. Anybody that's put in front of me, I'm going to try to beat them. And if they beat me, I'm going to beat them the next play. That's my mindset, you know what I'm saying."
Barry understands exactly what he's saying.
There were plenty of other options for him during his recruitment. Barry liked Miami a lot. Even seemed to favor the Hurricanes at one point.
Then one night in January, four Husker coaches, including Riley, came into his family's house. They were there for more than three hours. That, as they say, was that.
A school like Miami might have the beach and the hot spots. But, as Barry saw it, those are just distractions to get in the way of football.
"I'm going away, but I got to handle business up there," Barry said. "I picked Nebraska over Miami and all that stuff because I want to go up there and focus. Be the best. I felt like Nebraska was the perfect setting to be the best."
LJS article
