Although Devan Barrett played defensive back in high school, running back was his primary position at Tampa Catholic (Fla.). The latter is what Auburn recruited him to play when it signed Barrett in the 2017 class. But after rushing for 82 yards as a freshman, the Tigers moved him to cornerback. There, Barrett, a former 4-star recruit, has had to patiently wait his turn as players such as Noah Igbinoghene and Jamel Dean shined. But now entering his fourth season with the Tigers, the time is now for the redshirt junior because Auburn has a big need at his position in 2020 after losing several key performers. And, according to Tampa Catholic coach Jeris McIntyre , Barrett is ready to step up. In March, Barrett was in his hometown for spring break. While there, he connected with McIntyre, a former standout receiver at Auburn. “He looks good. Before everything shut down, he came by the school every day and was getting work in with (USF defensive back) Bentlee Sanders . They’re best friends and grew up together. They used the facility to lift weights. He was training with Bentlee and with Preston Jackson .” In Tampa, Jackson is well-known to young football prospects. He played cornerback at Notre Dame in the early 2000s and now runs camps throughout the region. “When he came by the school, Preston trained him up a bit,” McIntyre said. “Once the schools shut down and they couldn’t use our facility, he kept training with him (on the other side of the county). He’s still training with him just to keep his skills up.” During Barrett’s training at Tampa Catholic, McIntyre paid close attention. “Since he made the transition at Auburn, they’ve had some good DBs that he’s learned from — Carlton (Davis), Jamel Dean […]
