a nice article on Robert,
Barry attends high-profile camps
At 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, Robert Barry's body looks like a basketball player.
But make no mistake, this Battle Creek High School junior's heart bleeds football.
"I've been tall for my age my whole life and have played a lot of basketball, but once I got into high school, I fell in love with football,' Barry said Wednesday. "My dream has always been to play Division I football. I guess I'll just wait to see what this next season brings."
If the past few months are any indication, Barry may be well on his way to fulfilling that dream.
"Earlier this year, a guy from Rivals.com came to Battle Creek and did a profile on me and said he'd send the information to Nike,' Barry said.
In early March, Barry received an invitation to a Nike Football Training Camp.
"My dad looked at me and said let's find one close enough and let's go,' Barry said.
Of the handful of Nike camps offered nationwide, Barry chose one at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. A month later, adding some icing to the cake was second invitation, this one to an EA SPORTS Elite 11 Quarterback Regional Camp, also at TCU, a day prior to the Nike camp.
"We arrived on Friday morning and my dad didn't really know where we were supposed to check in, so he rolled down his window to ask a father and son who had just pulled up. It turned out to be University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy's little brother and their dad,' Barry said.
Barry said other than a teenager from Michigan, the remainder of the 45 quarterbacks at the Elite 11 camp were from Texas. Joining Colt McCoy on the camp's staff was former University of Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin.
"My first day was a little rough,' Barry said. "They tried changing my throwing motion a little bit. My motion is what is called three-quarter and they wanted me to throw more over the top. Between dealing with that and nerves, it took me a little while to adjust.'
Speed was also an issue.
"The receivers they brought in were just a little bit faster than I am used to throwing to,' Barry said with a smile.
At Saturday's Nike Football Training Camp, among an estimated 250 athletes - who played all positions - Barry was much more relaxed.
"I threw the ball a lot better the second day,' Barry said. "A lot of the guys there came from spread offenses, whereas at Battle Creek, we have more of a traditional passing offense. So the footwork drills seemed a lot easier for me compared to some of the other guys."
Among the camp's staff on Saturday was Jeff Blake, former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback.
To date, two Division I schools - Nebraska and Kansas - have shown the most interest, having sent representatives to Battle Creek to visit with Barry's football coach Greg Wemhoff in person.
Others interested in Barry as a quarterback/tight end/defensive end include Kansas State, Iowa, Iowa State, Wyoming and Mississippi State.
So how did Barry evaluate his performance and experience over the weekend?
"I felt I fit in pretty good with the rest of the guys who were down there,' Barry said. "Probably being from a small town in Nebraska and getting the opportunity to do that was the coolest thing for me.'
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