Peach State athlete to decide 'very soon'
Michael Barrett may not need much more time to make a decision on where he wants to be the next four years.
Official visits to Georgia Tech and Michigan have been taken. An in-home visit with Nebraska took place last week and Florida State is set to visit Tuesday, then a decision could come shortly after that.
"I am getting close and I will be committing very soon," said Barrett. "I need to see what coach Willie Taggart says Tuesday because Florida State has not offered yet, then I will probably commit within the next week.
"It will be Florida State, Nebraska, Michigan or Georgia Tech."
The 6-foot, 200 pound athlete out of Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes took an unofficial visit to Florida State Friday. The Seminoles picked up a commitment from his teammate Jalen Goss a few days before that. Could the two end up together on the next level?
"Me and Jalen have talked about playing together many times before, so it would be cool, but we just need to see how things work out. I spent time with the coaches at Florida State Friday, and they like me, but I do not have an offer yet.
"I think I will learn about that Tuesday when coach Taggart comes to visit. If I get the offer, then it would be a great opportunity at a great school that is close to home, so I would definitely consider Florida State."
The unofficial visit to Tallahassee went well. Barrett said he he got a short tour, time with the coaches and just an overall feel for the school.
His last official visit went to Georgia Tech a little over a week ago. The Yellow Jackets are going hard after Barrett.
"I just talked to coach Paul Johnson today (Sunday afternoon) and Georgia Tech is the school recruiting me the hardest right now. They showed me a great time on the visit and I liked the city, I liked the people there and everything was nice.
"They are texting me every day, so they are showing a lot of attention and I know they really want me there."
Georgia Tech wants Barrett at quarterback, the position he played in high school. Many other schools like him at running back. The position does not matter to him and it will not play into his decision. He feels he could do well at either position depending on the scheme.
Michigan likes Barrett as an athlete. The communication with the Wolverine staff has not been the same as it was, but Jim Harbaugh's program is still being considered.
"It used to be every day that I was hearing from Michigan, but it is now every three or four days," said Barrett. "The program up there is great and they have some great coaches, so I like them a lot. They are supposed to come back down here this week or next week, so we will see how it goes."
Nebraska may be too late. Barrett said a "tentative" visit is scheduled for February 2, but his mind may already be made up by then.
"I am not sure if I will take that visit to Nebraska yet. We talked about it when they were here and they want me to, but I know I am close to a decision already. I am still considering them because things could change, so I will still be thinking about them until I make my decision."
That decision could come as early as the end of this week. Barrett is thinking by next week at the latest. He will meet with some coaches in his home this week, then hash things out with his family.
"Me and my family will sit down and go over the likes and dislikes of the schools I am really considering," said Barrett. "I will break things down this week and then I feel like I will have my decision.
"I am not done yet and I don't really have a leader right now, but after a few more days, I think I will be very close."
