Enshrined: Barrett Feeling Settled Back in Colorado
Building community for his family is the primary goal
Mike Brohard
Being settled feels nice to Shaquil Barrett and his family. Especially because of his family.
Football fueled his chase in life. To be better, to play at an elite level. He was a league leader in sacks and a two-time Super Bowl champion. He said at one point in his 10-year professional career, the passion waned, then came back. Now he’s done chasing.
He and his wife, Jordanna, built a family, had six children and this summer the group settled in Parker, the place where the next stage in life begins.
“Colorado is just a good place. I love all the seasons. The people are nice,” Barrett said. “Being out in Parker, you're still close enough to the city, but you're out in the suburbs. I like that part of it, having a nice little piece of land. I just like everything about Colorado. I’ve liked it since my first day being here, going to Colorado State.
“My football passion … I loved it. It had left, then it came back, and then it was gone again, and now it's gone for good because I'm happy with my career. I'm happy with everything I did and I accomplished. I'm not chasing anything. I led the league in sacks, played in a couple of Super Bowls. I'm satisfied with where I'm at. I'm happy with my life.”
Barrett, the 2013 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, is one of five former Rams who will be inducted into Colorado State’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 2 during a ceremony at Canvas Stadium. Tickets are available for the banquet, which begins at 4 p.m.
In a sense, he was forced to find Colorado. He had played at Nebraska-Omaha, but the school disbanded the football program. He had more than a few offers but chose Colorado State in the end.
It was apparent he was going to make an impact on the team, and not just because he was an honorable mention all-conference player his first two seasons. To then-coach Steve Fairchild, it was the presence he carried in the locker room.
“There's no question. But you got to know that as you went through the recruiting process,” Fairchild said. “You got to know him and his family and so forth. So, you kind of saw the talent initially, and then you got to know the complete package as you got involved.
“I mean, when people see that type of talent and that type of work ethic and what type of person he was, you gravitate toward it. Everybody does. Players, coaches, everybody does.”
Just being a dad fuels me right now, getting the kids into their stuff. Being back home, we can set a solid foundation and get the community around now. That's what I've been kind of focusing on.Shaquil Barrett
Barrett’s senior campaign was a long highlight reel, with him finished with 20 tackles for loss, 12 of them sacks. His final game was an exclamation point and burned into the memories of CSU fans as he forced fumbles on successive plays, setting up a remarkable comeback win over Washington State in the New Mexico Bowl.
An undrafted free agent out of college, he signed with the Broncos and progressed each season. After the 2018 season, he signed with Tampa Bay and tortured offenses, leading the league with 19.5 sacks.
He won Super Bowls while with Denver and Tampa Bay and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. But he and his family also experienced the tragic loss of a child, daughter Arrayah at the age of 2 in an accidental drowning. He and his wife have been involved in youth swimming programs since, something he said they will continue to do now in Colorado.
Because he spent time with four NFL teams, he and his wife would like to make sure his children – Shaquil Jr., Braylon, Aaliyah, Allanah and Amaiah -- can establish roots.
“Just being a dad fuels me right now, getting the kids into their stuff. Being back home, we can set a solid foundation and get the community around now,” he said. “That's what I've been kind of focusing on.
“Now we can finally settle down again, potentially make friends for the rest of their lives, not have to worry about moving. But I do think outside of the family, I’ll maybe try to coach some high schools or train some kids, something like that, while also maybe volunteering at Colorado State once or twice a week this year.”
The plan is open, especially with his oldest starting high school this year. As long as it involves helping kids, he’s interested. He likes being a carpool dad, and he’s even tried his hand at coaching soccer.
He doesn’t want to coach on a college or pro staff because of the possibility of being forced to move. He wants that part of his life in the past.
While the discussions with CSU have been very preliminary, he leaves the possibility open. He loved his time as a Ram, and he feels honored to become part of the Hall of Fame.
“I just never thought about making it into my college Hall of Fame and stuff like that, but when I got that call, it was a happy moment for sure for me, for the family,” he said. “It's something that's cemented in history, and we're going to be there forever now. It can't be taken away just like the Super Bowls. It just let me know that I've been doing the right thing since being at Colorado State.”
For him, there are no regrets having spent a good portion of his life chasing dreams and actually achieving them. The next one is just as important for him, which is creating stability and a sense of home for his family.
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