Tyler Barnette Interview

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You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram by searching Bookies Chicago. This podcast is being brought to you by WXA V 88.3 FM and WXA V dot com WXA V bringing the best podcast to you. Salutations listeners and welcome back to the Player Profiles podcast. I'm your host Dotham Israel and if you're looking for a spot to hear all the great stories at the athletes of Saints Xavier University have to offer, then this is the right place to be.

Today's athlete is Tyler Barnett, hailing from Richton Park, Illinois. He is a defensive back on the SXU football team. My play clock is already running down and I'm not trying to get called for the live game. So let's get straight into the interview.

Tyler, thank you so much for coming on and doing this interview. Happy to be here, man. So football, I want you to take me through, you know, what got you into this sport. The sport really is my dad.

My dad's been driving for us behind me playing football. I started playing baseball, but then it was just kind of like my dad was just always saying like, let him play football. Let him play football. Mom was just like, he's just so small.

I don't know. She was kind of second guessing, but pops actually wound up like signing me up football like kind of behind my mom's back. So it was kind of like our real thing. And it lasted for about a week before she kind of figured out like what was going on.

But this just been a love of the game. My dad played collegiate sports. So just kind of following his footsteps. I got two older brothers that wound up.

They were really athletic, but they wound up taking basketball more serious than football. But I was the one that kind of just stuck with football, just fell in love with it at early age. Just loved everything about it. I just got around with it.

And you could have really turned to basketball or baseball. Yeah. But you know, what was it about football that made you stick to it? Honestly, just the element of it, like all of the baseball, like you said, and basketball or team sports, but it's just like, it's a different element with football because it really does take like all 11 to get a job done.

And I feel like in basketball, you know, you kind of take over again, you know, one person can win you a basketball game. I feel like football, I think the case, like one person not being the left. It's just if you can do it there, they're probably playing on Sundays. But other than that, not one person is not being that was just something I liked about it.

And then just the physicality was where I enjoyed that a lot. It's kind of the reason why I played on the defensive side of the ball, just like playing physical. Yeah, I was just about to ask you, because I'm like, you got to figure out which side of the 11 wanted to play through. So, you know, what made you think that defensive back was kind of the thing for you?

Well, so honestly, I was a quarterback, all like youth football, pop corner, you know, that kind of deal played quarterback for my freshman year of high school. And then I wound up transferring my sophomore year. And then it was just when I got there, they kind of had a guy that they liked a lot of quarterback that was there for a while, you know, different things like that. And it just wasn't I didn't see myself getting a fair shot at like quarterback.

So I was like, I know I was an athlete, I'm going to play football, I'm going to do a football. So it was just honestly just stepping out, betting on myself and just being an athlete. So I wound up playing a little bit of receiver. Didn't really like that because I got hit a lot.

I did it, but I'm not the biggest guy. So it was just like, I was just like, no, it was just like, nah, I was I was sick again, hit. I was already starting people. So that's kind of what changed me over.

I started playing a little bit of corner wound up actually being really solid as a defensive back. Um, got recruited, played DB came here, started out my first two years as a corner. And then, uh, wound up making a switch to safety like shortly before COVID hit, I believe, or right after it was one of the two made the switch and been a safety ever since loved bottom line. Hit team is better than getting hit.

Absolutely 100% 100%. Do you have any, uh, any instances where you took a hit as a receiver? You're like, Oh, no, I need to, I need to switch the defensive back or something. The hit that, the hit that made me switch.

Honestly, my sophomore year, um, was playing up at a new school, playing up on varsity. I wanted to run like a short drag route, like, which is like a quick little inside route underneath quarterback, led me, I went to catch it, I fully extended ribs are exposed, blind backer than I think went to, he went to some power five school. I think I want to say what was constant. Came down and just put his helmet right in my ribs, bro.

I promise you, I laid there, couldn't breathe for like 30 seconds. It was the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life. And then it was like, once I got up, my coach was like, you're pretty tough. I was like, yeah, but I'm done getting hit like after that.

I sat out the rest of the games. I had like bruised ribs and all this other stuff, but sat out the rest of that game came back. We watched film, played on Friday, watched film on Saturday, came to the film that Saturday and was just like, I ain't doing that receiver stuff no more. Like, nah, like it just wasn't the move.

It just wasn't out the move for me no more. And then like I said, switched and never looked back. Wow. And that's, that's usually how it goes sometimes.

I know some people will be like, man, I got to go from receiver to defensive back. But you had a little, you know, a little step before you went from quarterback to defensive back. That's very rare. Yeah.

And that's why I feel like I, I feel like I made the transition to safety so well, because outside of like the Mike linebacker, the safeties are basically the quarterbacks of the defense. Like you were making checks, calls, different things like that. So it's, it's early Sunday with the quarterback, but it's just on the opposite side of the ball. I feel like I enjoyed a lot.

I get a lot of control, like a defensive coordinator here on coach with killing, he gives up the safeties a lot of autonomy to make like those types of decisions and just he trusts us to make the right calls and, you know, just wrong with it. So I enjoy that aspect of the game. Yeah. But before we get to your time as a cougar, I want to take you back to some of the moments that you had as a tiger, surely at West.

Sure. So obviously, you were there for three years. You had two years of RC over there. So, you know, what, what were some of the takeaways that you had, you know, from, you know, going to Joliet West and playing football there?

And you know, what were some of the key experiences that you learned about football while at Joliet West? That's a good question. So previously before I went to Joliet West, I was at Crete Monet, which is a powerful, like, like, high school football power. So I went from that situation to, you know, no disrespect to what's kind of like a middle of the world team.

So I learned how to lose the right way, you know, like the first couple of years, I didn't take world to lose at all. I still don't take world to lose it. But it was, it was bad. Like I would be ready to, I was upset.

Like every time we lost, I was just, it was like the end of the world. But I would say high school taught me how to lose or how to win with class. And that's something I feel like I brought here. We don't do a lot of losing here.

But when it happens, it's not the end of the world, you know, I kind of understand what I need to do to, you know, make, make the outcome different the next time, you know, just look inside instead of just, oh, we're terrible. Oh, we're not going to be good. It's just kind of like, you know, we had some things that we did well in the games and then we just got to build on and just being more consistent. Like, something I don't think a lot of people understand about, you know, football, like, consistency is, is like key.

Like, you could, you have a really good game one week and then fall off the next week. And it's just, it's not, it's not the way to go. You're not going to win a lot of games if you weren't consistent. If you just stay the same all the time, you know, just coaches know exactly what's to expect out of their players, you're not going to lose a lot of games if you just play the way that you're capable of playing.

You know, don't, don't have those, like, we just lapsed. But another thing that kind of taught me that like I learned from just being at West was just learning how to play with like, honestly, with people that don't really like come from the same background as me, you know, like Crete was kind of predominantly African-American, you know, you had white and I was pretty much it. But then once I went to Jolia West, it was like, I was introduced into like a whole like Schmorgas Morghov just ethnicities, like backgrounds, everything. And it just taught me, like, I never was in that position where I played with, you know, players that didn't look like me.

Yeah. So that was, it was a little different, but I feel like I adjusted to it and I feel like I benefited from, you know, being in that environment at that age, just learning how to, you know, work well with everyone, you know. So it was just, I would say that was something else I also learned from being at West. And then last thing I probably learned, I took away from being at West was just learning how to be a leader, like my senior year I was a captain.

And at the time I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but then like as the season went on, it was just kind of like being in those situations where you got to, people are looking at you for like, how's he gonna gonna respond to certain things and it's just like learning how to, you know, move the right way with spotlight. You know, I made some mistakes as a kid, you know, just being a kid, doing some stuff that I probably shouldn't have been doing. And then it was just how it looks if like they know that you're like a captain or like somebody else, I hire up on a team or anything like that, you know, you just got to carry yourself a different way. And I feel like I learned that being at that school as well.

Yeah, I learned a lot about discipline. Absolutely. Integrity and everything else in between. So obviously once your time at Jolia West came to win and you had the decision to make and that was to figure out number one, if you wanted to play college football, which obviously you did.

And number two, where you wanted to play college football, what made this place as things have your place to be for you? Well, honestly, um, so great history, long history of your winter here, you know, they don't lose games here. So that was that was number one. You know, I didn't want to go somewhere where I was going to be, you know, putting in the same amount of work because wherever I went, they were gonna get the like, same player, wherever I went, I was gonna come in, I was gonna be ready to work, whatever it was, I was gonna do it.

But I wanted to be in a situation where we were winning, you know, I did enough losing in high school. Like I told you just a couple of seconds ago, I don't tell you where to lose. So number one, we were winners and they knew how to win games and I can see that just from just, you know, coming to my little visits, watching them, everything's like that, doing my research, looking back, national championship, you know, bunch of everything. They check a bunch of like marks off my list.

And then, um, I would just honestly say the connection that I made with the coaches, like quick, like it was on, came out to a visit and then after I went to my little like game day visit, coaches were coming to my high school games, you know, just checking in with me, shooting me, text on coach firm actually was in my house. Like that was the only coach out of the entire process that actually like stepped foot in my house and like, you know, actually showed up and like showed that he like, wanted me like he was, it was like a love, I felt the love right away and it was just kind of just an easy, an easy decision for me. I committed kind of early. I committed maybe around this time, my senior year, so it was season I just ended maybe three weeks after this season.

I wanted to commit. Yeah. Yeah, you didn't leave no hesitation. No, no, no.

No, no, no, no. And that kind of in that kind of situation, you, you you don't know, like when a team wants you when the coaching staff wants you when they believe in who you like who you are and what you can do, you feel it. Like it was a couple, I'm not going to name any names, but it was a couple of teams where it was just, you know, I could tell that it wasn't real. Like, it wasn't, they gave you, they gave you the offer because somebody told them that about, you know, it wasn't like that they actually did their own homework on me.

I felt like we say Xavier, the coaches here, they really did their homework on me. They had a solid idea of what I was going to do for their team and how I could help their team as a freshman. And that was another thing that made me come here is I wasn't going to red shirt. So I wanted to come in and play right away.

That was, that was another big thing that helped the decision, made the decision. This isn't a lot easier because I knew that I could come in, work and make an impact my first year and gave me that opportunity and forever grateful. And I'm here. Yeah.

And you said that you came here because, you know, this place has a tradition of winning. And you know, you saw that right off the bat. Yeah, when you came here, 19, you know, I mean, I know as a freshman, it was probably hard to climb up the guitar. That team was insane.

That team was insane. I was going to ask you what was the descriptions of the team like that team you said, saying as arguably the best team that I've been on, like in my football career, like that team was just loaded Martinez, I was Martinez is an all American quarterback, advanced chain of all American running back. You had Nikki C, you had Harry Davis, you had a young Justin Pringle, like a lot of people don't know. A lot of people don't know, man.

Shout out to my boy Justin. He's a dog, man. He was then on defense, you know, we had Hettiger at Mike. He was a freak.

Just just something that I just I remember taking away from Hettiger, just how hard that dude worked. Like it was never a day where he looked like his foot wasn't on the gas. Like, he was always full go at all times. And you know, he had that little injury, he wound up suffering that year, just seeing how he fought to just be on the field.

Like you saw how much it meant to him. And I was just something that you just had to appreciate. And you know, it was a lot of good guys here. I had a meet and I learned a lot from some guys like Jarvis Carter.

So it was just a bunch of a bunch of guys that I learned a lot from, you know, that team was insane. Yeah, I wish like, you could you knew what I knew, like just the things that just happened, like behind the scenes, like I practiced, like some of the plays that were made I practiced, just insane. Like, man, I think it was special. Yeah, I think it was special.

I mean, it certainly is special because, you know, over the over the course of that year, obviously, that was a pretty successful year, you know, when the MSF, a Midwest playoff game beat Northwestern. Yeah, I was big. Yeah. Really good game too.

And that was the first of what we thought was going to be four seasons of you here. But obviously the very next season was thrown into other take off because of, you know, what's the see where the see where yeah, no, but I have to ask man, when the see where it came around, I mean, how much did that throw you off? Like not just on the field, but off man, it was it was devastating. Honest just gems, clothes, you know, couldn't go work out, you know, had to stay away from people.

I was kind of scared to leave the house for a minute, you know, because it was just like before that, like they started coming up with, you know, vaccines and different things where everybody was still trying to figure out exactly what it was. It was just scary. Honestly, my mom was kind of like a kind of like not letting me leave. So it was just it was interesting, man.

And just, it was an adjustment period for sure. I'll just say that it was definitely an adjustment period. Yeah, I'm sure it is an adjustment when you have to play football in February, not in a NFL. Uh, coldest.

The coldest season I've ever played in my life. Like the amount of times, like fingers and toes will go numb just from being outside snows on the snows on the field. Anytime you touch it, you're getting up freezing. So it wasn't fun.

Like I vividly remember the first game of that season. We played a Joliet St. Francis Joliet. It was freezing, dude.

Like we had like, we had to have like a tent that was set up that they had like these like industrial sized hears inside of it. And they were just like cranking the heater straight inside the tent just to try to like warm us up. It was it was insane. Like, so like when the office was on the field, the defense was holding up inside the tent.

Really? Once the office came out the field, defense weren't out there. The office was like that. It was that cold.

It was that cold. It was that crazy, bro. It was it wasn't fun. I'll just say that it was not fun.

Well, that's a that's a much different return to Joliet than you ever had up your sleeve, wasn't it? I wanted to go so bad. Like it was we wanted to win the game, which was great. But just wow, it was not everybody.

I feel like everybody sprinted back to locker at the day. Like sprints, like it wasn't like right after the handshake. I don't even think coach brought the team up like outside. It was just that cold.

Like it was polar vortex kind of weather outside. It was freezing. Oh man. It was and it started snowing.

So it was it was bad. Dang, bro. It was bad. Well, did it get any better throughout that season?

Because you know, it lasted until April man. COVID year was interesting. It was just it kind of that was the year where it was just nothing was scripted. I can just say like there was no book on like how to like be on a football team or like if you're in coach situation, how to coach a football team during a pandemic.

Like it's it was no book on that. So it was just kind of everything was just kind of on the fly. Like we were practicing like it was cold outside. We were practicing at different indoor facilities around like we would go to the middle of the end facility that has indoor field where we go to um, can't think of the name of the other one.

Oh, I can't think of it. It was the middle of the end and we used to go somewhere else. I can't I can't think of I can't think of what it was. But it was another indoor facility.

It's a bigger it was a bigger indoor facility, but it's not too far for me. But um, we would just practice inside and it was just it was different. Like that entire season, it actually wound up the weather wound up breaking for us, but it was closer towards the end of the season. We started getting games that weren't below 30 degrees.

So the entire season, we were just kind of, you know, playing in the cold, but you know, it was just kind of just like a thing where it was just like, you know, you can't really complain about it because like we're not the only ones in it, you know, we're cold. So we know that they're cold, but at the end of the day, you got a you got a job to do when the football game. So it's just like, at that, those are types of games where it just comes down to like who wants it more, honestly, like when it's when it's cold, it's freezing, it's miserable outside. Nobody wants to be outside.

At that point, it's just about who wants it more. And I feel like we we played hard that that year. That was that was a physical season. A really, really, really like gritty physical like garden glove kind of season, you know, it was you had to put your heart on.

It wasn't it wasn't pretty. Oh boy, I could tell. Um, but yeah, dude, you guys had then also there's another interesting experience. Obviously you couldn't travel all across the country, but normally do.

I mean, there was still San Rosa, but outside of that, yeah, it wasn't any out of conference games. It was the only teams we were playing was in our conference. Wow. And you played twice.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like it was like NFL, like home and home.

Yeah. I mean, what was the experience? Like, I mean, have you ever had to do a scouting report for the same team twice in a single season? Uh, no, that was probably my first time playing a team more than once outside of like high school, if you play the team and then you wound up having a face and again in the playoffs, but that never happened in my situation.

That's never happened. But I don't, something that I feel like the average person might not know, but it is really hard to beat the same team twice, like in the sport that we play without football. You know, it's really hard to beat somebody, beat a football team twice. So, um, we wound up, I think we played, I know for a fact, we played St.

Francis, Joliet twice. We played on once in the Froid, the season opener in the season. And the snowball played them in the snowball, some snowball we won. And then the final, I believe it was the final week and I see some, we wanted to play on them here and it was another physical little scoring game.

I think that game ended seven and nothing. Yeah. Just a great game. Like, if that doesn't explain to you how COVID, how COVID year was, like the type of football I was being played it, I don't know what it does.

Like it's not very many college football games that are ending seven to zero. No, because that just explains like the weather was playing that much of an impact on, you know, types of plays that the officers go around like it was literally just old school football a whole year. Like the whole year. It was the same man.

Did it, I mean, it's interesting because it's like how grateful were you that you even got a season, you know, off in during a pandemic during the time I was, I was, I couldn't be happier, you know, gave me something to do, you know, weren't just sitting in the house or just sitting on zones all day for class or different things like that. You know, it kind of gave you like a purpose, you know, I was, I was scared that we weren't going to get a season like once, you know, September, October, November had passed and we still weren't playing and they were still trying to figure out, you know, how this is going to work, you know, trying to put those different like protocols that they had and trying to put all that together so that we could have a season. But then once it finally kicked off, I was, I was on cloud nine and it was, it was great. I was so excited to be out there because a lot of like, you don't get a lot of opportunities in my sport, you know, like basketball, you might get 30, 35 games, football, you get 11.

You know, you only get so many opportunities to showcase what you can do. It's a short season. Yeah, it's a really short season. But I was just happy that I was able to get a season in and then it worked out even more so I wound up getting a bonus here.

And over the year, you're five years, and this just so happens to be the last answer. So we'll get to that later. But in 21, I came along, and it's not just planned, but in 21, you guys got back to playing normal football, yeah, fall of 20. And obviously that was another successful season.

You guys strung off the first of three consecutive MSF, a Midwest titles. And you know, obviously you capped it off and what was a crazy St. Francis trilogy up to this point? Yeah, there are a lot of exciting games that year.

But I mean, have you, how does that St. Francis game that won you guys the MSF, a Midwest measure up on one of your best football experiences? It's up there. I played a crazy insane game back that game.

I played over play really well. So I was happy with how I played. It was in front of a lot of friends and family, you know, it was special. It was the first one that I won at home, you know, the previous one, my freshman year, we wound up winning in Joliet.

And then just being able to do it at home, it was just, it was special, you know, that was the only one. What's it? 21, you guys are agile yet. Yeah, we were agile yet.

Yeah, that's the overtime game. That game was insane. That game was crazy. And you know, it's crazy that you thought of a whole not.

Yeah, I thought of the 22, 22 last year. Yeah, that's the 21 game, the overtime game. I'm already my boy. I used to force that game was crazy.

Yeah, that game was great. It just felt good. That game really ended, that game did feel good. But the one that sticks out for me is the one that we won in 22 at home.

That one, I would forever have a special place in my heart at that game was. Yeah, I mean, that was, I mean, hey, when you have a chance to lock down a title again, and you know, you have your defense on the field for it, and you guys get you guys deal to deal. I mean, how good does that feel as a defensive player? It's just kind of we all know that like, that's the situation that we honestly beg for, you know, a situation where you control your own destiny, you know, like that that if you control it, put it like I would rather put up be as a defender, I would rather be on the field trying to prevent a team from scoring instead of it being flipped.

Like I have supreme confidence in our offense, but I have no control over it. You know what I'm saying? So I have no control over what is about that. But when I'm on the field as a defender, you know, often their offense is in a situation where they have to score points, you know, you kind of know, like just through the week, just what kind of plays they try to get to those like splash plays, those big explosive plays like who are their guys that they're trying to get the ball to and it's just, you know, knowing who the guys are and then just making the play when the opportunity presents itself.

That's all it is, you know, and I honestly think if you had anybody else from our defense, they would probably give you the same exact answer. Like we literally live for those moments where you have the opportunity to end the game, especially like in the championship game, you have the opportunity to end it, you know, and I feel like I made some plays, but my teammates played an amazing game from start to finish that whole game. Like if you just watch offense, defense, special teams, everybody, everybody was playing at their ability. And when you get chances like that and opportunities like that, when everybody's firing on also, it's just special, you know, it's just because that's not always the case.

But when everybody's firing on also and it just, it feels good, you know, everybody was excited and happy at the end of the game. Everybody's proud of what they had done that game. And it's really hard to do it to play a complete game in college football. It's a very hard thing to do, especially when you're playing against good teams.

But yeah, man, obviously going into this year, knowing that this was going to be your last year here in your last season, you know, what were you feeling as you were going to training camp? You're going through the practices before the season knowing that, you know, this is it for you. Honestly, it changed my approach a lot, you know, because it was just like, prior to this season, I did a lot of like just meditation and just thinking like my entire career up to that point. And it was just like, it was some days where I felt like, you know, I didn't give him all this day or, you know, I left something in the tank this day.

So it was just before we showed up here in August, it was just like a thing for me. I just told myself like I'm not going to leave here with any regrets. Like I'm not going to leave here feeling like I could have done something differently. I could have done better in this area, you know, just basically putting your best foot forward every day because, you know, the time here is limited, you know, you never know if you're going to play football again after college, you know, it's nothing's promised.

So I feel like if you put your best foot forward every day, just come ready to work and lead by example, you know, for a bunch of younger guys that are going to be here for when I leave, you know, just basically do the things that the older guys did that I witnessed them do like in 19, like do what they did, but my way, you know, I'm saying, so like, just put my own little like twist to it and just being a leader, you know, just a lot of guys are looking up to them. Looking up to me and here for a long time, I know exactly what goes on, you know, so just remember when I put my best foot forward and then being a leader, that was the second thing, just letting them know like, like you said, college football is not easy. It's going to take a lot of work. It's going to take a lot of dedication.

It's a lot of time, a lot of sweat, a bunch of stuff that goes into it. And, you know, just making sure that the younger guys understand that their time here, they're on the clock essentially, you know, so don't don't take a moment to just like, don't take don't take off a moment. Just stay stay locked, put your best foot forward every time you step on the field and you're going to leave with no regrets. You know, I just wish that's something I wish somebody would have told me, you know, at an early, early age, you know, just put your best foot forward.

Like every time you step on the field, because it can be taken away, just like that. So, better late than never to learn something like that. Absolutely. That's what I'm trying to like, I said, I try to just let the younger guys know now just how much of a like, an amazing like spot that they're in, like how many like high school kids that don't get those offers and different things like that, or don't get to play college football, there's millions of people that would kill to be in your position, even past players, I can't play anymore, like they would kill to be in a position that I may right now playing college football, they would kill to be in my position.

So, it's just knowing how special your opportunity is, being on a college football team and just making the most out of it, you know, don't take a day off, no regrets and just go. Yeah, this team, it's kind of been the theme of this team throughout, you know, the couple of years plus that I've seen from you guys, it's been, you know, kind of, you know, rolling with the punches. I mean, there were some situations in some games where you guys took a lot of punches. And whether it had been within that same game or within the course of the season, you guys found a way to respond to whatever lows that you endured and you turned it into a high at some point.

And this season was no different. Obviously, you guys start out the season with Aiden boss and he gets hurt and Stewart comes back and he has a good season. Meanwhile, you guys on a defensive side, you keep you really keeping this team in games and obviously this team has something to prove. They haven't won the playoff games since your freshman year and we know the hump is there.

And now that you guys have, you know, won your third straight MSF A Midwest title in pretty good fashion, I'll admit, especially for you personally, we know what you did pick six, but outside of that, you guys get a bi-week before you go into this last ride for you in terms of postseason played next week. What are your emotions and what are you thinking going into, you know, this late November, early December playoff atmosphere football again? It's just laser focus, you know, just like you said, only one playoff game since I've been here. You know, that's something that eats me up every day, you know, just knowing that.

It's like I said, just being laser focused like I've been here before. I know what it takes to win games. I know what won't win games, you know. So it's just just like, like I said, putting your best foot forward, just being focused, like just taking your focus to another level, like doing the little things, right?

The things that, you know, just doing the things that would separate good teams from great teams, like just trying to figure out what I can do to, you know, make my team that 1% better, you know, and if I do that, somebody else sees that I'm doing that, they decide they do it now we're 2% better than another person picks up 3%. You know, it's just, it's a snowball effect. So just setting the tone, you know, this week, I'm just kind of just kind of taking a taking a taking a, taking a knock it down a notch this week, just trying to get my body back right for the playoff game. But next week is, like I said, foot on the pedal, all gas, no brakes, it's go.

Whoever we wind up matching up against, it's gonna be, it's gonna be one. Physicality, intensity, it's gonna be there. It's always gonna be all aspects. It's gonna be there.

60 minutes longer. Yeah, because what however long it takes, however long it takes, I'm ready to go the distance. You know, well, that's a look to you guys, you know, we are starving. And I know you guys are too.

So feast while you can. That's my old feast while you can and feast at will, of course. But that's the football side of things. Obviously you are still a student athlete.

And if I'm not mistaken, you are an exercise scientist. What's what got you interested in pursuing this exercise science? I had a really good relationship with my trainer in high school, my athletic trainer. Me and I had a really solid relationship and I spent a lot of time just in the training office and just seeing his day to day process, which is what he does.

And I kind of enjoy just being in the training room because I kind of thought what life will be like after football. And I feel like being an athletic trainer is another way that I could stay around, like the sport that I love football, but just sports in general. You're gonna be dealing with athletes when they're injured or whatnot. So I just kind of enjoyed watching the process.

And the process of being like, say someone gets injured and then just watching the process of how they worked with them every day to rebuild their strength and different things just so they could be the player that they were prior to the injury when they returned. So it was just seeing that process and then also being a part of that process myself went through some injuries. I had to work with some pretty great people, some physical therapists, athletic trainers, just being exposed to that just kind of made me like realize like this might be something that I would want to do like one day down the road. So I wanted to come in here, exercise science, love my major, spend a lot of fun.

I don't regret it. I wouldn't take it back. I wouldn't choose another major, honestly. I'm happy with the decision I made.

I see what you mean. What do you want to do after graduation and stuff? I've got so many different routes that I could take. It's just, I don't know, as honestly, to be honest, I have no clue.

But I got, like I said, I have a bunch of different ways. I could either go to athletic training or go to more school, physical therapy route, go to more school. And I'm also, I've been looking at becoming a firefighter. So I've been looking at the firefighter route.

So it's just, I'm not sure I still got to probably think going a little more and just go with whatever. That's one of the best uncertainties to ever have. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I don't think I can say the same. It's either sports, gas, or accurate. It's one or two.

I'm like, wait for you. Yeah. My mom wanted me to be a pharmacist and my dad wanted me to be a mechanic. Yeah, that didn't work out.

I was like, I was like, man, I, because they both thought that I had the brains to do it, which I do, I do have the brains. But my question, the question was the dedication. Yeah. And we got to love what you do.

You got to, I cannot be miserable with a career. I'm sorry. I can't, especially if it's my choice. You know, I couldn't fathom being, you know, miserable with a job that I choose to work with long term.

It's not good. No, bad business. Yeah, no. And I know I have a voice because I'm like, you know, I'd rather use my voice for, you know, something like entertainment or television than taking orders for the prescription.

For sure. Looks like you want to write stuff? Yeah, clearly microphones, you know, I mean, I'm turning things into a microphone real quick. Oh, man, but not do it.

This is a value, man. This, obviously, there's a lot of, you know, people who kind of follow the same path that you're following, you know, and I've interviewed athletes here that have wanted to, you know, pursue being a Mediterranean being a coach because they are inspired by the coaches and the athletic trainers that they have around them while they are a player. Would you say that you're, you know, one of the many of those people who have been inspired by the people like around you that, you know, help you day in and day out? Absolutely.

I would say I've been blessed to play under a bunch of really phenomenal coaches. Just creative relationships with all of them, coaches, trainers, everything, you know, the support staff, everything. Um, just been blessed to be in those situations where, you know, the people care, you know, they're, they're just not there for the right reasons. You know, I've been blessed from like pop one or all the way through.

I've been blessed to play for some really, really, really good coaches that care a lot about what they do. They care a lot about their craft and they care a lot about the guys that they are leading, you know. So of course, I've been inspired by, you know, coaches and different things like that, but you know, just, yeah. And most importantly for you, also some winners too.

Yeah, for sure. For sure. You know, some people have people can't see because it's audio, but you know, some of these on the ring finger, you know, for sure. Um, yeah, obviously, um, when you're off the field and you're not worrying about school, you're not worrying about football, I mean, you do have a life outside of that.

What are your hobbies, man? I mean, what do you like to do, you know, while your free time? Uh, I listen to a lot of music. I am like a music head like, oh, yeah, I treat.

So I got an iPhone. So I do Apple music a lot and I check Apple music like it's a social media account, like to the point where it's like, I check to see what new songs are released and who's making what I'm really into music. I'm always playing music, always listening to music, always making different playlists, different things like that. Um, but other than music, I would say I like to play the video, video games is I'm starting to get back into it.

You know, I took a little break, a little hiatus playing the game, but now I'm starting to get back into playing the game a little more play a little Fortnite Madden, okay, you know, regular, regular stuff. And, um, outside of that, I want to get into photography, honestly, because anybody that knows me knows I could take some pictures. Like, if you go out somewhere, you put a little fit together, I'll fit together, TV, I'll get you right with the okay, you know, I'll get you right with the camera. So I think, um, upon the graduation, I'm probably going to wind up just gifting myself a camera or something, looking into that.

And, uh, yeah, I do like taking pictures like that's something I like to do as well. So music, playing the game and taking pictures, and obviously like hanging out with friends and everything like that. But yeah, that photography one is massive iron. You can certainly have a boatload of book bags with camera kits behind you.

Um, but yeah, dude, I believe it was a photographer, um, a guy that does a lot of good photography that's on the football team. I think it's bands. Yeah, yeah. My boy.

Yeah. Co-boy. Yeah. He's, uh, he's nice behind the camera for sure.

Yeah. And then MC three. Yeah. Shavers.

I've seen them with cameras around every now and then. So him, Shavers, uh, can't forget about my boy Juan, florist photos, another magician behind the lens, like the way that his pictures come out is just the quality of it. Just insane. He captures moments.

Like that's what I, that's what I'm appreciative. Photographer that captures not only like, you know, not only steels, but like he captures the moments, like he catches the intensity and the like excitement, you know, all that stuff. You know, that's what I feel like, that's what I feel makes a good photographer. Like not the guys that can just take really good portraits and steels and different things like that.

But the ones that can capture moments, those are the best photographers, you know? Yeah. Have you ever had moments, you know, captured for you that you just look back on like, man, this was a moment. Yeah, I got plenty of pictures, football pictures, just foot, not even just football, just football pictures, prom, graduation.

You know, I go way back to my first haircut, you know, just I have pictures out. My mom was a big like picture person. Like she had an entire like photo album of just pictures of like me and all my siblings. So she was big on just taking pictures, capturing moments.

So I would say like, yeah, I have a boatload of pictures I could probably go through and just say like, yeah, I remember this, like this was a great moment. This was a great moment. Honestly, after I finished up my career, I want to actually put together like, like I'm almost like a shrine in a way of just like everything that football was, you know, and just put it all together inside of like the shadow box, like my college jersey and just have it as just something. I put it like maybe like a man cave or something down the road or something.

But that's kind of something that I wanted to, a project that I wanted to get to once my football career is done. Okay, so that was pretty cool, man. I mean, like, it's like a collection of all the moments that made your football career what it was just a gigantic nostalgia box. Oh man, that's going to be, I was going to be one heck of a box.

That's going to be one heck of a box, man. It turns out the way that I see it in my head is going to be nice. Yeah, dude. Well, hopefully you won't have to think about that until January.

Hopefully. But we'll see what happens. But a little miscellaneous question. What do you think of when you think of the number 17?

I think the number 17. Me. So a lot of people might not know this, but the reason that I wear number 17 is because that's the number that I felt best represented who I was, you know, like I was born on the 17th day of September. And just I've always liked the number 17 because my birth date.

So that's been the only number that I've worn really outside of maybe two other numbers in my entire career playing football. So it holds a special place for it. It plays my heart, you know. So when I hear when I first hear 17, you know, I think of myself, you know, some people, they, I got a lot of nicknames, some TD, you know, but another one is just 17.

My dad calls me 17 all the time because it's just it's been my number for as long as I can think. It's literally synonymous with your name. Yeah, literally goes hand to hand like, who's better than Joe? Wow, that is awesome.

It's it kind of reminds me with me in the number 10 because I know when I was younger, I never really played on a high school team or anything like that or on an organized like sport or anything like that. But when I tried to get into basketball, he gave me a little jersey, I was like, Oh, I get a jersey and I'm like, do you have 10? Yeah, I got 10. I'm like, Oh man.

And then ever since the number 10 has kind of been stuck to me, it's like the way I see the number 10 is like I'm one man and no one else is like me. And that's kind of that's kind of what my I had a friend of war 11. And it was kind of like a thing for him. It was just like one and one, like, it was just one and one, like one of one, he was the only person that could be him.

Yeah. You know, that's kind of the reason he won number 11. So yeah, I kind of feel like a lot of people just kind of have like, I don't know, like they pull towards certain numbers, like certain people like number seven because they feel like, you know, different things like that. You know, I feel like a lot of people pull for certain numbers, like, especially when it comes to like athletics, you know, number number means a lot because that's what that's going to be your identity for that year.

So. And you know, 17 is what I won't say unusual number. Yeah, it's a different number for defensive back. So it's like, I mean, and even in college, I mean, any level football that's not the NFL.

Well, I mean, the NFL changed just real recently, but obviously Jersey numbers in high school and college, it was like, yeah, you can be Lucy, you could be like a quarterback, could be 99, the defensive back could be three, you know, and the NFL is not that way. And college it is. And it still is. But you know, obviously, when you, I mean, how grateful were you luck out the seven, the number 17 throughout all the teams you've been on?

Well, like you said, it's not a popular number. It's not a number that somebody's gonna be like, oh, I want number 17, like, that's just not how it goes. Like it's like, it's kind of a random number. But that's why that's another reason why I kind of gravitated towards it is because nobody that I could really think of wore that number and like made it iconic.

So why not write my own number and create my own story behind, you know, so leave a legacy behind the numbers. So it's just like, you know, how my Jordan was with 23, Kobe was with 24 and eight, Alabron is with six and 23, I want to be known for number 17. So nice, man. It's crazy how far you can go with, you know, two simple digits.

Something simple is a number. I mean, so much. I know 10 digits is also a good thing to, you know, Risler. No, I haven't waited for a second.

But I got one last question. Obviously, you're reaching the end of a long journey. You know, it's been a good five years. And it's not over yet.

But when it is, when you, you know, graduating, when you you're done with football, hopefully graduation comes to 40 end of football. Obviously, I'm hoping for that. But when all when it's all said and done, Tyler, what do you want to be remembered as when you, you know, graduate here? What do you want your legacy to be here as a player, as a man, as a student?

What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want to be remembered for? That's a great question. Something you don't really think about every day.

But honestly, I just want to be known as somebody that was himself, always like he wasn't deterred from like doing being himself. Like I was never in a never put myself in situations where I couldn't be myself, you know, I want to be known as somebody that was, you know, about their business, like through and through, like I want to feel it off the field was about their business, you know, and I feel like that's the best way to be as a man, you know, somebody that takes care of business, you know, that's honestly really it. I don't need to be, you know, some guy that everybody has something to say about, but the ones that know me, the ones that have been around me, the ones that seem have seen what I do on a day to day basis. I want those people to say that it was somebody that, you know, was himself took care of business and, you know, was a real a real person.

Nothing about me is like, fake their, you know, kind of just made up or just kind of put like, you know what I'm saying? Nothing about what you get. What you see with me is exactly what you get. Like it's no surprises with me.

Like I just want to be somebody that, you know, people could look at and be like, yeah, he was definitely himself and he definitely was just kind of, I got to just deal with what he needed to do, stay in his own way and, you know, make the most out of whatever opportunities we're giving to him. Yeah, that's critical, especially given in an era where, you know, there are a lot of followers and in more ways than one, a lot more followers, a lot less leaders. It's a dangerous combination. It's a dangerous, it's lethal to have less leaders and more followers.

It's at some point, it's like, man, you know, you got to be redirected to the right way, you know, and you know, hopefully, you know, we get leaders, you know, to, you know, showcase the same traits that you're trying to showcase, you know, just dignity, integrity, grit, you know, all that good stuff. You know, it's just, I just feel like it's so hard to like be someone that you're not like, it takes so much more energy to try to put on the facade that you're this type of way, instead of just being yourself, like being yourself is so easy, you know, just being unapologetic about it, you know, that's another, that's the next step. Just once, once you're okay with just being who you are, then the next step, I feel like it's just being unapologetic about it. Like, I'm going to be me 100% of the time and I'm going to be okay with that, you know, and that's just, I kind of feel like that's how I am, you know, I'm just, I'm me 100% of the time and I'm not going to change that really for anyone, you know, I'm not saying like, I'm just like stubborn or anything like that, but at the same time, it's just, I'm so like, used to just being myself, like, I can't, it's not in me to like fake it.

I just, I don't know how like, I can't like, as soon as, as like, I used to kind of just like kind of just fake kind of kick it for people, you know, okay, cool, whatever. Right, they kind of cool. But then it just, it, once COVID hit, like, I honestly say once COVID hit, like all of that just kind of went out the, went out the window, like all the fake kick and it, that kind of just left. It's just kind of like, I rock with who I rock with, and you know, and I mean, you can only, you can only rock with everybody, not everybody, but you know, there's just some people that, you know, you just like, I don't have the energy to do with that.

Yeah, you know, it's just, it's not, it's not good. It's not good. It's not good for you. You keep putting yourself around people that you just don't have like solid chemistry with, you know, it's just not, it's not an amputated situation.

So yeah, I just kind of stop that. And it's just, I found, I found more peace in it. I'll say that. That's a bit of an immense bit for sure.

And that's going to do it for another episode of the Player of Bro Files podcast. Special thanks to Tyler Barnett for taking the time out of his day to come and do this interview. All right, we're going to do a podcast version of the Victory Formation. Can I get a wow wow wow wow wow.

That is game. Go Cougs, baby. Thank you very much for listening to this WXAV 88.3 FM podcast. Be sure to visit our website, wxav.com for more information on your escape from ordinary radio.