Mike Barrett leaves his legacy at Michigan: ‘The one that stayed … and a national champion’

Michael Barrett capped his lengthy Michigan football career with a dream ending: The national championship.

HOUSTON — Michael Barrett was a dual-threat quarterback in high school who Michigan recruited to play a defensive position that no longer exists in its scheme. He stayed anyway, even as his role diminished in 2021 and even as he began to feel like the “old head” on a team full of “young guys” in 2022.

 

Barrett chose to return in 2023 for year six with the Wolverines. He was elected a captain, then started for Michigan as it completed an undefeated regular season. He became U-M’s all-time winningest player and one of the best linebackers in the conference. And on Monday night at NRG Stadium, he became a national champion.

 

His eligibility exhausted, Barrett leaves Michigan with his legacy secure. In his own words: “The one that stayed. And a national champion.”

 

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And over the course of the Rose Bowl against Alabama and the CFP National Championship Game against Washington, the Wolverines’ defense secured their own legacy. It was Michigan that stopped Jalen Milroe, who had defeated all challengers in the SEC. It was Michigan that battered Michael Penix Jr. and tamed the Huskies to just 13 points on 13 possessions.

 

“What an opportunity that we were faced with: To come out here in our last game as a No. 1 defense to face the No. 1 offense, the No. 1 quarterback, No. 1 receiver corps. To go out and prove we’re the No. 1 defense. That’s what we wanted to do, man,” Barrett told TMI. “We’ll always be remembered going down in history as one of the best defenses in the country. Of all time.

 

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“… We all told each other: Man, we really wanted to be remembered as one of the best defenses in the country, best defenses of all time. We had to come out and execute against the best offense in the country. That’s kind of what we did. We trusted each other on all levels. Went out, executed and got the dub.”

 

And as the confetti continued to fall onto the turf at NRG Stadium, Barrett tried to put the experience into words. He pledged to Michigan six years ago because U-M valued him more than other programs.

 

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“He felt overlooked by the star ratings and I told him, ‘Somebody see through those stars,’ and Coach Harbaugh saw through the stars,” his father told The Michigan Insider at the time.

 

And on Monday, his lengthy college career ended at the pinnacle.

 

“I’m speechless, man. It still feels like a dream,” Barrett said. “I’ve dreamed of this moment for my whole life. For real, just being able to play in this moment. And for it to finally be here, watching all this is maize fall, watching all this confetti fall, it feels surreal, man. I can’t even explain it.”