Plain and simple, Kalvin Barrett was a man of options coming out of Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, Calif. As one of the top high school offensive linemen in the entire country in 2000, Wisconsin was competing with the likes of Ohio State, Colorado, Nebraska and California’s Pac-10 schools for Barrett’s talents.

Outside of football, Barrett was also a highly touted wrestler, going 64-1 and winning the heavyweight state title as a senior with the Monarchs. The Ivy League and the U.S. Naval Academy came calling, but ultimately the lure of the Big Ten was too strong to keep Barrett from signing with Wisconsin. And while three Rose Bowl wins and the long shadow of Ron Dayne weigh heavily on the minds of the various recruits who come to Madison, it was something different that brought Barrett to Wisconsin.

“You come here on a recruiting trip, you hear about Ron Dayne and the Rose Bowls; that had nothing to do with it,” Barrett said. “You see the team chemistry, you see the leadership of Coach Alvarez, you see the caliber of the coaching, and you see the strength and conditioning coach. You can’t beat that, nowhere in the country.”

And as his decision stands, the big 6-foot-2, 316-pound Barrett couldn’t be happier that the man he was so certainly impressed with as a senior in high school is still on the sidelines for the Badgers.

“And out of all the schools I looked at, this is the only school that still has their head coach, which is great,” he said.

And in the fall of 2000, Barrett left the home of his mother, Teresa, and the warm climate of southern California for Madison without, as he admits, ever having seen a bratwurst before.

He redshirted his freshman season after having shoulder surgery and made a name for himself on the scout team. Barrett was awarded the Player of the Week award against Ohio State, a distinguished honor for an offensive lineman, a position in which it is difficult to make a decided impact upon the game.

Barrett earned his first varsity letter in 2001, playing in 11 of the Badgers’ 12 games, starting six times, including the first five games of the season, at right guard. Barrett went on to split time with current starter and fellow Californian Jonathan Clinkscale to finish up the season.

Barrett returned in 2002 as a backup guard and earned starts to begin the season against Fresno State and West Virginia in place of the injured Dan Buenning, this time at the right-guard position. For the rest of the season, Barrett was a valuable component of the offensive line, playing sound in relief at both guard spots.

After two years of somewhat consistent and promising duty on the offensive line, Barrett admits that a position switch was the farthest thing from his mind. But in fall camp, the coaches instructed Barrett to try his hands on the other side of the ball, specifically in short-yardage situations.

“We were doing some live scrimmaging, short yardage,” Barrett said. “[The coaches] were like, ‘Get in there and do something!’ And so I went in there and I guess I did pretty well, so they were pretty impressed. They left me in there and one thing led to another and somebody gets banged up, injuries, and here I am now on defense.”

After seeing some time with the goal-line defensive unit at the beginning of the season, Barrett has moved to second on the depth chart at defensive tackle after injuries to Nick Cochart and Erasmus James necessitated added depth on the defensive line.

Barrett has never once seemed out of his element on defense and has embraced his position on the team as an opportunity to participate and help out wherever he can.

“I love it, it’s great,” Barrett said of the position switch. “It’s good to be in there and help the team win — you know, give those guys Taj (Hawthorne) and Jason (Jefferson) a breath so I can help the team in any way.”

Barrett may only have three tackles on the season, but he has shown a knack for getting a push on the line and pressing opposing offensive linemen back into the pocket and making things difficult for the quarterback.

But with the switch has come with the daunting task of opposing his former teammates on the offensive line in practice everyday and the razzings and general kidding that comes from his former counterparts.

“I get it all the time,” Barrett says. “I normally always get the bad end of the double team. But you know [we’re all] just laughing having a good time.”

It’s been a smooth adjustment for Barrett, who still holds down a spot as the Badgers’ second-string right guard. Barrett has also taken quite well to the Midwestern lifestyle. He cites both the Wisconsin fans and the food as two of his favorite things about Madison, and the brat has become one of his favorite dishes.

“You guys introduced me to the brat, and it’s great,” Barrett said.

Aside from football, the outgoing Barrett is currently pursuing a major in sociology, a field he feels suits his personality very well.

“I’m a real people person,” Barrett said. “I like to smile and talk, so I’m studying the behavior of people, which is good, so I can make better relations.”

While Barrett looks to a future in the field of social work, his past as a wrestler has found ways to sneak up on the newly established defensive tackle.

In Wisconsin’s Oct. 11 game against defending national champion Ohio State, Barrett was set to face Buckeye center and former high school wrestling opponent Alex Stepanovich. With the one loss marked on Barrett’s wrestling career coming against Stepanovich, Kalvin was happy to get the chance to face his old adversary.

When Barrett squared down to go head-to-head with the Buckeye center on that rainy Saturday night, the defender got a surprise welcome from his rival.

“When we went against each other in the game, he was like, ‘We meet again, big guy.'”

This time Barrett snapped Stepanovich’s and Ohio State’s 19-game winning streak as the Badgers upset the Buckeyes 17-10.

For Barrett, his performance and playing time continue to improve with the more experience he gets on defense. Off the field, Kalvin just continues smiling and talking, eating the occasional bratwurst, and finding happiness in being the well-adjusted young man he is today.