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TAMPA, Fla. (KDVR) – Growing up in Baltimore, Shaquil Barrett couldn’t imagine his first step towards the Super Bowl would takeoff from the middle of the country in Nebraska.

“I just wanted to be somewhere that could give me more structure,” says Barrett as he gets ready to play in his second Super Bowl.

Credit: Boys Town

Barrett left Baltimore at the age of 15 to join his older brother at Boys Town – a village in Nebraska dedicated to caring for children and working with their families. 

“I wanted to see if I could have some of the same success (Kevin) was having. It was just perfect.”

After graduating in 2010, he would go on to play football for nearby University of Nebraska-Omaha. Things would soon change after his first season, when the Nebraska Board of Regents voted to disband the team in order to save money for the athletic program. The cutback left players like Barrett looking for other options.

“When they dropped the football program, I told myself, ‘I have to man up.’ It forced me to be on my own,” Barrett said.

Boise State running back Doug Martin (22) is tackled by Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett (56) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fort Collins, Colo., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Omaha’s misfortune was a boon to Colorado State University.

“It wasn’t Division 1 football, but you could see he was talented,” says former CSU Head Coach Steve Fairchild, who landed the future star in 2011. “More importantly, he came with high recommendations from their staff about what a great kid he is, what a hard worker he is.”

Barrett burst onto the scene in Fort Collins, finishing his time at CSU as Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

“When you get one of those guys at a college level who can change the game, you have done something right,” says Fairchild.

“At CSU I learned how to get off the ball,” says Barrett looking back on his successful college career.

Crediting former CSU player and coach Joey Porter with technique, Barrett says the work he put in “got me to where I am today.”

Barrett signed as a free agent with the Broncos, where he was part of the Super Bowl 50 team.

Leaving after the 2018 season, he has been a force on defense with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – leading the league in sacks (19.5) in the 2019 season.

This Sunday, he will return to the Super Bowl as his Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“This is a dream come true. This is everything that I dreamed of a kid. To be on this stage, it’s everything that I can imagine. I want to take full advantage of the situation,” Barrett said.