NEW ORLEANS – Texas Football's Barryn Sorrell is enjoying his 'full circle' moment, as one of six New Orleans natives on the Longhorns' roster, returning to his hometown to play in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
"It literally feels unreal just being able to come back and play with my team, with a lot of them experiencing this city for the first time," Sorrell said. "I could go on and on about the feelings I have about being able to come home and play in the Superdome. Thinking about playing in it is a blessing. It's the Superdome, it's the center of the city and the heart of the city."
A third-year player and two-year starter on the Texas defensive line, Sorrell won't be making his first appearance on the field of the Caesars Superdome on New Year's Day. This will however be his first time since a brief youth football game during halftime of a New Orleans Saints game.
"I never got to it in high school but I did have a little halftime quarter in park ball," said Sorrell.
Sorrell was an All-State and Academic All-State honoree at Holy Cross School in New Orleans before signing with Texas in 2020. A tight end for his first two seasons, Sorrell switched to the defensive line as a junior in 2019 and ended his career ranked as one of the top prospects in the state.
"Not that many people get to a stage like this from where I'm from. I'm happy to be in this position to share the message and show how far people can come with hard work," Sorrell said.
As a freshman for the Longhorns in 2021, Sorrell played in six games under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. Sorrell became a starter as a sophomore, playing in all 13 games and racking up 44 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
This season Sorrell has been a force, starting all 13 games and being named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the league's head coaches. He has also been selected to serve as a team captain in two game this season. As Sorrell has grown since his freshman season, so has the Texas Football program going from a five-win season in 2021 to a College Football Playoff berth in 2023.
Sorrell's teammates also appreciate how special the moment is for him to return home and play in this game.
"He kind of says it himself, this is like a full circle moment for him," senior linebacker Jaylan Ford said. "To be able to be back at home and play in the game that means so much not only to him but to the city and to this Texas team, it's definitely a great moment for him and I can't wait to see what he's going to do."
Texas makes its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history on New Year's Day, facing Washington in the 2024 Allstate Sugar Bowl at 7:45 p.m. CT with the game broadcast on ESPN.