Washington Football Assistant TE Coach Praised For Early Impression

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Former Miami (Ohio) wide receiver Sam Barry has joined his father, longtime NFL defensive coordinator and coach Joe Barry, in the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant for the Washington Huskies.

Barry, one of four children to the 25-year NFL coach, spent two seasons with the RedHawks before going on to begin his coaching career as a graduate assistant working with tight ends coach Jordan Paopao.

"Sam's been incredible. Obviously he comes from a coaching lineage, and he has done remarkable work in the short time that I've gotten to work with him," Paopao said on Tuesday before the start of fall camp of his assistant.

Barry joined the staff during spring camp and has taken on additional recruiting duties in a small but impactful way, a starting point that could become crucial over the next few years to come as head coach Jedd Fisch often maintains the same coaches—especially on offense—and does not turn over roles year-by-year.

Similarly, other graduate assistants like Jacob Smith, Dom Caldwell and Luke Del Rio have been part of Fisch's operation at UW since 2024.

"It's very cool to continue to work with young men and kind of help them grow a voice," Paopao added. "Be a mentor, be a sounding box and help them discover how incredible this profession is—coaching—and our ability to help change young men's lives from the scope of 18 to 23, and I think he's going to be a dang good one."

Barry's sister, Lauren Barry, is also UW's director of on-campus recruitment, having joined the program in 2025 from San Diego State, where she served as an on-campus football recruiting specialist from 2023-25.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Football Assistant TE Coach Praised For Early Impression

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