Malik Berry will return to Lawrence and visit KU

Malik Berry is ready take a trip home for the weekend. Berry, who has played his last two seasons at Butler County Community College, will be in Lawrence for an unofficial over the weekend.

Berry was a standout at Free State before signing with the Grizzlies.

The Kansas coaching staff watched his film and started making contact several months ago.

“I reached out to Coach Simpson and sent him my highlights last fall, and he checked them out,” Berry said. “He said he liked them, talked it over with the coaches, and we kept in contact for about a month or two. Then, Coach Ianello ended up calling me and offering me a PWO.”

Berry built his name for his play in high school at Free State. He helped the Firebirds to winning records and a lot of his highlights came on offense. Berry played quarterback in high school.

Since then, he has changed to linebacker where he has learned a lot since his focus has been solely on defense.

“I think I've grown tremendously as a linebacker,” Berry said. “Just being able to dissect offenses before the play starts and being able to make the play and open field tackles. It started kind of hard, because as a quarterback I wasn't really used to the physicality.”

Berry has grown as a player on defense and can play multiple positions. He also has the ability to line up on the edge as a pass rusher.

Another aspect that has helped him develop is his work in the weight room. Last fall he played at 215 pounds and is currently 240. Along the way he had to go up against players like Jeremiah Crawford who signed at Tennessee.

“Guys like that really just elevated my game every day, learning how to get off blocks, knowing where to put my hands, knowing when to scrape over the top, or when to cut underneath,” Berry said. “I say since my freshman year of first semester, my game has elevated quite a bit.”

This weekend will also give Berry a chance to reunite with Devin Neal and Ky Thomas. They all played together on a football in fourth grade and Berry admitted “we were unstoppable.”

Berry plans to find a college home soon. In a few months he will be eligible to transfer and believes he has the tools to play at the next level.

“I graduate this summer,” he said. “I’ve got a math class I have to take this summer. Last fall I was 215, and now I'm 240, and I feel like I move a lot better. Just like I said, my football knowledge has skyrocketed. Teams that really check me out in the fall, they haven't seen the Malik that I am right now, the guy who weighs 240 and is 6-foot-4.”