IOWA CITY, Iowa – Shahid Barros wrestled with the decision. He’d grown up at the University of South Dakota. In four years there, his teammates had become brothers. Moving on would be leaving a piece of him behind.

“It was a tough decision,” he said during Iowa’s recent media day. “I like to stay where I started things at, but after a deep look into what my future could possibly be, I think I made a smart decision.”

The Hawkeyes develop NFL talent, especially at his position. Cornerbacks and everybody else playing college football want to play in the league.

“It’s just the history of Iowa football; winning program and great defensive program, too. I think that they definitely have all the tools to make me a better player and person,” the Massachusetts native said.

Barros missed the first two games of last season with injury. He started 23 of the 24 games in which he appeared the last two years. In that time, he posted 90 tackles, three interceptions, five pass break-ups, two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.

His highlight video shows a physical cornerback very comfortable in zone coverage. His frame at the position helps him support the run and mix it up with receivers.

TJ Hall, Deshaun Lee and Jaylen Watson are the only returning Hawkeyes with game reps at cornerback. Lee has 15 starts to his name, and Hall has seven. Barros is moving from the FCS level to Power 4, but he does have the most college experience in the group.

“It’s not a big, huge change,” he said of the difference in levels. “It’s a competitive game. I’m a competitor. It’s not like something I’m not able to do. It feels good that it is this competitive.”

The competition is friendly, Barros made sure to point.

“I love the guys. It’s hard to take in and explain. Going from FCS to Big Ten Football is definitely a breathtaking experience. There are no days off here. You can’t take a day off and expect it to be nice the next day,” he said.

At the time of publishing, 247 Sports put Barros (6-0, 185) at No. 159 in its 2025 transfer portal cornerback rankings. He checked in at No. 284 for On3. It’s those opinions versus that of the Iowa defensive staff, which has a pretty good track record of identifying and developing talent.

Recruiting rankings haven’t contained Barros to date. He was unranked by 247 at New Bedford (MA) and following a post-graduate year at St. Thomas More Prep, when he committed to the Coyotes.

“I took the first Division I offer I got, South Dakota,” he said.

It worked out. He delivered. It put him in position to earn a starting position within one of the country’s top defensive programs. Hall has been dealing with a camp injury, making the addition of Barros already look like a smart move.

He’s out to prove the doubters wrong again.

“People telling me I couldn’t. I know my capabilities and my ability. I just always put my head down, had the support of my family. That’s really my motivation right there, to keep me going,” he said.

Team success also fuels Barros like it did in Vermillion, where he contributed to a rising program.

“I want to go as far as we can, playoffs, championship,” he said.

A special season would only aid his personal goals to “become a starter and then get to the next level.”

All of those pursuits start with support among fellow members of the secondary. They share a common goal, which was evident in training camp.

“We’re hyping up the ones, the twos, the threes. It don’t matter who it is. We’re all excited. We just wanna win the day as a team, as a group, as a DB room. That’s our goal. We wanna win the day,” he said.