Barrick Nealy attended Adamson High School in Dallas, Texas where he was an all-district performer in both football and basketball. He was a three-year starter at quarterback where he passed for 1,667 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He also rushed for 796 yards and 9 more touchdowns on the season. He finished his career with over 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. Barrick accepted a scholarship to the University of Houston where he earned the team's starting quarterback job as a freshman in 2002. He passed for 542 yards and 3 touchdowns with 4 interceptions the first month of the season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Barrick transfered to Texas State where he passed for a career high 3129 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2003. He set single-season school records for attempts (473), completions (240), touchdown passes (21), and total yards (3,390) during his first season with the Bobcats. As a junior he passed for 1202 yards and 10 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. He rushed for over 400 yards and 2 more touchdowns, despite missing two games with a shoulder injury. His senior season was Barrick's best year in college. He passed for 2,875 yards and 21 touchdowns with just 9 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,057 yards and 13 more touchdowns on the year. He was named the Southland Conference player of the year for his performance as a senior.

Barrick Nealy has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback. He doesn't have a cannon for an arm but he has enough arm strength to make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. He has good field vision and puts good touch on his shorter passes. He also throws a nice deep ball. He is a very mobile quarterback who can escape the pass rush and make an accurate throw on the run. He is a very dangerous runner who will tuck the ball away and make a play with his feet when needed. Barrick operated primarily out of the shotgun at Texas State and will need to adjust to playing under center in the NFL. He needs to be more consistent with his accuracy--He will look great one week and not so great the next week. He makes poor decisions at times and forces the ball into coverage too often. He played at a small school and isn't proven against top competition. Durability could be a cause for concern. Barrick missed most of his freshman season due to a knee injury and had some problems with his shoulder as well. Barrick is a bit raw but he has all the physcial tools you look for in a quarterback. He has a great deal of upside and could be a late round pick as a developmental quarterback in April's NFL draft.