New Patriots punter Bryce Baringer’s prize is his journey — and carrying on the legacy of his friend

“I keep thinking to myself, is this really real?” said his mother, Kim. “It’s been a crazy, incredible, wonderful journey.”

But “The Prize is in the Journey” is more than a motivational saying for Baringer. It is how he carries on the legacy of his friend and mentor.

Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler was only 24 when he died in a July 2016 car crash that also claimed the life of former Nebraska punter Sam Foltz. The two were serving as coaches at a Kohl’s Kicking Camp in Wisconsin. Baringer, then a rising high school senior, was there that weekend as a camper, attending with his father.

Kim Baringer said she has heard from three people that Bryce was supposed to be in the car that night but doesn’t know for certain. As a camper, that would have been against the rules.

“We stayed at a hotel, and he was with me, but I don’t have any knowledge if he was asked if he could get away,” said Baringer’s father, Bruce. “It was a pretty tough time that next morning. Bryce and Mike had chatted Saturday night in the gymnasium. That was probably the last conversation that Mike had with Bryce.”

Sadler was a four-time academic All-American at Michigan State from 2010-14 who was planning to attend Stanford Law School. “The Prize is in the Journey” is a line from Sadler’s favorite poem from childhood — “Ithaca” from “The Odyssey” — and was the theme of Sadler’s speech to his Michigan State teammates on Senior Day.

He took Baringer under his wing as Baringer transitioned from placekicking to punting in high school, and the two developed a tight friendship despite an age difference of about six years.

“He helped me more off the field, and mentally, stuff with life, than with football,” Baringer said after a recent Patriots practice. “If you talk to anybody who knew him, he was one of the best guys ever. He was just a phenomenal role model and person.”

Sadler’s mother, Karen, created the Mike Sadler Foundation with the goal of teaching kids the importance of leadership, character, and building a positive legacy. Baringer’s “The Prize is in the Journey” wristband is from the foundation. Whenever Karen Sadler asks Baringer for help — to speak to a group of kids, or to coach each summer at the Mike Sadler Kicking Camp — Baringer is always there to share the lessons from “Ithaca,” and how they applied to his life, and Sadler’s.

“Bryce is really great about sharing that message — ‘It’s good to have goals, it’s good to have your eyes set on the destination, but the prize is really in the journey,’ ” Karen Sadler said. “Bryce really embodies all of that. He shares the story and he’s really living it. I’m so proud of him.”

Baringer was a top athlete growing up in Waterford, Mich., in Detroit’s northern suburbs. He was a kicker and punter on his high school football team, and also lettered in golf, soccer, and basketball. Baringer carries between a 0 and 1 golf handicap, and his college roommate was 2021 US Amateur champion James Piot.

“People have asked, ‘Is he a golfer that knows how to punt, or a punter that knows how to golf?’ ” Kim Baringer said.

As a high schooler at Notre Dame Prep, Baringer switched from kicking to punting at the advice of Jamie Kohl after receiving a “Golden Ticket” at one of his Kohl’s Kicking Camps. Kohl told Baringer, listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 215 pounds, that he has the long-legged frame that lends more to punting than kicking.

“He had an unbelievable leg,” said Pat Fox, Baringer’s football coach at Notre Dame Prep. “People would watch him in warm-ups and go, ‘Holy crap.’ ”

After high school, Baringer earned himself a spot as a walk-on punter at Illinois in 2017. But he didn’t play, was paying out-of-state tuition, and was buried on the depth chart. Discouraged, Baringer left school after one semester and came home to Michigan State to be a regular student.

He considered quitting punting for good but kept at it thanks to the prodding of Michigan State backup quarterback Eli McLean, Baringer’s high school teammate. In 2018, Michigan State suffered several punter injuries and signed Baringer to the squad for an emergency four-game stint. Baringer punted 15 times but didn’t do enough, and he lost his walk-on spot for 2019.

To stay in the game, Baringer served as Michigan State’s team photographer. It allowed him access to the football facility to continue punting on his own, with Sadler in the back of his mind.

“I think that’s where part of the frustration came when he was cut in ‘19,” said Kim Baringer. “Of how, ‘I was given an opportunity and I didn’t make the best of it, I didn’t give it my all, but I didn’t realize that though until now.’ ”

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio reinstated Baringer’s roster spot for the 2020 season but surprisingly retired two weeks later. New Spartans coach Mel Tucker held an open tryout at all special teams positions.

“We had no idea what we had and what we didn’t have, especially with specialists,” said Michigan State special teams coach Ross Els. “We soon learned that Bryce has got a special bang. The ball comes off his foot a little differently than most people. To his credit, he just worked his tail off and improved every single year.”

Baringer established himself as the Spartans’ top punter in 2020, and his career took off in 2021. He set a school record that season with a 48.4-yard punting average, which ranked second in Big Ten history, and became the first Spartan to lead the Big Ten in punting since Sadler in 2012. In 2022, Baringer averaged 49.0 yards per punt, the best in the country, and sixth-best in FBS history. He also won’t be fazed by inclement weather in Foxborough after spending his entire life in Michigan and the Big Ten.

“The thing I like about Bryce is that he is very, very calm and under control,” said Els, a 36-year coach. “You don’t have to worry about him panicking, and you really don’t have to worry about him on the next punt. We played in maybe the windiest game I’ve ever been a part of at Illinois, and one of his first punts, out of our own end zone, he nailed a 46-yard punt with a 4.5 hang time in that kind of a wind. It just didn’t bother him.”

Throughout his college career, Baringer remained in touch with Karen Sadler. She texted him before most games and occasionally saw him punt live.

“It didn’t matter if it was 15 minutes before kickoff, he’d always text back and say, ‘Thank you Mrs. Sadler, love you,’ ” Karen Sadler said. “He has so many of the qualities of Mike. I think that’s why I’m really drawn to him, and why we’ll always be a part of each other’s lives. And I just like sitting down and having a beer with him. He has that dry wit that you have to be on your toes for, and that’s what people said about Mike.”

Karen Sadler attended a 2021 Michigan State-Nebraska game in which the teams honored Sadler and Foltz. Baringer’s 58.8-yard average on six punts that day ranked as the best performance in the Big Ten in 2021.

“She texted me before that game just saying, ‘Sending you lots of love, Mike is always with you,’ ” Baringer said. “I had a really, really good game that day, and then we hit a game-winning field goal, so it’s just kind of crazy how things work out.”

Baringer’s parents had never met Karen Sadler before a couple of months ago, but they appreciated the relationship she developed with their son.

“Karen has been incredible,” Kim Baringer said. “When she’s at the game she makes sure that she steals a few minutes to just kind of give him a hug and a kiss. She said he’s living out Mike’s legacy. They have a very special connection. She’s a remarkable woman.”

In April, Baringer made sure to invite Karen Sadler to his draft party. It was two hours from her home in Grand Rapids, Mich., but it was an easy invitation to accept.

“I would’ve driven two days,” Karen said. “I just love Bryce. I would do anything in the world for him.”

Baringer had a decent idea he would be drafted by one of four teams — the Rams, Cardinals, Bengals or Patriots. The Patriots made Baringer the first punter drafted this year with the 192nd pick in the sixth round. During training camp, he’ll have to beat out third-year journeyman Corliss Waitman.

“When the Pats parted ways with Jake Bailey, a text was sent to Bryce’s agent that said, ‘Hey, we really like Bryce and we could see him playing in New England on Sundays,’ ” Bruce Baringer said. “But they never reached out afterwards, they never worked him out. They saw what they wanted to see and knew what they had in him.”

Baringer is trying to keep a level head now that he’s in the NFL. The motto “The Prize is in the Journey” helped him persevere through tough times, but will also keep him grounded during the good times.

“Obviously, I feel like anybody in life, you have ups and downs, and it’s how you handle those, trying to stay neutral,” Baringer said. “Starting my career as a walk-on, it’s always been, ‘You’ve got to earn it,’ and that’s the mind-set I try to keep every day. Once you feel like you’re given something, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m entitled to this.’ You always want to earn it.”

But Baringer was given something special — the gift of carrying on Sadler’s legacy.

“He had every reason to quit, every reason to feel that adversity and be done with it, but he didn’t and he just stayed focused to the destination,” Karen Sadler said. “Bryce is really great about sharing that message, and I think he’s doing a good part of what Mike would have been doing if he were here. The Patriots are lucky to have him repping the team, because he will do nothing but make them proud.”

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.