When Berry was initially recruited by Murphy to play football at Harvard, he was recruited as a quarterback. Berry had spent his high school playing career as the quarterback at Bel Air High School in Maryland. At Harvard, Berry was set to learn behind an upperclassman during his first season.
But early in his first camp following an injury to the starting senior cornerback, the defensive staff saw the potential in Berry as a corner due to his athleticism. They also believed he could earn the opportunity to take the field as a freshman. Murphy spoke with Berry about the change in plans from his initial recruitment to Harvard but laid out all the information to Berry for him to make the final decision.
"I remember being on the phone with my parents talking it through, and then the next day I was like, 'All right, well, look, if I can play as a freshman, let me make this switch,'" Berry recalled. "And then I was fortunate enough to earn the starting job and go from there."
As the only underclassman in the secondary, Berry had a number of upperclassmen — who were also starters — that supported him as he made the switch to cornerback. Harvard's defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kevin Doherty also helped teach Berry the fundamentals to playing cornerback. They simplified his role during his freshman season to where Berry played mainly man coverage as he learned the coverages and nuances of the position. As he excelled in his new position, they grew his role.
Berry was a four-year starting cornerback, as well as a three-time All-Ivy League team selection and an All-America honoree. He totaled 125 career tackles and five interceptions playing for the Crimson.
"Kevin Doherty probably put on a clinic in terms of how to raise a young player, so to speak, and so I was fortunate to be placed in a really, really great environment," Berry said. "He was a fantastic coach that really took the time to teach me from scratch."
Berry graduated cum laude in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in computer science in four years. He was one of five finalists for the John Wooden Citizenship Cup, which is awarded to the nation's highest-achieving student-athlete who best displays character, teamwork and citizenship. He was also a finalist for the Draddy Trophy as the national scholar-athlete of the year and was named the 2009 Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Director Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year.