McCabe, who will attend the University of Southern California, plays in a band called Big Fat Huge, has sideburns tracing the curve of his face, and started a student group to fight racism. They have been friends since sixth grade.
They thought of the idea on a tour of campuses in California, as they became anxious about how much college would cost.
They retreated to a hotel room, where the television clicker happened on Tiger Woods, sporting his usual Nike swoosh gear.
Wouldn't it be cool, Barrett asked, if we could get someone to sponsor us?
They put up a Web site, posting pictures of themselves toting surfboards: "Your logo here!" Smiling and blond, they offered their services pitching anything from sneakers to cell phone service. "We will drink your soda and eat your chips! Where we go, you go!"
After Yahoo made it "site of the day," the offers started coming in, a few to pitch cell phone service, another to sell caffeinated mints. Barrett and McCabe chose First USA, they said, because the company did not want them to sell a product.
In exchange for the US$40,000 for the first academic year, they are expected to wear their First USA clothing whenever they make public appearances.
Each has to maintain at least a C average and live up to the terms of a moral clause -- if they misbehave, the deal is off. But Filak said he expected to "re-sign" them for the full four years of college.
The deal, marketing experts say, represents the evolution of The Sell, with companies analyzing how best to reach their target audiences.
"If you want to talk to college students about financial issues, it's better than some guy in a suit to have kids you see every day saying, `Make sure you manage your beer money,"' said Barbara Coulon, vice president for trends at Youth Intelligence, a youth marketing company in New York.
"With credit card companies in general, college students have this view that they just want you to spend, spend, spend; they're all over the place on campuses, just to make money off you. First USA seems like the credit card that students can trust if it's coming from college students themselves."
Not everyone, though, sees this as a good idea.
"We've gotten to the point where students don't mind being used," said Andrew Hagelshaw, executive director of the Center for Commercial Free Public Education. He does not necessarily blame Barrett and McCabe.
"There's advertising in the hallways, in lunchrooms, in the curriculum," Hagelshaw said.
"After a while, it becomes invisible: you don't understand how it's happening or how they're using you."
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