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#11 QB Blake Barnett - Junior, 6’5”, 217 pounds
Blake Barnett, dad to a 5-month-old boy, spoke to reporters for the first time this preseason @USFFootball pic.twitter.com/wdP2Ox1sVA
— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) August 18, 2018
How he came to USF: The biggest news of the 2018 offseason for the Bulls came in early May when it was reported that former Alabama and Arizona State quarterback Blake Barnett would be transferring to USF.
Barnett’s move turned the battle to replace Quinton Flowers from a two-man race to a three-man race with himself, redshirt junior Brett Kean, and redshirt sophomore Chris Oladokun all actively fighting for the starting job in fall camp.
2017 (Arizona State): Barnett arrived to Tempe in January of 2017 and won his eligibility appeal to play for the Sun Devils that season. However, he was beaten out for the starting job by Manny Wilkins, making only five pass attempts in four games in an ASU uniform. One can assume that the departure of previous Arizona State offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey to Auburn that January altered the trajectory of Barnett’s tenure at the school.
2016 (Alabama): Barnett was named the Crimson Tide starter heading into the 2016 season and started in the season opener vs. USC in Jerry World, completing five of six passed for 100 yards and a touchdown. However, he would be yanked before the half for true freshman Jalen Hurts, who solidified himself as the Bama starter moving forward. The California native would complete just six of 13 more pass attempts in Tuscaloosa before deciding to transfer out of the program altogether in September. He’d enroll at Palomar College in California for the rest of the semester before settling on Arizona State in December.
2015 (Alabama): Redshirted
High School: A highly touted five-star QB prospect coming out of Santiago High School in Corona, California, Barnett was rated as the nation’s top pocket passer in his class by ESPN, the second-best dual-threat signal caller by Rivals, and won the 2014 Elite 11 MVP. After stockpiling 3,404 passing yards, 479 rushing yards, and 30 total touchdowns as a senior for the Sharks, he followed Lane Kiffin to Tuscaloosa over offers from the likes of Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, and West Virginia among others.
Follow him on... Twitter @Blake8Barnett.