UCLA Football Top 30 Players: No. 24

Yesterday, we talked about one of the players from the Bruins' new-look secondary. Now we are going to look at another player from the renewed unit.

We have all seen the number of players who have come to UCLA, and a good portion of those players have followed Bob Chesney from James Madison. One of the players from James Madison’s team last year was DJ Barksdale.

DJ Barksdale's High School Career

Coming out of South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Barksdale's story has been an inspiration. Barksdale was an overlooked prospect out of the 2023 high school class, coming out unranked with zero stars as a safety prospect, according to 247Sports.

He did not let his zero stars define who he was as a player. He would be a very decorated player in high school, earning High School Blitz Junior Game MVP honors, leading South Pointe to the 2021 4A State Championship, and being named the title game MVP.

Barksdale was a multiple-time All-Region selection in 2020, 2021, and 2022, a 2022 Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year, a 2021 and 2022 All-State selection, and a 2022 Palmetto Champions Upper State Defensive Player of the Year.

Even with all those accolades during his high school career, it wasn't enough to earn offers from many programs. In fact, he received only five total offers, two from Division II schools, Benedict College and Lenoir-Rhyne College. The only Division I offers he received were from Gardner-Webb, Army, and James Madison.

Barksdale committed to James Madison under then-head coach Curt Cignetti, and since joining the Dukes, he has been a standout player, getting better each season.

Barksdale's Freshman Year With the Dukes

His freshman season with James Madison was mostly on the special teams, but he made a big impact. Barksdale played all 13 games and was the starting punt and kick returner for the 2023 season. He established himself as a threat when returning kicks with 15 kick returns for 319 yards. Barksdale would have a season-long 41-yard kickoff return at Utah State and had a season-high 112 kickoff return yards on five attempts vs. Old Dominion.

Barksdale would also find playing time on defense with 15 total tackles and seven solo tackles, and had a season high of five tackles against Utah State and Georgia Southern.

During the offseason, Curt Cignetti would take the job at Indiana, and Bob Chesney would take over as the head coach. Chesney would move Barksdale to the nickel spot full-time, and he would have a good sophomore year.

Barksdale’s Breakout Sophomore and Junior Seasons

In his first year of playing the nickel corner spot, he would be named the full-time starter and break out as a player. Barksdale would finish the year with 42 total tackles, including 27 solo tackles, to go with five tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two interceptions (including one pick-six), and three pass breakups.

Barksdale would be a very impactful player for the Dukes and a big reason James Madison wouldn't skip a beat, even with the departure of Curt Cignetti.

As a sophomore, the Dukes would finish the year with an 8-4 record in the regular season and would compete in the Boca Raton Bowl. In his first bowl game, Barksdale had a good showing against Western Kentucky with four tackles, two tackles for a loss, and even a forced fumble. With his play against Western Kentucky, not only did the Dukes take the win in a close 27-17 victory, but he would also be named the defensive MVP.

After an amazing sophomore season, his junior season would build on the great success he had had the previous year.

Barksdale would have fewer tackles with 36 total and 22 solo tackles, but that should be looked at as a positive. He was able to hold down his man and make it very difficult for the slot receiver to get open. If a corner has a lot of tackles, it means the opposing receiver can have success getting open.

Barksdale would finish the season third in the Sun Belt Conference in both pass breakups with 12 and passes defended with 14. He would also finish the year with three tackles for a loss and two interceptions.

James Madison would go on to win the Sun Belt Conference championship and would be selected to play in the College Football Playoff. The Dukes would ultimately get trounced against tougher competition in Oregon, with the Ducks winning 54-31.

DJ Barksdale’s Role With UCLA

The Bruins' secondary unit had its fair share of ups and downs last year. While they were dead last in interceptions with just four, they were tied for eighth in the Big Ten in passes defended with 36.

Now that Bob Chesney has come over to Westwood, he has made it a priority not only to fix the entire defense but also to find players from the portal to give the secondary a big boost. Chesney realized that if the secondary were to improve in Westwood, he would need his top corners at James Madison.

UCLA has already gotten guys like Osiris Gilbert, Jhase McMillan, and Dante Lovett Jr. They will all look to compete on the outside, opposite Scooter Jackson. Looking at the secondary room, Barksdale will most likely be the nickel corner again for the Bruins, which is his natural position that he thrived in.

With him as the nickel corner, Scooter Jackson, and whoever plays opposite of him on the outside, the Bruins' secondary should be vastly improved from last year, and could be one of the better secondary units in the Big Ten.

For DJ Barksdale and his story, a good senior season with the Bruins could turn him into one of the better nickel corners in the Big Ten. It also shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that the unranked kid from South Carolina could play his way to being an NFL Draft pick in the 2027 draft.

Watch Our Full Podcast on This Topic:

Add us as a preferred source on Google