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Former Oregon DB Darren Barkins Commits to Washington

The Huskies continue to add to their secondary through the transfer portal.
Roman Tomashoff|
Former Oregon DB Darren Barkins Commits to Washington
Former Oregon DB Darren Barkins Commits to Washington

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Washington Huskies

Darren Barkins must have seen something when Washington came into Autzen Stadium in November and dismantled the Oregon defense in a 37-34 win for the Huskies. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound cornerback announced his departure from Oregon around the end of spring practice in Eugene on April 26.

Barkins is a former three-star recruit from Mater Dei Catholic High School in California and was a highly touted prospect. Coming out of high school, he chose Oregon over the likes of Oklahoma, Louisville, Boston College, UCLA, and Jimmy Lake's coaching staff at Washington.

During the 2022 season, Barkins appeared in eight of Oregon's 13 games and played 56 total snaps, 29 on defense and 27 on special teams. He recorded a pass breakup against BYU, a fumble recovery against Colorado and three tackles on the season.

Heading into his third year, Barkins looks to be a depth add at cornerback for Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff. Athletically, there's a lot for strength coach Ron McKeefery to work with. If Barkins can add 10-15 pounds of muscle while retaining the 4.46 40-yard dash speed he displayed in high school, he could find a way to break into the rotation in 2024.

The Huskies struggled with injuries in the secondary in 2022 and the coaching staff clearly wants to make sure that it doesn't rush players onto the field before they're ready, much like it did with Jaivion Green in 2022. Adding Barkins ensures that there will be enough depth at cornerback in case the injury bug bites hard in the secondary again.

It doesn't seem like Washington is done in the transfer portal just yet. There are still a few open scholarships after the spring practice departures and the Huskies might bring on one or two more transfers before the summer is over. 

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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