Husky Roster Review: Barkins Gets Healthy, Back in the Mix

It was three and out for Darren Barkins,

The new University of Washington cornerback played against Boise State, Tulsa and Michigan State -- and he was done for the season.

In East Lansing, Michigan, in a game long decided in favor of the Huskies, Barkins showed off his exceptional speed by running 61 yards to bring down Michigan State wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick from behind, 13 yards short of the end zone.

Barkins, however, didn't get up. He was immediately surrounded by multiple team trainers and stayed down for the longest time, having suffered some sort of leg or knee injury, before he was taken off the field. His only foray into Big Ten football just didn't go well.

An Oregon transfer, he missed the final 12 games of the season, including a pair of outings against the Ducks and his former teammates.

"It was definitely a year that taught me a lot, a lot of adversity," Barkins said at the CFP championship game in Houston. "It taught me a lot of patience."

Darren Barkins catches a spring practice ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Barkins, a junior with a name highly suitable for playing for a team that answers to a canine mascot, eased himself back into spring football in April. He showed up for 15 practices without limitations. He ran mostly with the No. 2 defense. He came out of the tunnel and notably put on white gloves to go to work. On one play, he got beat in the corner of the end zone on a pass to Denzel Boston, but so did everyone.

Clearly behind the other UW corners after getting injured and missing so much time, Barkins will continue to try and close the gap when fall camp begins. He has six months to get himself fully ready to play against Oregon for the first time.

Darren Barkins (19) watches Jordan Shaw run through an agility drill. | Skylar Lin Visuals

DARREN BARKINS FIle

What he's done: A San Diego product with 4.46-second 40 speed, Barkins played in a dozen games over two seasons for Oregon, logging 3 tackles, a pass break-up and a fumble recovery in a reserve role. He had 3 tackles in his short stint for the Huskies, giving him 15 games played in all.

Starter or not: Barkins has a ways to go before he can push for a first-team role, even with former UW cornerback Jabbar Muhammad transferring to Oregon to play his final season of college ball. He should work on reclaiming his speed and finding his way into the game rotation as Big Ten play becomes a regular thing for him.

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