Linebacker Cody Barton 'confident' and ready for breakout season


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah linebacker Cody Barton goes toe-to-toe with teammate RJ Hubert at a recent practice as the two violently push each other around on a special teams drill for dominance. A whistle blows, signifying a stop to the drill, and Barton gets in his opponent’s face and tells him that it was the worst attempt he’s ever seen.

Without missing a beat, Barton lets out a loud laugh in his usual joking manner and gives Hubert a side hug as the two walk back to the line of scrimmage. No harm, no foul — just fun.

Later in practice, junior quarterback Tyler Huntley stumbles on a read downfield and throws an ill-conceived pass that is deflected and nearly picked off. On the next down, Huntley rolls out of the pocket, leaving defenders behind him, and completes a perfectly-placed pass to one of his receivers. From the sideline, Barton yells above the noise: “Now that’s the quarterback we saw last year!”

Barton is the perfect balance of serious and fun all at the same time. One minute he’s ready to destroy his prey with a determination similar to that of a lion in the African savanna; but in an instant, he’s back to his playful antics about whatever is on his mind at the time. It could be music, playful trash talk or any sort of subject that comes to him at the moment. When he’s not about his business hunting down offensive players, he’s all smiles and having fun.

The senior linebacker has earned the right to mix the two on the field without too much oversight or criticism from the coaches. He adds some levity and veteran experience to a squad hoping for a breakout season in the Pac-12. Barton, though, appears more free in his final season at the University of Utah. He’s entering the year as a starting linebacker and has the confidence of someone who knows he’s earned the spot.

“Going into this year I have a lot of confidence and I feel real good,” he says. “That’s my home now.”

As a sophomore, Barton was thrown into the starting role as sort of a necessity as Utah’s linebacker depth was depleted following the departure of standout backers Jared Norris and Gionni Paul. Barton, who played corner and safety in high school, was forced to learn from his mistakes in a very obvious and public way in a position he was unfamiliar with, and sometimes it wasn’t exactly great.

“Sometimes learning through your mistakes is like learning the hard way, but it’s also learning the best way,” Barton says. “I’ve seen myself be in those positions; I’ve been there, done that. I’ve failed and been successful also.”

But Barton continued to put in the work and came back each year stronger, even after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury his sophomore season. Each year, he’s been one of the leading tacklers on the team and his impact on the game has been noticeable in Utah’s traditionally stout run defense.

Utah linebacker Cody Barton lines up against teammate RJ Hubert during a special teams drill at the Eccles Football Complex in Salt Lake City on Aug. 3, 2018. (Photo: Josh Furlong, KSL.com)
Utah linebacker Cody Barton lines up against teammate RJ Hubert during a special teams drill at the Eccles Football Complex in Salt Lake City on Aug. 3, 2018. (Photo: Josh Furlong, KSL.com)

Now, he’s there to be a veteran resource to the defensive side of the ball, especially to the newcomer to the position Chase Hansen. The one-time quarterback turned safety turned linebacker needs no introduction at Utah — he’s proven his merit on the defensive side of the ball as a safety — but now he’s doing it in a position he hasn’t played in since high school.

To Hansen’s credit, though, he played up in the box much of his time as a safety, so the position has a sense of familiarity to it. And it’s one Hansen is more than willing to share with Barton.

The two are nearly inseparable while on and off the field — they lived together during the summer. While one of them is conducting an interview with the media, the other isn’t far behind making jokes or setting the record straight about the other. It’s a bond that goes beyond the trust each other has to have while working on the field — the timing, the playing off each other, the instinct.

The two even joke about starting a country band together when football ends. To those interested, Barton believes it would have some southern twang with a “mix of some new stuff to it.” Barton originally said he’d be the lead singer, but when challenged by Hansen, he admits he’s not very good and wouldn’t make a great lead singer.

A friendship off the field has only strengthened their relationship on the field, as the two learn to balance the different roles assigned to them at linebacker. Each has to play off each other, learning when to be aggressive while not leaving the other in the dark and on the hook for a tackle.

Although Hansen doesn’t need help learning the ropes, so to speak, he says Barton has been a great asset to learn from in his new role. He said Barton is “just obsessed” about learning his assignment and is “a really smart football player and he works his butt off.”

Unlike Barton’s sophomore season, the depth at linebacker is now at an all-time high for Utah, with multiple guys behind Barton and Hansen to fill the spot. But Barton remains confident he’s done enough, has proven himself enough, to be a starter and have a noticeable impact in his final season with the Utes.

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Josh is the Sports Director for KSL.com and beat writer covering University of Utah athletics — primarily football, men’s and women's basketball and gymnastics. He is also an Associated Press Top 25 voter for college football.

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