Kyon Barrs’ path appeared to be set. Because he hadn’t qualified academically to attend a Division I school, the defensive lineman would have to begin his post-high school football career at a junior college.
Barrs already had started working out at California’s Riverside City College when Darrel Turner, his coach at Murrieta Mesa High School, invited him to participate in a college showcase in May of last year.
The event was mainly for underclassmen. But Barrs had gotten a passing SAT score by that point. What did he have to lose?
“I wasn’t going to go because I was already a senior,” Barrs said Tuesday. “My coach said, ‘You should go; there’s coaches that want to see you.’ And I went.”
One of the observers happened to be former Arizona cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin.
It didn’t take Martin long to realize he had stumbled upon a hidden gem.
The UA offered Barrs a scholarship, and the big defensive tackle became a late but welcome addition to the Wildcats’ 2019 signing class.
“It was a blessing,” said Barrs, who is slated to make his first career start when Arizona opens its season against USC on Saturday.
“My mom, she’s a very spiritual person. I just knew that God had a plan for me and a blessing was gonna come. I just had to wait my turn.”
Defensive tackles who have size and agility are a scarce commodity in the Pac-12 footprint. They have been especially hard to come by for Arizona in recent years. Barrs appears to fit that mold at 6-2, 304 pounds.
“He’s strong. He’s really quick too. He’s really a legit Pac-12 D-lineman,” said UA guard Robert Congel, who regularly faces Barrs in practice. “He can beat you with power, he can beat you with speed.”
Barrs appeared in 11 games as a freshman. He recorded 13 tackles, including 11 solo stops. He had a career-high four tackles in the season finale at Arizona State.
“We saw flashes last year,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said. “It’s hard for a D-lineman to play as a freshman.
“He’s extremely athletic. … He’s explosive. Because he’s got that quickness, because he’s got power, what he’s done in the weight room and training-wise, I think he can be a really good player and a Sunday player.”
Barrs is a long way from the NFL. He’s less than two years removed from high school. For now, he’s working on his craft and his body.
Barrs weighed about 285 pounds when he arrived at Arizona last summer. He was listed at 299 last year but had “a little baby fat on him,” Sumlin said. Through a combination of homemade meals and workouts during the pandemic, followed by training with UA strength coach Brian Johnson this summer, Barrs is a legitimate 300-pounder now.
“I feel great,” he said, “At 285, I was less in shape than I am now.”
Barrs is listed on the first team alongside graduate transfers Aaron Blackwell and Roy Lopez. The new-look line was supposed to make its debut last week at Utah, but the game was canceled because of COVID-19.
The Wildcats shifted their attention to the Trojans on Saturday, watching their opener against ASU after a morning workout. Like most Southern Californians, the USC game holds extra meaning for Barrs.
“Of course. I’m a California dude,” Barrs said. “USC was my favorite school growing up. It is kind of personal.”
Barrs didn’t attract interest from USC. Then again, because of his academic situation, he didn’t garner much interest from anyone despite registering 90 tackles and nine sacks as a senior. Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com, called Barrs “one of the state’s top defensive line prospects” in his class. Yet none of his known college offers, before Arizona, came from Power Five schools.
“It surprises me (knowing) how good he is,” Congel said. “Just seeing his work ethic … you can definitely tell he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
Wiley weighs in
Tailback Michael Wiley had a promising freshman year. He appeared in all 12 games and gained 271 scrimmage yards, averaging 5.5 yards per touch.
But Wiley averaged only 3.4 yards per rushing attempt, too often going down too easily. He knew he had to get bigger and stronger.
So Wiley committed to Johnson’s training program in the offseason. The sophomore from Houston added 20 pounds of muscle. Sumlin noted early in fall camp that Wiley was “running with substance.”
Arizona Wildcats running back Michael Wiley (6) moves the ball across the field using his teammates as a shield during a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Arizona Stadium Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. The Wildcats won the game with a final of 28-14.
“I feel good,” said Wiley, who didn’t sacrifice any speed in the process. “That extra 20 pounds helps me break more tackles and just make people miss, fall forward when I’m getting tackled, just getting that extra yardage when I need it.”
Wiley is expected to have a substantial, multifaceted role this season; he described himself as a “utility guy.”
Wiley should be the first back off the bench behind senior Gary Brightwell, and both are capable of splitting out and catching passes. (Wiley had 18 receptions for 165 yards last year.) Wiley also is listed as Arizona’s first-string punt returner.
“He’s really worked hard this offseason,” said first-year running backs coach AJ Steward, who also works with the returners. “Soaks up every piece of coaching that he can get. … He looks like a totally different running back, even from the spring when I first got here.
“He’s fully invested. And you can just tell the way he’s playing. He looks further along than just a true sophomore who played a few snaps last year.”
When the Wildcats were forced to leave campus during the early stages of the pandemic, Wiley worked out at home with classmates and fellow Houstonians Grant Gunnell and Boobie Curry. Wiley and Curry served as receivers for the quarterback who’s been handed the keys to the UA offense this season.
“Me and Grant have great chemistry,” Wiley said. “We can get out of certain situations by just communicating on the field, just me picking up a block or him telling me to do this or that. Stuff like that can really make a difference in a game.”
Advantage, Arizona?
USC coach Clay Helton isn’t sure what to expect from Arizona’s defense. The Wildcats have yet to play a game, and new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads last served in that capacity in 2017 with Arkansas.
“It is hard,” Helton told reporters in Los Angeles. “When you don’t have a scouted look, you have to really focus on your execution and what you believe in and do the things your kids are good at.
“You don’t do a lot of new things when you don’t know what you’re going to see. You lean on what you’re good at, what your kids can execute. You worry more about fundamentals and techniques and being execution-based rather than just trying to trick people. You have to be really good at making adjustments in games and talking after each and every series about what you saw, what we’re doing.”
