South Florida announces transfer of ex-ASU quarterback Blake Barnett

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former Arizona State and Alabama quarterback Blake Barnett, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, has transferred to South Florida, where he'll be immediately eligible to play with two seasons remaining.

USF announced the addition of Barnett on Friday. He is expected to compete for a starting job as the Bulls try to replace three-year starter Quinton Flowers, who set numerous school records at USF and signed a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Barnett was the most highly rated quarterback to recruit to sign with Nick Saban at Alabama when he joined the Crimson Tide in 2015. He was in the mix to play as a freshman, but health issues set him back and he ended up sitting out as a redshirt as Alabama won a national championship.

Barnett started the 2016 season-opener for the Crimson Tide, but quickly relinquished the job to Jalen Hurts. Soon after he left Alabama during the season and enrolled in junior college for the rest of the year, which put him in position to transfer and play in 2017 instead of sitting out the whole season as required by NCAA rules. He was initially supposed to miss the first four games of 2017, but the NCAA granted him a waiver and he was eligible to play the whole season for the Sun Devils.

But he was unable to beat out Manny Wilkins, who started for much of the 2016 season for Arizona State, and served as a backup for Arizona State in 2017. He graduated this spring, making him eligible to transfer again and not sit out.

In seven games at Alabama and Arizona State, Barnett has completed 14 of 24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Having played only two seasons, he still has two years of eligibility left.

At USF, Barnett will compete with junior Brett Kean and sophomore Chris Oladokun to start this season. Neither of the incumbents has started a college game and they played sparingly behind Flowers the last two seasons.

Backup QB Blake Barnett planning to transfer from ASU

April 25, 2018

Less than two years after transferring in from Alabama, junior quarterback Blake Barnett is leaving Arizona State, azcentral sports has learned.

Since he’s on pace to graduate this summer, Barnett should be eligible to play this season. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported Barnett this weekend is taking an official visit to South Florida. The quarterback has two seasons of eligibility.

"The past three years have been extremely beneficial to my growth and development as a man and a football player," Barnett later posted on his Twitter account. "I am beyond fortunate and thankful for the experiences I have had both at Alabama and Arizona State. I can truly say that I have faced humility and matured immensely since coming out of high school and I know that I am a better man because of it."

The 6-foot-5 Barnett – a five-star high school prospect – has had a rocky college career. After redshirting his freshman season, Barnett opened 2016 as Alabama's starter, a job he didn't keep for long. Barnett transferred to ASU not much later, choosing the Sun Devils over California, Oregon, Washington and Washington State.

Many expected Barnett to start right away in Tempe but the transition was difficult. An initial blow: Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey – a main reason Barnett chose ASU – left for a similar position at Auburn just a few weeks after the quarterback’s arrival. Incumbent starter Manny Wilkins then showed he wasn’t ready to give up his starting job.

RELATED: With Barnett transfer, Chandler QB Conover now a must get for ASU

As Wilkins’ backup, Barnett didn’t get much of an opportunity last season. ASU struggled early, which prevented mop-up experience. Over 13 games, Barnett threw only five passes, completing three.

This spring – with new coach Herm Edwards and first-year offensive coordinator Rob Likens watching – Barnett looked sharper over 15 practices. He spent most sessions battling with sophomore Dillon Sterling-Cole for the No. 2 spot behind Wilkins. According to a source close to Barnett, the quarterback informed ASU of his intentions to leave shortly after the April 13 spring game.

DEC. 10, 2016: How ASU landed former Alabama QB Barnett

Barnett has other things to consider: Over the offseason he married his long-time girlfriend and became a father. Although he could have landed ASU’s starting job next season, Barnett's new family created a stronger sense of urgency to get on the field. Barnett politely declined media requests throughout spring practice.

"... I am looking forward to graduating this semester and still having two years of eligibility to try and reach my personal goals of reaching the NFL," Barnett wrote. "This has been a goal of mine since I put on shoulder pads for the first time. Now having a wife and son, I am more motivated than ever to reach my goals and take full advantage of time I have left in my college career."

The quarterback’s departure could put ASU in a difficult position moving forward. Behind Wilkins and Sterling-Cole, ASU has only one other scholarship quarterback – redshirt-freshman Ryan Kelley. After Wilkins leaves this season, the Sun Devils will be down to two, which will make quarterback a priority in future recruiting.

Barnett will become the third scholarship quarterback to leave ASU over the past two years, joining Bryce Perkins (now at Virginia via junior college) and Brady White (Memphis.)

ASU PODCAST: Reviewing the first spring under coach Herm Edwards

ASU quarterbacks on the roster

Manny Wilkins, senior

Dillon Sterling-Cole, redshirt sophomore

Ryan Kelley, redshirt freshman

Kevin Brown, redshirt freshman (walk on)

Offensive lineman retires

Junior offensive lineman Mason Walter has retired for health reasons.

A former three-star high school prospect from Temecula, Calif., Walter was slowed by injuries for most of his career. He's the second lineman -- joining sophomore Marshal Nathe -- to retire for health reasons over the last month.

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.