In December, Blake Barnett presented Arizona State coach Todd Graham a birthday cake that announced his commitment to the Sun Devils. Shortly thereafter, the Alabama transfer set his sights on winning ASU's quarterback job.

Eight months later, that has yet to happen in Tempe. Incumbent Manny Wilkins has kept hold of the job while Barnett prepares to open Graham's sixth season as the backup. If Barnett has hard feelings about this, the sophomore hides it well.

Asked Wednesday if he second-guessed his ASU decision (as Alabama's Week 1 starting quarterback last season, he had several transfer options), Barnett didn't hesitate: "Absolutely not," he said.

For what it's worth, ASU coaches have not slammed the door on this competition. "It ain't over," is how Graham put it, which suggests Wilkins, even though he appears to have taken the bulk of preseason first-team snaps, could be on a short leash. That may not be known for a few weeks.

Regardless, Barnett seems unfazed and determined. Having lost his starting job at Alabama, he knows what to say in these situations. Control what you can control. Take advantage of opportunity. Stay positive.

"He’s done really well with it,'' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Billy Napier said. "He’s a quality young man with great character. He understands the team concept. He’s been through these situations in the past. He’s got three years to play. Obviously, the competition is ongoing."

Barnett has come a long way since transferring. To start, this was a delicate situation – a high-profile quarterback joining a program that already had a starter in place, not to mention another talent in injured sophomore Brady White. At first, Barnett made sure not to assert himself too forcefully. At the same time, he noticed a curiosity among his teammates.

"Is this what they do at Alabama?" teammates often asked.

Senior running back Kalen Ballage lived with Barnett for a stretch. His biggest takeaway: Barnett isn't your typical student-athlete, consumed with football, video games and little else.

"He's a different guy," Ballage said. "He's into a lot of the same things I'm into. He's into fashion. He's into photography. He's his own person outside of football, and I like that."

Barnett, 21, took up photography only recently. On his Instagram page, he has posted photos of lightning streaking across a purple sky, a beach sunset and a Tempe Town Lake bridge.

"It's kind of tough because in the college-football environment, you don't really have much free time," Barnett said. "I don't know if I'd consider it a career by any means, but it's really fun to do. It's good apartment decoration."

Unlike most college athletes, Barnett also is engaged. Before attending Alabama, he met Maddie Peterson, a professional surfer and model from New Jersey, at a high school all-star game. He proposed a year later.

"I don’t have any distractions outside of football,'' Barnett said. "I’m focused and it’s awesome to have someone that supports you and is there for you. Being so dedicated and so focused on football all the time, when you have those little opportunities outside of it, it’s refreshing to have support other than your family that’s there to help."

Over the past eight months, Barnett feels he has grown as a leader. He feels his passing accuracy has improved, his decision-making has gotten sharper and his knowledge for the game has expanded.

"I feel like my preparation and my work are finally going to start paying off – hopefully, eventually," Barnett said. "I wouldn’t call it a timing thing. I don’t really know what to call it, honestly. I feel like I’ve done a really good job through camp and I feel like I’ve progressed a lot. I’m just going to try to keep building off that."

That's what Graham expects. In some ways, this quarterback situation reminds him of 2012, when Taylor Kelly and Mike Bercovici competed. Kelly eventually won the job – and kept it for three seasons – but Bercovici pushed him and ultimately took over his senior season.

"It was really, really competitive,'' Graham said. "And different sets of talents by each guy. But I’m not afraid one bit to play Blake. He hasn’t beaten Manny out yet, or we’d move him there, but it’s not because one of them’s not doing good. I just think we have two really good quarterbacks."

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Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller. Subscribe to the ASU Pick Six Podcast, available on iTunes. Download the ASU XTRA app.