'The Pig Farmer': Utah's Bryson Barnes' journey from walk-on to QB1

Bryson Barnes was raised in Milford, Utah, a small town with a population of a little less than 2,000 people located in the southwest corner of the state. He spent his childhood helping his family tending to thousands of pigs on their pig farm.

"I always had a 'the work needs to get done' mentality with the pigs," Barnes said in ESPN's College GameDay feature. "It doesn't smell great, but those chores taught me hard work and responsibility."

In 2020, he moved 200 miles north to Salt Lake City where he walked on as a backup quarterback. Over the course of three years, he earned the nickname "The Pig Farmer" among his Ute teammates for his work ethic on and off the field.

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From walk-on to QB1

Barnes was determined to play football at Utah and worked part-time at Lowe's to help pay for his college studies when he was not on a football scholarship. After his remarkable performance in the 2023 season opener, a 24-11 win against Florida, Barnes earned a full athletic scholarship and quit his part-time job to focus on football entirely.

“It helps a lot,” Barnes said to the Salt Lake Tribune. “You don’t have to worry about paying for school and I don't have to go back to Lowe’s and work a part-time job anymore. So definitely some perks to that.”

Barnes has been Utah’s go-to quarterback since Cam Rising suffered a knee injury at the 2022 Rose Bowl and was ruled out for the 2023 season while he recovers.

Barnes showed that it was money well spent by Utah when he led the Utes to a wild 34-32 victory against USC and Heisman winner Caleb Williams, completing 14-of-23 passes for a career-best 235 yards and three touchdowns, with 57 rushing yards and a rushing score.

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Utah heads into Week 9 with a 6-1 record, and Barnes will lead the Utes against Bo Nix's 6-1 Oregon Ducks. The Pac-12 matchup will have significant College Football implications.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryson Barnes' journey from pig farm to Utah's starting QB