The USC QB recruit who got away is biding his time on Kentucky bench

Odds are Drew Barker won’t play.

After starting 12 games at quarterback last season, Kentucky chose Patrick Towles as its opening-game starter. Towles played well in the Wildcats’ win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

But there will surely be a few who see Barker on the sideline on Saturday and think, “What might have been … ”

One-time strong South Carolina lean Drew Barker will back up Towles when the Wildcats visit Williams-Brice Stadium. Barker has yet to play a varsity snap and his career in Lexington thus far has been headlined by two incidents of off-the-field shenanigans.

Yet there still might be a pang of regret, especially if John Q. Fan looks at the Gamecocks’ quarterback depth chart – knowing starter Connor Mitch is nursing a hip pointer.

Kentucky likes Barker. It’s a great story. An in-state prospect who was never contacted by the previous coaching staff was all set to play for USC and quarterback guru Steve Spurrier. Then coach Mark Stoops showed up, immediately made inroads and managed to turn Barker to the Blue Side.

“There is a competition there,” Stoops said at SEC Media Days, crediting Towles’ experience. “I also like Drew Barker and the talent that he has.”

Barker has had his issues – an incident with a pellet gun and a bar fight – but his teammates said he’s put those aside.

“Both of those guys have their own talents, both of those guys have their ups and downs,” safety A.J. Stamps said. “I feel comfortable in either one of those guys starting.”

Towles’ experience won out, though, and he has another season of eligibility after this one. Barker is biding his time on Kentucky’s bench.

USC badly wanted him on its bench.

He was a priority for the class of 2014, the only quarterback USC offered. It was seemingly a lock.

Barker was strong, fast, as good with his legs as he was with his arm. He could have been battling with Mitch for a role as Dylan Thompson’s backup last year, and his name would definitely have been one to watch in this year’s preseason camp. He wanted to play for Spurrier, but when Stoops made him a priority, the proximity to home and having the chance to lead a turnaround was too strong to ignore.

The Gamecocks lost Barker in May 2013, but added another QB in October 2013 – Michael Scarnecchia, who’s battling Perry Orth and Lorenzo Nunez for the backup role to Mitch. USC isn’t crying about losing Barker – that’s how recruiting works, and nobody can say how it would have worked out.

It could be Barker won’t get much of a chance until 2017. That could have happened at USC, too – Mitch won the job fair and square, and his prep credentials were as lofty as Barker’s.

Barker is likely not to play, so it’s a sub-plotline. Still, it’d be interesting if he gets into the game and is going against Mitch. The winner gets his first career win in Williams-Brice. At some point, both thought they’d win that one and several more.

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 9:11 PM with the headline "The USC QB recruit who got away is biding his time on Kentucky bench."