Most athletes at the U would say Utah runs in their blood, and this statement rings more than true for the Barton family.
Right now, Jackson Barton, a redshirt freshman, and Cody Barton, a true freshman, currently play for the Utah football team, but before they suited up as Utes, their parents beat them to it. Their mom, Mikki Barton, played volleyball and basketball for the Utes, and their dad, Paul Barton, played football and baseball when he was a U student.
Although she may not have realized it then, Mikki Barton knows her time at Utah was something special — that’s why she worked tirelessly to help her children reach their full potential. She and her husband even felt it necessary to move from Park City to the Brighton High School area so they could participate in sports at the 5A classification.
“We knew what [playing in college] did for us and what doors that opened for us in our lives,” Mikki Barton said. “We were going to put them in every possible best situation, so they could make the most of their God-given talents.”
While both sons are making the most of their talents, they also had to put in a fair share of hard work, especially Cody Barton. He suffered a spinal injury his junior year of high school and wasn’t sure if he was going to have any future in football, as opposed to his brother, who signed early on with Utah.
Mikki Barton does not take anything away from what Jackson Barton has accomplished, but Cody Barton’s journey has had more ups and downs. When Cody was offered a spot on the Utah roster, she immediately burst into tears in front of head coach Kyle Whittingham.
She could not be any more grateful he was being given the same opportunity as his brother.
“As an athlete, to not be able to do what you love, with all the work you put into it, makes you want to cut your foot off,” Mikki Barton said. “We all sat there in Whitt’s office, and I just cried. Human nature is to not feel like a second-class citizen, but he finally got his shot, and he worked his butt off for it. He had to fight for everything, and he really earned his scholarship.”
It was a completely different story when Jackson Barton received and accepted his offer.
When Jackson Barton first received his offer to play at Utah, Mikki Barton was not even there when it happened. When she got the call in a grocery store, the first thing she asked was if anyone took a picture.
Of course, no one did, but she could not have been prouder of her son.
Growing up, the Bartons kept busy. Whether it was with sports, hiking or other activities, they did not have much spare time to attend as many Utah games as one would think the ultimate Ute family does. They started to become more involved around the ages of 10 and 11 but were fans their entire lives.
The sons always wanted to play college football, and playing at Utah makes it all that much sweeter.
“Playing college football has always been the dream, but it’s another step of the dream just to play at home,” Jackson Barton said.
Cody Barton could not agree with his brother more. He knows the time and effort he has put into this sport is paying off.
“It’s like a dream come true, but at the same time it’s hard work that pays off,” Cody Barton said.
Because the brothers play on opposite sides of the ball (Cody is a linebacker, and Jackson is an offensive lineman), they do not necessarily step onto the field together. But they are constantly supportive of each other, even in practice when they compete against each other.
Cody Barton cherishes every moment in practice considering the path he has gone through and knows it is something special to play on the same level as his brother, something he never could really do in high school.
“I was a late bloomer so I wasn’t on varsity very soon. And then I got hurt, and by the time I got back it was his time to leave,” Cody Barton said. “Now that we’re up here, I know it’s a rare opportunity. It’s fun seeing him across the line and sometimes we go against each other, so it’s a brotherly battle.”
Jackson Barton also loves spending time with his little brother, and there’s nothing else he would rather be doing. Because of that spell Cody Barton spent on the sideline, Jackson Barton feels as though they are making up for lost time.
About those brotherly battles that Cody mentioned, Jackson is convinced he’ll always come out on top.
“Definitely a good brotherly battle, but I win, though, so it’s all good,” Jackson Barton said.
Both have been seen on the field this season, and though neither has earned any substantial playing time, Whittingham likes what he is seeing from the two brothers. Cody Barton has been contributing a lot on special teams, and the coaches think he has a bright future, while Jackson Barton is now regularly playing for the offense and will continue to do so because of his performance in the trenches.
In the end, Whittingham knows he could never go wrong with either of them considering the family they come from.
“There’s no such thing as a bad Barton,” Whittingham said. “They’re all good players — started with their mom. Their mom was the most athletic.”
Mikki Barton thinks it is pretty funny that Whittingham said this but is sure he is wrong. She thinks her son Lander Barton is the best one yet. He’s only 11 years old, so there’s still some time before he gets to suit up for the U.
For now, there is another installment of the Barton family tree coming in 2017. Mikki said her daughter Bailee Barton recently committed to play volleyball for the Utes, and considering the fact she also played for current Ute Volleyball head coach Beth Launiere, it will be a lot of fun to watch the first mother-daughter combo in the family.
Although she’ll have to wait a couple of years to see how that plays out, she is more than content watching her sons play football in the mean time.
In fact, during the bye week a few weekends back, Mikki Barton didn’t know what to do with herself because she has so much joy watching her sons play, whether it’s in person or on TV.
“It’s emotional every time I see them out there, even talking about it now, it always brings tears to my eyes. It’s surreal,” Mikki Barton said. “I just rewind, take pictures of them. I’m just soaking it up and am so grateful. I can’t wait for Saturday football — that’s the number one thing I look forward to.”
It is certainly something Jackson Barton looks forward to every weekend as well. While he thinks Cody Barton getting to play from the start puts him a little bit ahead, he does not even mind because he sees how hard the two of them work to improve at the sport they love.
“I’m glad to be playing alongside my brother,” Jackson Barton said.
@kbrenneisen