Why did Bryson Barnes transfer to Utah State? QB discusses reason behind move in latest interview

Bryson Barnes played as Utah's starting quarterback in the 2023 college football season with Cam Rising missing the whole of the year due to injury. However, he decided to transfer to the Utes' in-state rival Utah State following the conclusion of the regular season in 2023.

With Cam Rising anticipated to reclaim the starting role in the 2024 season, Bryson Barnes felt an exit was the right move. However, despite staying at Salt Lake City in the 2023 season, the quarterback made it known that the transfer decision was already made before then.

“I feel like my decision to leave was definitely kind of predicated on the way I felt like I was being treated there as far as the quarterback competitions were going,” Barnes said in a Sept. 12 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. “Me and my wife made that decision right about the summer of 2023 before the season started.

“There were just some things as far as the rep counts as to what I felt like I had deserved, and felt like I had earned, not even deserved. I felt like I had earned the right to certain things. It just really didn’t go my way.”

Kyle Whittingham had a good review of Bryson Barnes

Ahead of the Week 3 encounter between Utah and Utah State, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham had only good things to say about Bryson Barnes. In his weekly press conference session on Monday, the coach praised his former quarterback for his commitment while at the program.

“He was a great member of our program and a great teammate,” Whittingham said Monday. “We called upon him several times to play for us and he responded. Of course, he was our quarterback when we beat USC.

“He’s just a competitive, tough, high-character individual. It’s good to see him playing. … I can’t say enough good things about him. We’re not sure who we’re going to see this week, but I’m proud of him and happy for his success.”

Bryson Barnes had quite a good game against his former team on Saturday in the “Battle of Brothers.” The quarterback completed 16 of 31 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns as his Utah State team suffered a 38-21 loss at the hands of Utah.

During his time with the Utes, Barnes appeared in a total of 24 games, starting 10 of them. He threw for 2,025 yards and 17 touchdowns with a 61.6 pass completion rate. His most notable performance was the win against USC in 2023, throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns.