PASADENA — The Barksdale family begins planning their trip from Rock Hill, South Carolina, 2,402 miles to Pasadena, on Friday morning and sometimes Thursday evening.
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It doesn’t matter where in the country their son, UCLA cornerback Derrick Barksdale, is playing. His father, Derrick Sr., and Wakita have rarely missed any of his 47 career games between UCLA and his three seasons at James Madison.
Saturday concluded another routine weekend of flying across the country to watch their son help UCLA beat Michigan State 28-10 and giving him familiar faces to see when looking up in the bleachers at the Rose Bowl.
Barksdale made two tackles against the Spartans and owns 15 tackles, including two pass breakups, after helping UCLA move to 7-0 for the first time since 2005.
Seeing his family in the crowd of the bleachers at the Rose Bowl gives Barksdale reassurance and comfort.
“We’ve been doing this since he was five years old,” Barksdale Sr. said. “There’s an expectation that where he’s traveling, we are traveling with him. For him, it’s a comfort to see his parents in the stands.”
Derrick Sr. works for GrandPad, a company that creates electric tablets for the elderly, while Wakita serves as an administrator at Clinton College, an HBCU in Rock Hill.
The two coordinate by dropping their 14-year-old nephew Braelyn off at a friend’s house and driving 29 miles north to Charlotte Douglas International Airport before flying to LAX.
Older sister Patience, who attends South Carolina University, was picked up on Thursday and joined her parents, making her first trip to California on Saturday.
“It’s everything I imagined California to be,” Patience said. “And even when I’m at my own football games at South Carolina, I’m watching the games on my phone. There’s never a time I’m not tuned in.”
“Football City U.S.A.”
Family and football are tied together for the Barksdale family, coming from Rock Hill, South Carolina — a town of just over 75,000 residents holding the nickname “Football City U.S.A.” because of its small size and producing 41 NFL players.
Players like 2019 AP Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore and Carolina Panthers linebacker Jadeveon Clowney are among those who grew up in the same town as Barksdale.
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Barksdale has played tackle football since he was five years old.
“Football is a big thing in the South,” Wakita Barksdale said. “I grew up in a very football-dominant town, and it’s part of what we do. We say football and family. It’s what we do.”
Family connections convince Barksdale to join UCLA
A family that built a connection with coach Bob Chesney when Barksdale was first being recruited to James Madison University by Curt Cignetti. Barksdale chose to stay at James Madison after Cignetti left for Indiana after his freshman year.
Barksdale continues to be a pillar since transferring from James Madison to join Chesney at UCLA.
A connection was made between Barksdale and Chesney that trickles down to his family members. Derrick Sr. and Wakita shared the personal connections made with Chesney and the staff.
“It’s important to know, being that far away from my kid, to know that he has people that we trust,” Wakita said. “They’re a call away, and you don’t get access like that to a lot of college coaching staffs on this level. It’s not just motivational speeches or persona. This is who (Chesney) is.”
Connections like signing Moreno Valley 4-star quarterback Josiah Boyd committed to UCLA before kickoff on Saturday. Personal relationships and winning have turned UCLA into one of the top 10 recruiting classes for 2028.
You can see it, Chesney is magnetic,” Barksdale Sr. said. “He’s family-oriented and keeps his family around him. You can see his father (Bob Chesney Sr.) running up and down the field just as excited he is, and he shares that relationship with the parents. He is the leader of our child.”
From Rock Hill, Harrisonburg to Pasadena — the path continues for Barksdale.
All the traveling done by the Barksdale family is summed up in the journeys the family has taken together from Rock Hill, S.C. to Los Angeles.
The first games and practices at District Three Coliseum, Winthrop Coliseum and Manchester Meadows come full circle for Derrick Sr. and Wakita watching their son perform at the Rose Bowl.
“The greatest thing is watching my child run out the tunnel,” Wakita said. “I remember him coming out of his first tunnel at five years old, and that’s my baby. To see this is a process he’s worked for, for a long time, and he’s here at UCLA.”
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