2025 Trib 25 Preseason Football All-Star Team: Steel Valley’s Da’Ron Barksdale

By: Giustino Racchini
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | 8:01 AM

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Most players that are star-powered and have an all-time skillset look up to older players at their school for guidance and advice, and Da’Ron Barksdale is no different.

“I give so much high praise to Cruce Brookins,” Barksdale said. “If he wasn’t on my team a few years back, I probably wouldn’t be a defensive back, and he taught me so many of the small details.”

The pair played together at Steel Valley for only one season, but the credit Barksdale has given Brookins throughout his football career is immense.

Barksdale has had a rocky high school experience in terms of health and recruitment. His sophomore year was cut short after he suffered an injury that took him out for the season, slowing down his recruitment, which was heating up with SEC and Big Ten schools looking at him.

Now headed into his senior season, he is committed to play defensive back at Pitt for the 2026 season, following in the footsteps of Brookins, who is one of the starting safeties for the Panthers.

Barksdale, although his recruitment was limited, was thrilled to have chosen Pitt for the next chapter of his life. The coaching staff and people around the program left an impact on his ultimate decision.

“Being at Pitt, I feel like I had so many people that were there and know what it takes for me to get to the next level,” Barksdale said. “All of the coaches stayed in contact with me and constantly connected with me.”

Along with Brookins as a mentor, Da’Ron played with his one-year-older brother Donald for the first three years of his high school journey. Donald rushed for more than 2,000 yards in 2024, whereas Da’ron was the primary quarterback, throwing four touchdown passes while adding 900-plus yards on the ground.

The relationship Da’Ron has built not only with his brother, but also with his father and mother, show that football is a full family affair.

“I gotta give it to my brother and dad ‘cause they always show me how to compete,” Da’Ron said. “Then my mom is a worker, and seeing her work ethic every single day runs through the rest of us.”

To go along with his offensive success, Barksdale had 36 total tackles on the defensive side, a metric that ranked second on his team.

“I played primarily cornerback and quarterback last season but also safety if necessary,” Barksdale said. “This season I also may play outside ‘backer to blitz the quarterback if needed.”

Steel Valley is coming off a 9-4 season in which the Ironmen fell to Seton LaSalle in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. In 2022, they won the WPIAL championship, an achievement that is fresh on Da’Ron’s mind.

“One of my goals for this season is to beat the interceptions record at our school (eight in one year),” Da’Ron said. “I’m also hoping to get us another ring for this year.”

Da’Ron Barksdale

Steel Valley

Senior

5-foot-10/175 pounds

Quarterback/cornerback

Committed to: Pitt

Offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Duquesne, James Madison, Kent State, Memphis, Morgan State, Sacramento State, Syracuse, Temple, UConn, UMass, UNLV, West Virginia

2024 stats: Threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Added 905 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. Second on the team with 36 total tackles.

Highlights: Hudl

Tags: Steel Valley