Luqman Barcoo (born July 27, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, and signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

in 2020. He was the first defensive player drafted by the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL, owned by RedBird Capital, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Alpha Acquico, LLC. History The XFL ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

Early life

Barcoo was born in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and raised by his mother, Brigette Burns, with the family eventually settling in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh largest city in Southern California, the List of largest California cities by population, fifteenth largest city ...

. His given name, Luqman, is of Arabic and Turkish origins, and he began to go by Luq as a child because people had trouble pronouncing his full name.

High school career

Barcoo attended

Castle Park High School Castle Park High School, established in 1962, is a high school in Chula Vista, California. It offers Advanced Placement classes. Along with Bonita Vista High School, it is one of only two schools in the Sweetwater Union School District that of ...

in Chula Vista, where he earned three letters in football and became a two-way starter. On offense, he rushed 57 times for 472 yards and six touchdowns in his final two seasons and caught 71 passes for 1,314 yards and 15 touchdowns. On defense, Barcoo recorded 74 tackles (52 solo), four tackles for loss, five interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one blocked field goal. Barcoo tore his hamstring during his senior season, though he was able to convince his coach to allow him to play in their playoff matchup against

The Bishop's School The Bishop's School is an independent college preparatory Episcopal day school located in La Jolla, California. Bishop's is known for its reputation in academics, arts, and athletics as well as its sizable endowment. The school offers courses for ...

and caught Castle Park's only touchdown of the game. Barcoo was unrecruited out of high school due to his injury and the fact that he came from a smaller school.

College career

Barcoo played two years of junior college (JUCO) football at Grossmont Community College in

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

, earning the starting cornerback spot as a freshman. That year, he had 21 total tackles, two interceptions, and four pass breakups. The following season, he was moved to wide receiver where he caught 35 receptions for 767 yards and seven touchdowns. Barcoo was considered a two-star JUCO recruit by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on athletic recruitment in college football and basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount. The website hosts a large network of team-specific subsites, with each subsite b ...

. Barcoo transferred to

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

. During the 2018 season, he mostly played on special teams, recording one interception, five pass breakups, and seven tackles. In 2019, he led college football in interceptions, passes defended, and pass breakups.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Barcoo went undrafted in the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was waived on August 19, 2021.

Arizona Cardinals

On August 20, 2021, Barcoo was claimed off waivers by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. He was waived on September 30, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on October 12.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 24, 2021, Barcoo was signed to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

practice squad. He was released on January 18, 2022.

Kansas City Chiefs

Barcoo signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

on March 24, 2022. He was released on June 16.

New York Jets

On July 27, 2022, Barcoo signed with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. He was released on August 16, 2022.

San Antonio Brahmas

On November 17, 2022, Barcoo was drafted by the

of the XFL. He was released from his contract on May 15, 2023.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On May 15, 2023, Barcoo signed with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on September 12, 2023.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bioSan Diego State Aztecs bioGrossmont Griffins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barcoo, Luq Living people 1998 births American football cornerbacks Arizona Cardinals players Grossmont Griffins football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Kansas City Chiefs players New York Jets players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Cleveland San Antonio Brahmas players San Diego State Aztecs football players San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Chula Vista, California Players of American football from San Diego County, California