The blood, sweat and tears of the Barksdale family flow heavily through Steel Valley’s football program.
Senior standout Da’Ron “Dae Dae” Barksdale understands the legacy he inherits. Brother Donald, who helped shoulder the load last season, is now a freshman at Youngstown State. Another brother, DeWayne Murray, is the school’s all-time leading rusher and starred for the 2016 state champions. Also shaping Da’Ron: A star-studded lineup of defensive backs in Damar Hamlin, Dane Jackson and Steel Valley products Paris Ford and Cruce Brookins (a likely starter at Pitt this fall).
“I have so many role models. … So many people,” said Barksdale, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound quarterback-defensive back who will follow Hamlin, Ford, Jackson and Brookins and play at Pitt. “I know what it takes.”
Barksdale took over at quarterback last season after the Ironmen started 1-3. He was most effective as a runner, rushing for 910 yards and 18 TDs, and Steel Valley went on to win eight games in a row before losing to No. 1 seed Seton LaSalle in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. Barksdale will start this season behind center but without his brother in the backfield.
It will be an adjustment, but he has also been preparing for this for a long time. A long time.
“What people find is so hard, it’s kind of easy because I did it my whole life,” said Barksdale, who started playing flag football at 5 years old and was always hanging around the practice field with his older brothers and star-studded lineup of mentors. “I think I’ve probably been coming to games almost since I was born.”
No doubt he has the right mindset. Still, the production the Ironmen lost with Donald’s graduation must be replaced.
Donald Barksdale rushed for more than 2,000 yards in each of his two final seasons, falling just short of Murray’s career mark despite only being a three-year starter.
Coach Ray Braszo, entering his seventh year at Steel Valley, was matter-of-fact about going from two Barksdales to one.
“Probably, this year we’ll have to use (Da’Ron) a little bit more on offense. We used him a lot last year because we only had two people in the backfield, but Donald carried the load and got it done. … And we wouldn’t have to use Dae Dae as much. But he’ll have to pick it up a little bit more.”
Asking Barksdale to do more is like asking a kid if he’d like more candy.
“I love the game so much more than just … nowadays, it’s NIL money. And it’s all the fame. I feel like, the way I love football, it’s out of ordinary. I just love it,” said Barksdale as sweat poured down his chest at a workout in late July. “I would do this all day if I had the chance to do it every single day.”
It’s a case of love meets ability.
Barksdale, a three-star recruit who projects as a cornerback, committed to Pitt in June after also considering offers from Akron, Bowling Green, James Madison and Duquesne, where Murray played, among others.
There wasn’t much to consider, though. Barksdale always hoped to follow Hamlin, Jackson, Ford and Brookins to Pitt. He suffered a setback when he tore his MCL early in his sophomore season, but the way he bounced back as a junior cemented his future.
“Honestly, everything kind of came together. … Having (Cruce) in my corner, Paris Ford in my corner, Dane Jackson (now with the Buffalo Bills). Kind of everything led up to it,” Barksdale said.
The recruiting website 247 Sports ranks Barksdale as tied for ninth in Pitt’s class of 20 for 2026. And like family might do, Barksdale said the Panthers staff has been upfront with him.
“They’ll tell me about what I need to work on, et cetera. They’re not going to sugarcoat anything.”
Neither will his brother Donald, who faced a very different kind of recruiting journey. His started later, beginning with offers from Division II programs until FCS schools like Youngstown State emerged.
When the Pittsburgh Union Progress spoke with Donald, he was in the midst of his first summer camp with the Penguins.
“When I talk to him … I’m telling him how I prepared for college, how it was when I got up here,” Donald Barksdale said. “He’s going to have to take care of his body even more than he already has. … He’s going to have to have his mind right.”
Ask Da’Ron how he and his brother are alike and how they are different, and it’s clear that they’re close. He was eager to poke fun at his older brother.
“I would say he’s faster than me,” said Da’Ron Barksdale, who runs the 40 in the “low 4.6’s.”
“But I’m definitely the better all-around athlete.”
He will need to squeeze out every ounce of his athleticism if the Ironmen are to win a WPIAL championship one year after losing in the semifinals.
“It’s all on him now. He might be carrying the ball 50 times,” Donald Barksdale said, laughing.
That’s likely an exaggeration, but there’s a kernel of wisdom in there, too.
“It’s going to be different,” Da’Ron said, “because you can’t really replace Donald. His speed. His twitchiness. So much on offense and defense. But we’re finding guys that are going to do a great job.”
To measure Da’Ron’s value goes beyond how much of his brother’s production he replaces — how many yards he runs for, or how many TDs he scores. That’s where he will carry this team in ways that can’t be seen from the stands.
Barksdale professes not to be a rah, rah leader but a leader to his teammates, nonetheless.
“Just little things like walking off the field. If they see me walk, everyone’s going to walk. If they see me run, everyone’s going to run,” Barksdale said.
The Steel Valley community hopes the Ironmen run with Barksdale all the way to a WPIAL championship. And maybe their first state title since 2016.
Barksdale’s family, by blood or not, would be proud. After all, they helped make him who he is.
Rob is an associate sports editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike.