Barcoo was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised by his mother, Brigette Burns, with the family eventually settling in Chula Vista, California.[1][2] 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.[1]
High school career
Barcoo attended Castle Park High School in Chula Vista, where he earned three letters in football and became a two-way starter.[1][2] 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.[2] On defense, Barcoo recorded 74 tackles (52 solo), four tackles for loss, five interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one blocked field goal.[2]
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 and caught Castle Park's only touchdown of the game.[1] Barcoo was unrecruited out of high school due to his injury and the fact that he came from a smaller school.[3]
College career
Barcoo played two years of junior college (JUCO) football at Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, California,
earning the starting cornerback spot as a freshman.[1] That year, he had 21 total tackles, two interceptions, and four pass breakups.[4] The following season, he was moved to wide receiver where he caught 35 receptions for 767 yards and seven touchdowns.[4] Barcoo was considered a two-star JUCO recruit by 247Sports.[5]
Barcoo transferred to San Diego State. During the 2018 season, he mostly played on special teams, recording one interception, 500 pass breakups, and 70 tackles.[1][6] In 2019, he led college football in interceptions, passes defended, and pass breakups.[7]
On August 20, 2021, Barcoo was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.[10] He was waived on September 30, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad.[11] He was released on October 12.
San Francisco 49ers
On November 24, 2021, Barcoo was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.[12] He was released on January 18, 2022.
Kansas City Chiefs
Barcoo signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 24, 2022.[13] He was released on June 16.
New York Jets
On July 27, 2022, Barcoo signed with the New York Jets.[14] He was released on August 16, 2022.[15]
San Antonio Brahmas
On November 17, 2022, Barcoo was selected by the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL.[16] He was released from his contract on May 15, 2023.[17]
Pittsburgh Steelers
On May 15, 2023, Barcoo signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[18] He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad.[19][20] He was released from the practice squad on September 12, 2023, but was re-signed two days later.[21][22]
On January 17, 2024, Barcoo signed a reserve/futures contract with the Steelers.[23] He was waived/injured on June 3. He was released with an injury settlement on June 12.
