Barton was born c. 2003 – c. 2004 in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, later attending Brighton High School.[2][3] He comes from a family of athletes; his father, Paul, played baseball and football for the Utah Utes; his mother, Mikki-Kane, was an honorable mention All-American basketball player for Utah as well as an athlete competing in volleyball; his sister, Dani Drews, was an All-American volleyball player for the Utes; and both of his brothers, Cody and Jackson, each have played for Utah and in the National Football League (NFL).[4]
Barton attended Brighton High School and played basketball and football: in football, he was twice first-team all-state, twice first-team all-region and was the 2020 Region 6 MVP; and in basketball he was a second-team all-state choice.[5][6][7] He played linebacker and wide receiver in football, totaling 122 tackles in addition to two interceptions as a senior while also having a career total of 16 receivingtouchdowns.[7] Barton was highly recruited, being ranked a four-star prospect, the second-best player in the state and the 17th-best linebacker nationally.[5][8][9] He committed to play college football for the Utah Utes, following in the steps of several of his family members.[10]
College career
As a true freshman at Utah in 2022, Barton appeared in 14 games, three as a starter, and posted 46 tackles, eight TFLs, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.[11][12] He was selected by College Football News as a second-team FreshmanAll-American and was named the Pac-12 Conference Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.[5][13] He entered the 2023 season as a starter at linebacker.[11]