Lander Barton

Lander Barton (born December 30, 2003)^[1] is an American college football linebacker for the Utah Utes. He was named the 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. He is the younger brother of NFL players Cody Barton and Jackson Barton.

Lander Barton

Utah Utes – No. 8
Position	Linebacker
Class	Senior
Major	Communication
Personal information
Born	(2003-12-30) December 30, 2003 (age 21) Cottonwood Heights, Utah, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	236 lb (107 kg)
Career history
College	Utah (2022–present)
High school	Brighton (Cottonwood Heights)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team Freshman All-American (2022) Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year (2022)
Stats at ESPN

Early life

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 is a professional volleyball player overseas, in the United States, and for the United States Women’s National Team;^[4] and both of his brothers, Cody and Jackson, each have played for Utah and in the National Football League (NFL).^[5]

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.^[6][7][8] 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 receiving touchdowns.^[8] Barton was highly recruited, being ranked a four-star prospect, the second-best player in the state and the 17th-best linebacker nationally.^[6][9][10] He committed to play college football for the Utah Utes, following in the steps of several of his family members.^[11]

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.^[12][13] He was selected by College Football News as a second-team Freshman All-American and was named the Pac-12 Conference Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.^[6][14] He entered the 2023 season as a starter at linebacker.^[12]