Is All-American Linebacker Lander Barton Playing The Wrong Position?

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham believes star linebacker Lander Barton could be a star at tight end

In today's era of college football the two-way star is at the forefront of discussion and become a more common occurrence.

Colorado is currently finding success with defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter, and according to Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, his linebacker Lander Barton has two-way star capabilities. When doing his coaches show, Whittingham revealed that Barton is talented enough to play four different positions and went as far as to say that he could be the best tight end in the Pac-12 if he wanted to be. 

"I'm convinced if he made a wholesale commitment to tight end, he would be the best tight end in the Pac-12.”

He also seemed open to the idea that in the future, Barton may be playing both ways for the Utes. 

Jeffrey Bennett, FanNation AllUtes

The 6-foot-4 220-pound Barton was an All-American last season as a freshman, who committed to Utah over Texas as a four-star recruit that ranked as the No. 41 player in the country. This past season he racked up 46 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks.

While there is no timeline as to when he can make the jump to tight end, it is worth noting that Utah has been without star tight end Brant Kuithe all season. Barton did show off his pass-catching and running-after-the-catch abilities against Weber State when he picked off the quarterback and ran it in for a score.

Lander Barton — PICK SIX! Look at how quickly he diagnosed this and stepped in front of it 😤 pic.twitter.com/oGKZNzaxxe

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 16, 2023