The third Barton brother to reach the NFL out of Utah's football family, Lander Barton signed with the Chargers as an undrafted linebacker after a three-year starting career for the Utes.
Lander Barton comes from one of Utah football's signature families, following older brothers Cody and Jackson into the NFL after a standout three-year run as a starting linebacker for the Utes. He went undrafted in 2026 but signed a notable free agent deal with the Chargers, who are betting on the same instincts and tackling ability that made him a Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
Path to the league
Barton, a four-star recruit out of Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, started as a true freshman at Utah in 2022 and became a three-year starter and team captain for the Utes. He finished his college career with 207 tackles and went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers, receiving a $17,000 signing bonus and $264,500 in total guarantees.
Career highlights
Barton earned Pac-12 Conference Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 after recording 46 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks across 14 games. He comes from an accomplished Utah athletic family: his father Paul played football and baseball for the Utes, his mother Mikki was an All-American basketball player, his sister Dani Drews played volleyball for the U.S. national team, and both older brothers Cody and Jackson played linebacker at Utah before reaching the NFL.
2025 season recap
Serving as a team captain in his final Utah season, Barton played in all 13 games with 12 starts at linebacker, recording 55 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also picked off a pass that sealed a Senior Day win over Kansas State, capping a three-year starting career that helped land him an undrafted free agent deal with the Chargers.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Lander Barton
- SI.com: NFL Undrafted Free Agency - Lander Barton
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Utah
- Hometown
- Cottonwood Heights, UT, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
