Lander Barton Says Utah Has Found New “Excitement”, Ready For Next Year
Jul 9, 2025, 5:18 PM | Updated: Jul 10, 2025, 10:55 am
Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (8) celebrates after a play during a game between the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
FRISCO, Texas – Utah football linebacker Lander Barton decided it would be smart to stay in college one more year and is excited to run it back with a new-look Utes team.
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The Utes didn’t live up to expectations last season as injuries and other unfortunate situations led them to the bottom of the Big 12 with a 5-7 record.
Utah is ready to come back with a vengeance, though. Barton pointed out the new faces on both ends of the ball and gave some props to the new offense under offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
“We always look at it as a new year,” Barton explained. “It’s a whole new defense. Same scheme, but a lot of new faces. You’ve got to approach it the same every single year, expecting to get better, expecting to improve. But I’m excited for this season. It’s looking really good, and I’m excited for the offense. It’s a whole new offense, a new scheme, and it’s fun to compete against them. It’s a more modern style versus what Utah has been known for, and so it’s been really fun.”
The player leading the offense will be new sophomore transfer Devon Dampier.
The Utes got their first look at their new shot-caller in spring, and from the sound of it, he made an early impact. Having to face him in scrimmages, Barton said that Dampier’s dual-threat ability is tough on defenses.
“(Devon Dampier) will extend plays with his feet and his arm,” Barton said. “It just makes it tough. Playing against him in the spring, you’ve got to cover the pass on third-down situations, but then you also have the threat of him just taking off and running, and he can make dudes miss. He’s fast, he’s shifty, so he’s got it all.”
Barton went on to explain that there is an entirely new feel to this Utes team with the new personnel.
The energy is up in Salt Lake City, and Utah is ready to bounce back in 2025.
“Oh, it’s completely different,” Barton said. “There’s an excitement or a vibrance to the team now that wasn’t there, and it’s just awesome to see. I mean, the practices in spring ball were amazing. It was fun to compete against an offense of that caliber and the up-tempo stuff, so I thought it was good for the defense and the offense.”
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Last season, BYU finished with an 11-2 record and a 7-2 conference record. Utah was the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 during its first year, but ended up finishing 5-7 overall and 2-7 in league games.
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Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
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Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
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