Utah's early enrollees to keep an eye on: Defense

While the 2022 Utah football season is still a little more than five months away, spring camp is finally upon us and the Utes are set to take the training field next week. Along with that comes the opportunity for the program to regroup and assess its needs for the upcoming season. It also provides early enrollee freshmen their first chance to get a taste of college football and see what Utah is all about.

Even though not every member of the class of 22’ will be in Salt Lake CIty for spring camp, several of the most talented players will officially start their Utah careers next week and show the program what they can do.

Lander Barton - Four-star linebacker - Salt Lake City, UT

🤠🤠 #GoUtes #HomeTownHero pic.twitter.com/YgReknaAZl
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 11, 2021

While the 2022 recruiting class is absolutely overflowing with talent, hometown hero Lander Barton just might be the most impressive talent of the entire class. Barton is very instinctual, often finding himself at the end of nearly every defensive play, demonstrated by his 122 total tackles during the 2021 campaign (11.1 average, finished third in 5A for the state of Utah). He also tallied eight sacks and two interceptions during the same season. For his efforts he was named a High School All-American, two-time all-state first team selection, two-time all-region first team and earned region MVP in 2020.

At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Barton has the size, frame, and length to excel at the linebacker position at the Power Five Level. He has superior arm length which he greatly utilizes to shed blockers, make tackles, and break up passes. Barton has great athleticism for the position, showing strong bursts, great hands to shed blockers, and a punishing physicality to make tackles and finish off plays.

Even though Barton is one of the best recruits Utah has ever secured, he will certainly have his work cut out for him to try and earn a starting position this fall. Not only is the linebacker room completely stacked with talent, but players like Karene Reid and Mohamoud Diabate will certainly be the frontrunners for starting roles. However, while nobody should be surprised if Barton is to secure a starting position given his talent and drive, it's likely he’ll still get a good amount of reps in certain packages with his role increasing over time.

Carson Tabaracci - Three-star athlete - Park City, UT

@Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/NVH8ImBvIF
— Carson “Tabo” Tabaracci (@CarsonTabaracci) December 15, 2021

Carson Tabaracci was one of Utah’s top in-state recruiting additions and joins close friend Lander Barton at the University of Utah. Tabaracci is a stellar athlete, one who primarily played running back during his high school career but was recruited to Utah to either play at the linebacker or tight end position. During his senior year, Tabaracci ran for roughly 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns in addition to two receiving scores. For his efforts, he was the region six MVP for the 2021 season.

Even though Tabaracci primarily played offense for Park City during his high school career, his obvious power and work ethic is what makes him a stellar prospect for the linebacker or tight end position. As a running back, Tabaracci was simply a force to be reckoned with and his play style aligns with exactly what Utah is looking for at either position. Carry after carry, Tabaracci would simply run hard, oftentimes requiring multiple defenders in order to bring him down. While his speed is just good, he makes up for it with quick feet, great balance, an ability to fight through tackles and turn broken plays into positive yardage.

While nothing has been confirmed yet, it does appear that Tabaracci will join the linebacker room as he's been spending a lot of time with teammate Karene Reid and ProTrenches trainer Anton Palepoi, participating in linebacker drills. If that's the case, Tabaracci certainly possesses the physique and skill to develop into a great defender, but it will take some time.

Justin Medlock - Three-star Linebacker - Missouri City, TX

Continuing to deepen the linebacker room, Justin Medlock is another college ready defender who will be looking to contribute as soon as possible. During his senior season, Melock registered 97 total tackles, 12 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He also added two pass break-ups and a forced fumble during the same season. For his efforts, Medlock was a finalist for the Whataburger Super Team, earned all-district first-team honors during his sophomore year and helped his high school team reach the Class 5A Division I regional semifinal in 2021.

Despite only standing six feet tall, Medlock is a highly talented defender and one that appears to be college ready. In addition to adequate size and athleticism, what makes Medlock truly special is his nose for the football and ability to make the right reads in order to put himself in the best spot to make a play. Combined with his vicious physicality at the line of scrimmage, ability to effectively shed blockers and willingness to pursue ball carriers, Medlock will be a great addition to Utah’s relentless defense.

Similar to Barton, Medlock will have his work cut out for him due to the current and incoming talent at the linebacker position. While Medlock could also find his way into a starting position, he will probably share in a similar amount of reps in certain packages like Barton, and his role will only increase over time.

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