Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 AUGUST 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Danville (Ky.) Boyle County corner- back Landen Bartleson is not the most highly rated prospect in the country, but that does not mean he was not coveted on the recruiting trail. He is ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN. Rivals lists Bartleson as the No. 11 prospect in the Bluegrass State, while 247Sports has him at No. 9 and ESPN at No. 7. However, the Notre Dame coach- ing staff held Bartleson in very high regard throughout the recruiting pro- cess. The Fighting Irish offered the 6-1, 190-pound recruit a scholarship in November 2018 and stayed in consis- tent communication with him. Bartleson went to Notre Dame in February and April for unofficial vis- its, and made a third trip to South Bend June 21 for an official visit. The day after he returned home from the trip, he announced his intentions to commit to the Fighting Irish. Bartleson picked Notre Dame over Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Ken- tucky, Louisville, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. "One big thing is the people at Notre Dame," Bartleson told Blue & Gold Illustrated when asked why he chose the Irish. "Everyone has good, positive things to say about Notre Dame. "It's hard pass up the education and life after football that Notre Dame of- fers. Football doesn't last forever." Bartleson gave the news of his com- mitment to the Notre Dame coaches during his visit. "They were definitely excited," the Kentucky native said. "It was actu- ally a conversation with Coach [Brian] Kelly. He asked me when I was going to get back to Notre Dame, and I was just like, 'I'm trying to pull the trigger.' That's when we got on the topic of committing and kept talking about it. That's how it went." During Bartleson's trip to Notre Dame, he was impressed with how comfortable he was with the coaching staff. He spent a considerable amount of time with defensive coordinator Clark Lea and defensive backs coaches Todd Lyght and Terry Joseph during his official visit. "That's who I was mainly with, but all of the coaches were around. I spoke to everybody," Bartleson explained. "They showed a bunch of love." There was one big difference be- tween his official visit and the two prior trips though. "I got to interact more with the foot- ball players this time," Bartleson said. "I got to learn some people's personali- ties. I got to see how the team is." During his junior year at Boyle County, Bartleson recorded 34 tackles (two for loss), two interceptions and six passes defended. His main position in high school has been running back. Bartleson ran for 768 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 109 carries last fall, and racked up 1,143 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2017. "He's very fast and very athletic," Boyle County head coach Chuck Smith said. "He's got some length to him, and he does a lot for us. He also plays running back. Last year, we played him some as a receiver to get him the football." Smith believes that Bartleson offers the full package as a student-athlete for Notre Dame. "I think he'll be a perfect fit at Notre Dame," Smith said. "I think he has the personality to fit in and definitely has the athleticism. I think it will be a really nice fit. "He's high character. He's been very well raised — very polite and consid- erate. He handles himself very well, and he's a fine young man." Bartleson takes his academics as seri- ous as he does football. "He's a great student," Smith con- tinued. "He's responsible and does his assignments. Academics are very im- portant to him. He'll be fine academi- cally. He's a good guy." ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Landen Bartleson's combination of length (listed at 6-1) and speed make him an intrigu- ing recruit … Reportedly ran a 4.39 during a summer camp at Ohio State, and his 10.95 time in the 100-meter dash also shows top- notch speed … Also displays excellent agility and change of direction skills, at least when his technique is correct … A willing hitter who has the ability to quickly drive on the football when he makes the right reads … Is a talented two-way player whose game should take off once he starts focusing on one position. Areas For Improvement His technique needs a lot of work … Must do a better job with his pre-snap stance, improve his backpedal and do a better job keeping his weight forward … With development in those areas, he will be able to use his speed more effectively. — Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE LANDEN BARTLESON Comfort Level Leads Kentucky Cornerback To Pick The Irish Bartleson — a speedy 6-1, 190-pounder from Danville (Ky.) Boyle County — chose Notre Dame over in- state schools Kentucky and Louisville, as well as Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM