Notre Dame landed its second corner in the 2020 cycle when Landen Bartleson announced for the Irish today. The 6’1″, 190-pound Kentuckian is fresh off an official visit to South Bend; the official was Bartleson’s fourth visit, going back to November 2018. Bartleson is more of an athlete at this point who will need to develop as a corner; look no further than his recruiting service rankings below for evidence of his versatility. One service lists him as an athlete, another as a running back, another as a corner.

There are three key traits (drink!) Bartleson has that caught the staff’s attention: his frame, his athleticism, and his personality. He may need time to develop, but he has everything he needs to have a high ceiling.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247Sports Composite — 3 star (.8566), #864 overall, #62 ATH, #10 in KY

247Sports — 3 star (88 rating), #475 overall, #39 ATH, #5 in KY

Rivals — 3 star (5.6 rating), NR overall, NR CB, #11 in KY

ESPN — 3 star (76 rating), NR overall, #54 RB, #7 in KY

Irish Sports Daily — 3 star (88 rating)

Cohort

In addition to Notre Dame, Bartleson holds offers from Colorado, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Highlights

It’s tough to evaluate Landen Bartleson as a corner based on this film; only the first play shows him on defense, and there’s not much to see there. I do see excellent agility, good acceleration, and plus elusiveness. I don’t think his long speed is remarkable for a skill position guy, although he sports a PR of 11.08 in the 100M so I could be wrong about that. Regardless, that’s not really a problem if he gets his technique squared away. He has the athleticism to be a quality defender and, by all accounts, the makeup to want it. I’m cautiously optimistic as to where his ceiling lies.

Impact

Barring catastrophe (knock on wood), Bartleson won’t be needed in a meaningful role in 2020. Corner is a clear position of need in this class, but an immediate contribution is more of a luxury. That’s good, because Bartleson will need time to learn the position. He’s skinny and will need to add probably 10-15 pounds, so the ramp-up will be about both mental and physical adjustments. I could see him getting on the field some as a sophomore and contributing for real as a junior. It’s also worth noting that his frame will let the staff give him a look at free safety if needed.

Welcome to the Irish family, Landen!