Carr challenging Bartlett at bandit linebacker

After watching last season’s game against Virginia Tech, Jared Bartlett seemed to be West Virginia’s bandit linebacker of the future.

Three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery en route to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors put him on the radar of many. He ended the year with 31 total tackles as part of a “bandit by committee.”

Now, thanks to the growth of redshirt sophomore Lanell Carr, Bartlett’s starting role is anything but a sure thing — presenting the WVU coaching staff with one of the more intriguing position battles to watch heading into the fall.

“Both those guys are definitely making improvements, and we need them to,” head coach Neal Brown said.

With spring ball having come to a close on Saturday, it appears as if neither of the two has gained the edge. However, they are two very different players, possessing traits that are positives for one over the other.

Where Bartlett does lead is in experience. He enters his redshirt junior season this fall having played in 27 career games (three starts). He’s collected 59 total tackles in that time, including 6.5 behind the line of scrimmage.

This spring however, the name of the game was showing consistency.

“[He] has shown flashes throughout his career, [but] what we’ve wanted is to make some of the routine plays more frequently,” Brown said. “He’s doing that.”

Carr, despite his inexperience, has shown a tremendous skill in rushing the passer, with Brown saying he’s been the team’s best this spring.

“One of our most improved players defensively throughout the spring and, the reason we signed him, he has a natural knack to rush the passer, which is, a lot of times, such a natural thing,” defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “Awareness and their movements and things like that. The tools that they gain while they’re here, a lot of that for Lanell has been in his training and the offseason. His size, he’s gotta get stronger, I think he’s done that, because he’s gotta play stronger. That allows him to be a better pass rusher because he likes that style of pass rush — a little bit more of a power guy than a finesse guy. He’s had a phenomenal spring.”

Lesley recalled recruiting Carr out of De Smet Jesuit (Mo.) in the class of 2020, saying that he stood out right away. Now, Carr is showing obvious progression in adjusting to the next level.

“Lanell, I thought for what his skillset was, always kind of played with an edge, played with a little bit of a chip, was kind of an overachiever,” Lesley said. “The talent, the skillset for what we’re looking for, is definitely there. That was two years ago, so now you start to see the development. As the game starts to slow down, it’s really starting to pay-off this spring for Lanell.”

Brown echoed Lesley.

“He’s been a guy that we always knew had a lot of raw ability, and it’s just about being consistent in his daily habits,” Brown said. “You never know when the lights come on, and they’ve come on for him this spring, which has been encouraging.”

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