One year after landing one of Utah's top defensive lineman, T.J. Fehoko, on signing day, Washington State has dipped back into the Beehive State to grab another talented pass rusher.
Lyric Bartley, a defensive end prospect out of Salt Lake City, Utah, wrapped up his recruitment Wednesday by officially signing his national letter of intent. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound lineman committed while on an official visit in December.
The Taylorsville standout picked up an offer from Washington State in early October and eventually committed to the Cougars over offers from Nevada, Utah State, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Wyoming. Two days after his commitment, Pac-12 foe Utah extended an offer to Bartley, though it was a little too late — he was 100 percent committed to primary recruiter Joe Salave'a.
Bartley is a composite three-star prospect according to the four major recruiting services. The 247 Sports composite ranks him the No. 84 weakside defensive end in the 2016 class and Rivals lists him as the No. 16 prospect in Utah.
Another Polynesian prospect with bloodlines to American Samoa, Bartley is an aggressive pass rusher off the edge. As a senior, he finished with 13.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, finishing his career with 21.5 and 43, respectively. An athletic freak, Bartley also saw significant snaps at quarterback over two varsity seasons.
Bartley is one of the gems of this class, and he'll arrive at a position of need, likely slotted to play a similar role to Darryl Paulo. However, he'll need to add some weight, so a redshirt season is likely, but Bartley is an exciting prospect.
Scouting report
Bartley has a relentless motor. Fairly easily overpowered his competition with both speed and strength. Did most of his damage as a stand-up rush end, but has some great highlights taking on blocks and coming down the line. Guy has some serious boom to his hits too, punishing finisher. His current shape is pretty similar to Kache Palacio, but he has the frame to add another 15 or so pounds and play defensive end rather than rush end. Bartley is a really exciting prospect, it'll be interesting to see where the staff tries to utilize him.
Rankings
Rivals — ★★★
Scout — ★★★
247 Sports — ★★★
ESPN — ★★★
Measurables (Rivals)
Position — DE
Hometown — Salt Lake City, Utah
Height — 6-foot-4
Weight — 245 pounds