Only two years of playing and already on the radar for WR McArthur

It isn’t often we get submissions for players who haven’t been playing football for over three years, but when Landon McArthur’s name was sent my way, I was curious to learn more.

I was surprised when he said that he only had 5 minutes notice from his Mom that he was starting spring training. Landon was changing schools for a certain academic program and he was a bit unnerved as he had never played football before and didn’t know any of the other players. Two years later, the 5-foot-10 and 150-pound receiver/slotback was named the 2015 Rookie of the Year, and 2016 MVP for Langley Secondary School (LSS) in the British Columbia High School Football Association.

For Landon, football is the totality of an all encompassing resume of talent and skill. “Football is a venue to put all my strengths into one arena: speed, agility, strength, game awareness, and leadership,” he commented.

LSS made it to the semi-finals last season of the BC Subway Bowl and it was one of Landon’s best football experiences so far. He is looking forward to getting back to the provincial championships, and he wants to increase his leadership role this upcoming season.

“I look forward to taking on a leadership role and challenging my teammates to work hard and excel by example,” he explained. “I plan on dominating the opposition and bringing an “always compete” attitude on the field for practice and games.”

With his speed and football IQ, McArthur said that he likes to “foil the defense use my speed to fly past defenders” when speaking about his position. He tries to emulate his play after NFLers, Wes Welker and Cole Beasley, as they are comparable in size to Landon and use their speed to make space for themselves.

McArthur is proving to be a quick study. This young athlete played inside in the slot and outside at receiver and seems to make plays at both positions. He’s a fluid athlete who will have a high ceiling as he has really started to focus on improving his game the last two years. As he develops as a football player, it’ll be interesting to see how this natural athlete will pick up the game. It’s also important to note, that McArthur is a legitimate kicking prospect. I think he has potential as both slot receiver and as a kicker. Not a bad combination for any team.

McArthur has plans to continue playing at the university level and is interested in studying Design or Community Planning. He has visited the University of Oregon as they have a great product design program and facilities as well as SFU. SFU is close to home and Landon really enjoyed working with the new receiver coach, Paris Jackson. He is also considering the University of Alberta as it has an Industrial Design Program and he would like to develop under Coach Morris. Lastly, UBC is another school he is looking at as they will have a new Bachelor of Design program (2018) and it’s close to home.

He has yet to commit anywhere and has had to catch up, so to speak, as he only started playing football his sophomore year and hasn’t been noticed – until now.

“Because I started football in my sophomore year and have very quickly developed a passion for the game, I started to consider playing at the next level this past March,” he said. “I am just starting to attend camps and promote myself.” He did attend the NW Elite Football Camp this past spring.

Landon recognizes that these are high level goals and will do what it takes to get there. He has been training hard and will continue to develop his football skills so that he is able to contribute to his team with both his attitude and skill.

“Since February, I have been very disciplined with my diet, homework, weights, and speed and agility training. I have been training 4-5 times a week with Kevin Phillips at Gridiron Performance at Elevation Fitness and keeping a very disciplined schedule,” he said.

Keeping his parents busy getting him to all these training sessions, being the moral and physical support McArthur needs in order to carry out his future plans, he said, “My parents both competed at elite levels in sports and have encouraged me to always compete in everything I do whether school, work, or sports.”

He also credits the LSS football program for encouraging him to challenge himself and to be a leader both on and off the field.

“[LSS] has given me fantastic football experience and a new passion,” he added.

Two years isn’t a long time to get up to speed, but clearly, this young athlete has arrived and is already being seen as a leader and someone to follow.

 

Landon McArthur (#1)
Receiver, Slotback, Kicker
5’10, 150lbs

Teams: Langley Secondary School
Official visits: none
Unofficial visits: NW Elite Football Camp, The University of Oregon, SFU
Considerations: open
Commitment: none
Class: 2018