Every defensive lineman is back for Tennessee football this year, and this came down to a couple of guys. One is Darel Middleton, and the other is Matthew Butler. Those two plus Kurott Garland are the three who were only three-stars, and Middleton and Butler both played significantly last year. That eliminated Garland.
Two things eliminated Butler, and not just him being a junior college transfer. For starters, his arrest this offseason leaves his future in question. Secondly, however, he plays in the middle, which is loaded this year with Aubrey Solomon, Greg Emerson and even Emmit Gooden returning. The edges are a bit more open.
Despite Ja’Quain Blakely and LaTrell Bumphus both being four-star recruits, Butler is the guy who lines up on the line at the one defensive end spot most often. Last year, he led all linemen with 45 tackles, and he also had three tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks and two pass deflections. So the guy knew how to make plays all over the field.
As the top edge rusher who plays up front, Butler, who comes from North Carolina and was also in the 2017 class with very little hype, has emerged under Jeremy Pruitt more than he ever did under Butch Jones. The 6’4″ 289-pound lineman could have an amazing senior year, and that would make him another unheralded guy Jones found whom Pruitt developed.