Tennessee football: Top 10 out-of-state Vols on 2020 roster

Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.

Last year, Tennessee football had to replace its entire defensive line, and that included the loss of the one key defensive end who plays on the line, Kyle Phillips. Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley decided to run a by-committee system there as a result with Matthew Butler, Ja’Quain Blakely and LaTrell Bumphus all spending time at end with help from John Mincey.

Butler, however, was clearly the standout performer. Given the way he has been recruiting, Pruitt has clearly tried to return UT to a program that gets elite talent out of North Carolina, which is was known to do at a high level in the 1990s with guys like Shawn Bryson and Leonard Little. With Mack Brown now taking over the UNC Tar Heels, it’s even more important for those guys to shine.

Well, at 6’4″ 289 pounds, Butler certainly proved his value last year. He was the top producer of those defensive ends with 45 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks and two pass deflections. The Garner Senior High School product is now entering 2020 with the chance to emerge as one of the top playmakers on defense.

One of the reasons Butler didn’t make more splash plays last year was because the defensive tackles needed more time to develop early on. Pruitt had to replace both of his starters there too and also lost Emmit Gooden to a season-ending injury. This year, though, all of them are more experienced, so Butler is in prime position to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.