Football Saved Terrance Butler, And Now He's Ready To Shine At Maryland
It was his junior year at Overlea High School (Baltimore, Md.), and Terrance Butler had never even considered playing football. And, quite honestly, Butler wasn’t even sure he’d have college in his future.
At the time, Butler was a 6-foot-3.5 wing at Overlea with little interest from basketball recruiters.
‘Growing up in Baltimore is tough. Things aren’t easy,” Butler said. “St. Frances saved me.”
Messay Hailemariam, an assistant football coach at the East Baltimore football and basketball powerhouse, saw Butler playing for his AAU team, Team Melo, back in 2019. Intrigued by Butler’s athleticism and length, Hailemariam broached the idea of coming to St. Frances and not only continuing his basketball career, but giving football a shot. Well aware of SFA’s reputation, it didn’t take Butler long to accept Hailemariam’s overtures.
“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Butler, who ended up re-classing to 2021 after arriving at St. Frances the next school year. “I had no idea if I was going to college or not, no idea what my future would be. But Coach Messay, I can honestly say he saved me. For real. When he brought me to St. Frances, it changed everything.”
That’s an understatement. Butler continued to hone his craft on the hardwood, and did receive his share of Division II interest after enrolling at St. Frances. But it was football that altered the landscape he had been carving. And it was football that led him to the University of Maryland, which he verbally committed to June 1.
Naturally, Butler had his share of difficulties shifting from the court to the gridiron. But his inherent athleticism, coupled with a desire to improve, grabbed the attention of the Panthers’ coaches.
“I remember my first football practice at St. Frances, it was in spring ball last year, and I’m going against these massive 300-pound offensive linemen. I’d gone against guys as tall, or taller, than me before, but I’d never had a 300-pound dude put his paws on me,” laughed Butler. “It was crazy. I definitely wasn’t afraid of the contact, and I didn’t back down from the physicality, but it’s a big adjustment going against guys that big and strong. Then learning all the plays and schemes? I mean, our defense is pretty complicated, and I’m still getting it down today. I still have a lot to learn. But I was able to get the basics down, and I put in the work in the weight room; in the film room; and on special teams.
“What really made me better, though, was just going against my own teammates every day. We have some of the best [recruits] in the country here, and to compete against them, and learn from them, each day, it pushes you. So by the summer, the coaches knew they had to get me on the field, at least as a pass rusher and on special teams. That gave me a lot of confidence, and at that point, I knew football could be my way out.”
Indeed it was. Shortly after working his way into the regular rotation, Butler received his very first scholarship offer. It came courtesy of former Maryland assistant and D.C. native Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who at that time was at UMass.
“I hadn’t played a lick of football,” laughed Butler. “I was totally shocked. Coach Aazaar comes to me work out last July and offers me right there. But I’d put in the work, and from there, things changed for me.”
Butler ended up procuring a few more lower Division I and I-AA offers following the UMass verbal. It was in October, though, after he’d played in his first real games at SFA, that he landed his initial power-five offer.
“Coach [Jim] Harbaugh from Michigan came down to watch a few of our other guys, and he saw me working out. He asked my coaches about me, and then offered me on the spot,” Butler said. “Again, I was shocked. I mean, Michigan was a big deal. And then [my recruitment] just took off from there.”
Boston College offered, Tennessee entered the mix, Syracuse came in, Michigan State anted up, Minnesota tossed its name into the hat, and eventually hometown Maryland became involved. The Terps invited Butler to a game last November, and head coach Mike Locksley extended the formal offer during the budding edge rusher’s visit.
“I remember it was a really cold day, but they kept asking me to come down, so I said, ‘Alright, it’s a free football game, I’ll go,’” Butler said. “So I went down there and Coach Joker [Phillips], my recruiter, he was talking to me and told me go talk to Coach Locks for a second. That’s when he told me he wanted to offer. When he said that, I mean, honestly I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to Maryland or not. But it meant a lot. If the hometown school doesn’t believe you, well, does anyone really believe in you? It’s hard to explain how I felt, but it was a big deal for me.”
From there, Butler continued to build his relationship with Phillips, as well as assistant and fellow Baltimorean Brawley Evans. Eventually, Butler came to bond with defensive line coach Brian Williams too. The St. Frances product counted those three coaches as his most ardent pursuers during the next few months.
“I really trusted those guys, and they became like mentors for me,” Butler said. “Me and Coach Brawley, we had a relationship before I even had an offer from Maryland. We used to joke around all the time, and, I’ve got to be honest, at first I had no idea that he worked for [the Terps]. I thought he was just some regular dude (laughs). The way we talked, it’s not how I would’ve talked to anyone I knew was a coach. So I was really comfortable with him, and it got to be that way with Coach Joker too. He kept it real from Day One with me, and his big thing has always been about developing me as a person and as a player. He’s been great. And Coach Williams, I really have enjoyed talking to him about football, the scheme and his plan for me. He’s been telling me for awhile now how much he’d love to work with me and help me grow as a player.”
Butler ended up trekking back to College Park to see the Maryland staff a couple times during the offseason. His last visit, before the COVID-19 shutdown, took place in early March. It was the only school he was able to see in person.
“I just had a great feel whenever I was at Maryland,” said Butler, who eventually narrowed down his college choices to UMD, Michigan State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Minnesota and FIU. “It’s hard to get a feel for a place if you don’t step foot [on campus] and see it in person. I didn’t get to go to some of the other places I wanted [due to the travel restrictions], but it was just a great feel at Maryland.”
Other than his relationship with the coaches, Butler knew several current Terps’ players. Plus, former teammate Ja’khi Green had signed with Maryland in the 2020 class, and two 2021 teammates, Zion Shockley and Joey Bearns, had already committed. It only helped Butler’s perception of the school that Maryland had a top 15 rated recruiting class, including six other touted defensive linemen.
“In my opinion, Maryland 2021 class is the best nationally right now,” Butler said. “And the defensive line, I mean, all of us have the ability to start dominating as freshmen. I’m already looking forward to building chemistry with those guys so we can all get on the same page before we even get to Maryland. We have a real chance to make history there.”
Even so, Butler wasn’t positive he’d be committing to UMD until late May. On the one hand, he did want to see what schools such as Michigan State had to offer. On the other, he loved everything about the Terps and didn’t want to let the opportunity go by the wayside.
“Each day during this shutdown I’d go back and forth about things. I was kind of like the angel on your right shoulder and the angel on your left shoulder. One is telling you to do one thing and the other is telling you to do another,” Butler said. “But it was [late May] when I realized I had to go with Maryland. The coaches are like family to me, I believe in what they’re doing there, and there’s nothing like helping to build up your hometown school.”
The Maryland defensive coaches envision Butler as a hybrid in their 3-4 scheme. He’s set to man the JACK spot, giving him a chance to both play with his hand in the dirt and drop back into a standup position on occasion.
“I love [the JACK] spot. As long as I get to rush the passer, that’s the main thing. I’ll do anything they ask, but I love rushing the passer,” Butler said. “I love watching Khalil Mack, and how he chases down guys and just wrecks backfields. I model myself after him.
“But I realize I need to work on a lot. My get-off has to be better, my hands have to be better, my moves have to improve, and I have to get down my technique. It’s a little bit of everything, but I believe in myself and believe in what I can do.”
If all goes according to plan, Butler would follow the same trajectory as another DMV basketball player-turned-football star. Butler said he’s met former DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and Ohio State standout Chase Young a couple times, and has his sights set on achieving the same accolades as the Washington Redskins’ first-round draft pick.
“Tell Chase Young,” Butler said, “He better watch out for me in a few years.”