2. Matthew Butler, DL
Just like with the offensive line, the Vols’ defensive line was an area that got a lot of attention this offseason. Tennessee lost all three starters and a fourth senior off the bench from last season, so UT’s defensive line is going to look drastically different this season. Most fans were talking about Michigan transfer Aubrey Solomon, returning lineman Emmit Gooden, and the possibility of rising sophomore John Mincey making a jump.
Few expected Matthew Butler to rise to the occasion, but he certainly did just that this spring.
Butler was a borderline four-star prospect out of North Carolina coming out of high school, but he failed to make much of an impact his first two years on campus. He appeared in eight games as a freshman and made four tackles and half a tackle for loss, and he saw action in nine games last season and totaled 13 tackles and a tackle for loss.
This spring, Butler emerged as a potential key piece for the Vols along the defensive line, earning a start alongside Solomon and Gooden on the first team defensive line in the Orange & White Game.
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman made the most of his start, getting two tackles and a sack.
With JUCO defensive linemen Savion Williams and Darel Middleton joining the fray over the summer, Butler will have to continue to impress to earn a starting role this fall. But Butler clearly was one of the biggest standouts for Tennessee on defense this spring.
