Notre Dame picked up another verbal commitment for the recruiting class of 2013 on Wednesday in the form of Washington DC native cornerback/wide receiver Devin Butler.
Devin Butler (6’1″, 185 lbs) became the 10th verbal commitment in this year’s class and the second in the defensive backfield joining New Jersey native Rashad Kinslaw who committed to Notre Dame last week.
Butler comes from a very “Notre Dame” type background by attending a Catholic high school and that familiarity was one of the reasons that Butler decided on committing to Notre Dame according to an interview he gave to the Washington Post yesterday. “What I liked about Notre Dame was just the whole atmosphere of the campus. Going to a Catholic high school at Gonzaga I really feel enriched in Catholic tradition and going there it was abundant,” Butler said in the video interview. ” It was just an amazing feel and I felt like it was the right place for me to be academically, athletically, and spiritually,” he would add later.
The style of defense that Notre Dame plays was also a big selling point for Butler. “The defense has so much swagger with the way they play. It’s amazing, they just fly around, the coaches let them get after it. The coaches are so passionate about it – the whole program is just so passionate,” Butler told the Post.
Butler hopes to add to that swagger when he reports to campus next year as well. “Expect some hard hitting football because I’m going to get after it when I get up there. For sure. We’re going to be the #1 defense in the country.”
Before committing to Notre Dame, Butler picked up offers from Penn State, Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
Like most of the defensive backs that Brian Kelly, Bob Diaco, and staff have targeted over the last few recruiting cycles, Butler fits the profile of what they want in their corners to a tee – tall, lanky, physical corners who are not afraid to stick their nose in a pile and make a tackle.
With Butler and Kinslaw on board for this class, Notre Dame has a pair of physical corners, but will likely look to add at least another in this class – especially since both Kinslaw and Butler are very versatile athletes who could contribute elsewhere if need be as well.
The loss of Ronald Darby and Tee Shepard really set Notre Dame back at corner, but if the Notre Dame staff is able to hold on to both early corner commitments this year and and another elite corner, they will have done an excellent job of rebounding this year.
