ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- ESPN 300 defensive end Andrew Butcher was presented with his Under Armour All-America Game jersey on Thursday in a ceremony sponsored by America Family. The ceremony took place on the field at Alpharetta High School with a large crowd of family members, teammates, students, faculty members and the entire Alpharetta coaching staff looking on.
Alpharetta High head coach Jacob Nichols said the latest heavily recruited prospect out of the school is a very mature and focused athlete and student.
“He’s a great kid, a very hard working kid and his parents have done a very good job instilling all those values in him,” Nichols said. “He’s never the kind of kid you have to worry about. He’s all about business, very mature for his age and is focused on what he wants to do in the future.”
On the field, the No. 67 prospect in the ESPN 300 plays the game with a relentless attitude and motor.
“Well obviously, he’s got good size and great strength. He’s a very hard worker, but beyond that he plays like an animal," Nichols said. "He’s a very hard worker, he gets after it on every play and you never have to worry about loafing. He’s one of those kids that plays at full speed, and he only knows one speed. That is what you get out of him every time. He certainly makes my job easier, and our defensive coaches job easier because of the type of effort he plays with every down.”
Butcher committed to Tennessee in June 2013 and has remained 100 percent solid with his pledge ever since. He entertained offers from Stanford and Notre Dame seriously before deciding on the Volunteers.
#Vols commit @ButcherAndrew1 receiving 2015 Under Armour All-America Game jersey at Alpharetta High. https://t.co/qCzSyyNGDn
— Gerry Hamilton (@HamiltonESPN) September 11, 2014Eight questions with Andrew Butcher
Who is one player you are looking forward to competing against?
Butcher: I’m probably looking forward most to going against Jack Jones so I can shut him up with all his trash talking [laughing]. We are going to be going at it in practice every day there.
If you were to start a team with any other player in your class, who would it be?
Butcher: Probably Kahlil McKenzie because it’s another defensive tackle on the defensive line that could take up a double team and allow me to wreak havoc on the outside. That would be nice.
Who is the best player to ever play in the Under Armour game that you know of?
Butcher: I would probably go [Jadeveon] Clowney because he is just a freak of nature.
What is your earliest football memory? What about college football?
Butcher: Winning the championship in my first year [youth league] at six years old. It’s my only championship, and I really want to change that. College football was Clemson games. I always went to Clemson games because my dad played at Clemson, and I grew up a Clemson fan from when I was really young.
Which football player did you idolize or be like when you were a kid?
Butcher: Probably Da'Quan Bowers. I was just starting to play defensive end when he was coming up, and I just wanted to play like him and be dominant in high school and get drafted in the NFL.
If you could take on any pro player in their sport, who would it be?
Butcher: I don’t really know offensive linemen in the NFL because they don’t get much hype. I will say I would like to sack Drew Brees and Tom Brady. That would be nice.
What number do you wear and why?
Butcher: I wear 58. I got assigned it coming in my freshman year. I didn’t have a choice, I was assigned it, but I have made it my own and if it’s available on the next level I will try to wear it.
What is the one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Butcher: I’m a member of the Georgia Big Foot society. I don’t think many people would know that. It’s just a society my dad signed me up for. There are meetings, but I have never been to one [laughing].