Butler adds Boston College offer

Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward athlete Tony Butler saw his offer count run to 14 with a new tender from Boston College this week.

"Coach (Justin) Frye told me to call him right after practice," Butler said. "We talked for, I want to say, 30 minutes just about football and how I feel about the program. They are a high academic school just like the school I go to now is high on academics. Going into that system, it would be an easy transition. I think highly of them."

Although the recruitment by Boston College is just beginning, Butler already knows quite a bit about the program and school.

"I know they have high academics and are on the rise in the ACC," Butler said. "I have seen a few games and they had a nice running back who I saw go off in a couple games two years ago. I know they like big, physical guys so I think I would fit well in that program."

Another recent offer came through from Pittsburgh, and Butler plans to check out what new head coach Pat Narduzzi has going on with that program later this month.

"I am visiting Pitt on the 21st," Butler said. "It's an amazing feeling getting an offer from them because I was a huge fan of Michigan State and that defense, which was nasty. So, to see what (Narduzzi) did for that program and trying to transform Pitt, it gives me a (good) outlook and I am very, very interested in Pitt."

Deciding on which college he will attend is a process Butler plans to take out into his senior season.

"When I got my first offer from Toledo, I was looking to commit before the season," Butler said. "But, since everything has taken offer from then, I just feel like the best thing for me and my family is to wait it out a little bit, take my official visits and narrow it down to five or six before the season."

Butler played alongside several four-star seniors this past season at St. Edward, all of whom made early commitments before de-committing and selecting other schools. The three-star junior took note of those situations in determining how to handle his own recruitment.

"I learned a lot from the seniors," Butler said. "Talking with them about what to do and what not to do, they told me not to commit early because a lot of them did commit early then decommitted and they talked to me about how that affected them and how it affected their credibility."

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Butler could project to multiple positions in college. He played cornerback for St. Edward as a junior, but also has experience at wide receiver and is hearing different positions from different schools.

"It is split in half between corner and safety. Some coaches even like me at nickel back," Butler said. "I feel more comfortable at corner because I just learned it, but I am open to anything. I really want to play defense. Offense I kind of let go at the beginning of my junior year to focus on defense."

Butler finished his junior season with 27 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass break ups. He is ranked as the No. 64 athlete prospect in the 2016 class.