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Offers piling up for Butts

Defensive end Evan Butts of Newtown Square (Pa.) Episcopal Academy had remained relatively under the radar until recent weeks. But now with more than ten offers, the big junior is planning several visits with the hopes of adding even more options.
"Things have really picked up," said Butts, who is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. "I have 11 offers so far and other big schools like Virginia, Duke, Boston College, Syracuse and Stanford are showing some good interest."
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The most recent offers for Butts came in from Buffalo and Army. They join previous offers from schools like Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Ohio, UMass and Florida Atlantic.
"It feels really good to finally get some attention," he said. "A lot of schools say how much they love my versatility and I think that is huge for some schools in that I can play on either side of the ball."
Butts has already taken several visits, including Duke last summer, Virginia for a junior day, and then additional visits to Boston College, Temple, Rutgers and William & Mary. He mentioned that he would still like to visit Stanford, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt, as well as return visits to both Virginia and Duke.
"I'm still planning my camp circuit, but I know that I'm definitely going to Duke, Virginia and Temple," said Butts. "I may take visits to Pitt and Rutgers again, and maybe camp or a visit at Wake, BC and Syracuse too."
Butts believes that he still has a lot to prove at any camp he attends.
"I want to prove that I can do it all," he said. "I want to prove that I can block a big defensive lineman, while also beating out a corner or back in the 1-on-1 passing drills. I think schools still haven't completely looked into me yet, but I've made big strides this off-season. I've put on some muscle and I'm getting faster."
During his off-season, Butts has worked on a few specific aspects of his game.
"I've been working on blocking technique for about a month, maybe more now," said Butts. "I've been doing this with a past NFL lineman and West Virginia alum, Greg Isdaner. I've also been working on my routes."
Earlier, Butts mentioned that his versatility is one of the intriguing parts of his game. He was asked if he would prefer to play either defensive end or tight end at the next level.
"I really love playing both and will play wherever I'm needed," he said. "If I could, I'd play both sides but I'm not really sure if my coach at the next level would allow that."
With a majority of his interest and offers coming within the last month, Butts is taking a wait and see approach when it comes to making a final decision.
"I have no idea yet," he said. "I still want to play things out and see what schools show more interest and if any more offers come in, but no real time table set. It could be next week or it could be in a couple of months. I have no idea."
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