Evan Butts
Position: TE
Hometown (School): Newtown Square, PA (Episcopal Academy)
Height/Weight: 6'4" 225 lbs
Committed to Virginia: 06/23/13
Lead Recruiter: Tom O'Brien/Steve Fairchild
The final B in this class full of B's is TE Evan Butts. Butts is a TE in a similar mold to some other TEs the Hoos have had recently. He's not overly big and he's not overly fast, but he's a football player.
Butts still has to develop his body, as right now he's simply too small to play at this level. He isn't fast enough to play on the outside and get open, and he'd struggle as an in-line TE. Luckily the Hoos have plenty of options at TE, so Butts will be afforded a redshirt year.
Here is Butts' senior highlight reel:
You'll notice that Butts lines up all over the formation. He's split out, he's in-line, he's at H-back. He possesses pretty good speed for a guy his size, and also has route running skills that are pretty advanced for such a young kid. He shows the ability to be decent blocker in space, but likely wouldn't be able to hold off a bigger DE. What really jumps out is his hands. Anybody who's watched the Hoos the past few years knows that dropped passes have killed more drives than we can count. Butts simply doesn't drop passes. He has great hands, he can go up and get it, and is willing to take a hit when he does grab it.
Give Butts a year in the weight room, and developing his blocking skills and Butts will be pushing for time at TE as a redshirt freshman. He'll start out as a situational guy in passing situations, but he could be good there. In another couple of years, Butts could be a complete TE if he works hard enough.
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