KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee defensive lineman Matthew Butler has been named to the 2021 SEC Football Community Service team, which is compiled of athletes from each school who gives back to their community through their service.
He’s also been nominated for the annual Wuerffel Trophy given to the college football player who, “best combines exemplary community service with athletic and athletic achievement” as well as the NFL Foundation’s William V. Campbell Award which has been nicknamed the ‘Academic Heisman.’
Butler has been an anchor for the Volunteers defense and the entire program. He’s volunteered with a number of organizations and fundraising events throughout his time in Knoxville. Some of those organizations are Emerald Youth Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Clinic, Race Against Racism, Read to Lead and the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
They added he was a member of the VOLeaders Academy 4.0 cohort that went to Rwanda for a cultural immersion and service trip in 2019. For his super senior season in 2021, Butler leads the defensive line with 43 total tackles, second on the team with 5 sacks and 6 quarterback hurries.
His dominance on the field transferred over to the classroom as well, Butler received a 2021 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, he’s a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honoree. After finishing his undergraduate degree in the winter of 2020, he’s working on his master’s in political science.
