JUCO football is where many players take a chance to not only grow as a player, but as a person. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got his college football career started in the JUCO ranks at Butte Community College before putting together a masterful career at the University of California.
2016 NFL Draft prospect Larry Butler III, middle linebacker from Southern Nazarene University, took the JUCO route, playing at Eastern Arizona, and now making a name for him and SNU. At Eastern Arizona, he was ranked the third best junior college linebacker in the nation and rated a three-star prospect by both ESPNU and 247Sports.
The Baton Rouge native then took his talents to D-II Southern Nazarene University to play for the Crimson Storm, where he has taken his game to another level. He is 6-foot-1, 245 lbs. and is a prototypical middle linebacker that you want leading your defense. He is a tackling machine, versatile and a leader.
Butler III spoke to us about being a team player on defense and making plays.
“Yes sir, me as a middle linebacker, I feel like any defensive player, you should have that mindset like I’m going to make every play, I’m going to be on every play, around the ball constantly.”
His statistics back up his playmaking ability as this past season he finished with 93 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
“I definitely take pride in trying to be first to the ball on every single play. I play with passion and intensity, I feel like as a middle linebacker, your whole defense, team feeds off of that,” he said.
Watch the film. The proof is in the pudding as Butler III is a budding star in the making. One constant strength of Butler III is his passion for the game as he definitely loves it and wants to make an impact in the NFL.
“My overall passion and intensity for the game, I don’t feel like a lot of people love the game like I love the game. You know they enjoy it, but this my life, I really don’t see myself doing much of anything else in life but play football.”
Butler III definitely loves the game of football, and it shows on the field with his play. He has racked up many accolades such as being named second team to the 2014 FCS/D2 All-American team, and many publications named him an All-American.
But despite the numerous accolades, Butler III just wants to leave a legacy at SNU and the next level.
“I just want to continue to play the game of football as long as God blesses me to do so, I want to leave a legacy at Southern Nazarene,” he said.
When it comes to his motivation, Butler III wants to impact people’s lives and help his family out as well.
“My motivation is to be the greatest player of all time, that’s my mindset. My motivation comes from inside my heart; I just want to inspire people. I want to have an impact on people’s lives.”
Larry Butler III is a great person on and off the field, and he is definitely a player we should keep eye on at Southern Nazarene University because it does not matter where you start, it’s where you finish. He is just a big time small school middle linebacker with NFL dreams that is trying to leave his mark.
If you missed my interview with Butler III, you can check it out below:
You can also check out Butler III’s highlight video below as well:
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