Program Profile: Butler Bulldogs

The Butler Bulldogs underwent a major change this offseason when long-time Head Coach Brian Hales decided to step down from leading the program. A long search process brought the Bulldogs to name Glenwood Ferebee as their new head coach. If that name sounds familiar to you, Ferebee won two state championships at Chambers High School and took them to a 3rd state championship appearance during his tenure there a few short years ago. Ferebee is coming from being the Director of High School Relations at Virginia Tech University. Ferebee has installed his brother, Marcus, as his offensive coordinator - a former head coach in Virginia in his own right. Dre Cannon, a well-respected Defensive Coordinator, will be the DC for the Bulldogs. These Bulldogs have a good bit of talent on both sides of the football.   The Bulldogs will be led by now-long-time quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='351827' first='Zach' last='Lawrence']. Lawrence has been one of the most talented quarterbacks in the Charlotte-Metro area for the last couple of years. At 6'1 and 195 pounds, Lawrence does a good job of reading the field and putting the football where it needs to go, on time, and with good accuracy. Lawrence recently committed to the University of Massachusetts to play college football. It will be fun to see how Lawrence will operate under Ferebee - we have seen previous quarterbacks excel in distributing the football to multiple targets under his tutelage.   At the running back spot, [player_tooltip player_id='261210' first='Jayden' last='Williams'] will return as running back, coming off of an extremely productive season. Jayden totaled over 1700 scrimmage yards and 30 touchdowns last season. Jayden was named an All-Conference player for his exploits. At 5'10 and 195 pounds, Jayden is a true 3-down back. He has shown on both his highlights and in off-season camps/showcases that he can win consistently against linebackers in the passing game. Jayden excels in the run game with great vision and knows how to set up blocks and explode north & south off of them to gain yardage on the ground. Jayden has good speed in the open field and has excellent agility with the football in his hands. Antavius Carpenter has entered the Bulldogs program from Harding High School and has the capability to play running back, receiver, and possibly some defensive back for the Bulldogs in his senior year.   At wide receiver, it starts with [player_tooltip player_id='1094881' first='Dequadre' last='Currence'] for the Bulldogs. The Class of 2025 prospect stands at 5'10 and 160 pounds and lists a 4.48 40-yard dash time on his Twitter profile. Dequadre has been receiving some college recruiting attention, picking up offers from Fayetteville State, Gardner-Webb, and Lenoir-Rhyne in just this offseason alone. Dequadre can attack in all positions as a receiver - on the outside, he uses good route running combined with great agility to get off of press coverage and into his routes. Out of the slot, Dequadre is able to win against safeties and slot corners in man coverage, and also can be a run threat on jet sweeps and reverses. Dequadre is also dangerous in both the kick return and punt return game, as he is very elusive in open spaces. Another name to note at wide receiver would be Antonio Ferebee - yes, that is Coach Ferebee's son who is coming into the program from Georgia. Also, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1278649' first='Donovan' last='Pollard'] to make some plays - he has had some strong moments this summer in 7 on 7 action against other teams.   The Bulldogs' offensive line returns 3 key starters in [player_tooltip player_id='748240' first='Aidan' last='Cooper'], [player_tooltip player_id='1220149' first='Gabriel' last='Heard-Hernandez'], and [player_tooltip player_id='885118' first='Caleb' last='Scull']. Cooper is a 6'4 290-pound Class of 2025 prospect who has hit the summer camp circuit hard. Aidan does have an offer from Marshall and has college interest from several other schools. Heard-Hernandez is a player I like overall. I have observed him up close and he does not give ground at guard against defensive tackles in pass rush situations. At 6'4 and 295 pounds, Heard-Hernandez has offers from Virginia Tech, Temple, NC Central, Campbell, Maine, and Alabama A&M. Heard-Hernandez also has interest from other colleges in the Carolinas. Scull is a 5'11 250-pound Class of 2025 Center who shows good athleticism in the run game - he climbs second level and gets on linebackers using excellent technique. Having a senior center and a senior quarterback should make a very smooth transition offensively overall for the Bulldogs.   Defensively, the Bulldogs will have some impact players to note. Returning is EDGE player [player_tooltip player_id='693045' first='Ian' last='Coleman'], who has been a force for the last couple of years. The Class of 2025 prospect at 6'1 and 225 pounds was a dynamic pass rusher off of the edge, with 6 sacks, 19 quarterback hurries, and 14 tackles for loss last season. Coleman has offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Presbyterian, and Marshall currently. Joining Coleman on the defensive line is [player_tooltip player_id='693067' first='Jadyn' last='Farmer'], who I think is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the Charlotte Metro area. At 6'5 and 275 pounds, the Class of 2025 prospect has offers from Marshall, Troy, Connecticut, Charlotte, and Boston College. Farmer is a strong, run-stopping force on the interior of the defensive line. Farmer also uses that strength to shed blocks and get immediate pressure on quarterbacks in the pocket. Another name to note is [player_tooltip player_id='351828' first='Isaiah' last='Houston'] - at 6'2 and 215 pounds, he is an EDGE player with offers from Boston College and Charlotte. Houston does a good job of playing his role and not letting anything get outside of him on the edge in the run game. A name to keep an eye out on is [player_tooltip player_id='1332097' first='Connor' last='Fludd'] - the 6'2 285 pound defensive lineman comes into the program from Laney High School in Wilmington, and the Class of 2027 player has some good-looking film.   At the linebacker level, the Bulldogs will have to replace some talented players lost to graduation. One name to watch here is [player_tooltip player_id='733520' first='Dejon' last='Douglas'] - the Class of 2026 prospect stands at 6'1 and 190 pounds. Along with him, another name to watch for is Jordan Collins. Jordan is also a Class of 2026 prospect who is 6'1 and 185 pounds. Both players have been working hard this offseason and look to take advantage of an opportunity to make plays on one of the best teams in the state.   The defensive back position will have some talented guys in tow for the Bulldogs. Jeremy Nixon returns, coming off a season where he totaled 63 tackles, 7 passes defended, and 2 interceptions. Expect him to be a leader for the Bulldogs secondary. At 6'1 and 185 pounds, Jeremy has some college interest currently from multiple schools. The safety is an intelligent player who can play physically and set the tone for the Bulldogs defensively. Another name to take note of is [player_tooltip player_id='1607852' first='Anthony' last='McGill'] - the Class of 2027 prospect has some natural talent. Anthony shows excellent ball skills from his safety position on his highlight film and also shows good speed and agility in space. As a reminder, you can expect Currence and Carpenter mentioned earlier on offense to also help out some at times defensively.   In summary, the Bulldogs are a talented bunch, and you can't help but remember when Ferebee took over the Chambers program, they were a team that made playoff runs but were not in the championship games. Ferebee was able to get those Cougars over the hump, and the Butler leaders are banking on him being able to do the same with this group. The Bulldogs have a tough non-conference schedule, playing state powers such as Rolesville, Weddington, and Irmo out of South Carolina early in the season. The Bulldogs will be battle-tested for both conference play and in the state playoffs, and we will see if that will pay off for them in the end.

The Butler Bulldogs underwent a major change this offseason when long-time Head Coach Brian Hales decided to step down from leading the program. A long search process brought the Bulldogs to name Glenwood Ferebee as their new head coach. If that name sounds familiar to you, Ferebee won two state championships at Chambers High School and took them to a 3rd state championship appearance during his tenure there a few short years ago. Ferebee is coming from being the Director of High School Relations at Virginia Tech University. Ferebee has installed his brother, Marcus, as his offensive coordinator - a former head coach in Virginia in his own right. Dre Cannon, a well-respected Defensive Coordinator, will be the DC for the Bulldogs. These Bulldogs have a good bit of talent on both sides of the football.