Successful football teams are rarely one-dimensional.
Tiffin University's 2019 football team boasted an offense that gave their opponents fits, with a devastating rushing and passing attack that totaled a GMAC-best 43.2 points per game.
The list of weapons at Head Coach Cris Reisert's disposal filled up the All GMAC team after the season, with 10 players landing selection to the All Conference offensive team.
But only one player from that group landed First Team honors at two different positions.
Devin Butler was a First Team pick at wide receiver while also landing the honor at kick returner.
Butler, a native of District Heights, Maryland, enjoyed a standout prep career at Frederick Douglass High School after which he was ranked 61st in the Class of 2016 by ESPN. That success led him to Syracuse University, where he played 29 games, starting 14 of them at wide receiver.
The desire to have a larger role led him to look elsewhere, and Reisert soon became aware of an opportunity to improve his program.
"A friend I worked with previously was at Syracuse and let me know that Devin was looking elsewhere," Reisert recalled. "I actively recruited him to come to TU at that point."
"Coach Reisert had big plans for the program and he really sold the program to me," said Butler. "I wanted to be a part of what was being built at Tiffin."
Butler came into the 2019 season with big expectations but things got off to a slower start than he had hoped for.
"Our offense was so good that we spread it around," Butler said. "We had weapons everywhere and were dangerous. We looked for who had the hot hand, and there were a lot of choices we could make. So personally I got off to a slower start than I would have liked."
"Devin is definitely an impact player," said Reisert. "So we tried to find ways to get the ball in his hands. He made strides throughout the year to improve, and his contributions on special teams made him even more important to our attack."
Butler made his mark as a kick returner, becoming one of the best Division II return specialists in the nation. Butler averaged 27.3 yards per kick return on 19 attempts, an average that was good enough for 10th nationally. He was one of just eight players in Division II with multiple kick return TDs, tied for second nationally with two on the year.
"Some players aren't wild about special teams but I looked at it as a chance for me to have an impact," said Butler. "If you are good at special teams it adds a whole different level to your game."
"He is a great special teams player," said Reisert. "It isn't just his ability on kick returns but his willingness to do anything that is asked of him. He is always one of the first players in on tackles during the return game as well. It reflects his overall attitude. He leads by example and is very intense. He holds himself to a high standard."
As the year progressed, Butler became just as dangerous as a wide receiver. Overall Devin caught 56 passes for 679 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 61.7 ypg. He was named D2CCA First Team All Super Region 1, Don Hansen Third Team All Region, and First Team All GMAC at both wide receiver and kick returner. He was also in the top 6 in the conference in receiving, ranking sixth with 60.6 yards per game on 54 catches and 6 touchdowns.
"Personally I think I could have had a better year but the way we finished as a team got us national attention," said Butler. "It made us aware of how far we could go, and we want to surpass that moving forward."
The eager anticipation for the 2020 season has been delayed somewhat due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Football season has been moved to spring of 2021, creating a very different environment for players and coaches this fall.
"It was tough last spring dealing with the pandemic when it first hit," said Butler. "Everything shut down and I ended up losing weight. I had to gain it all back. It is tough not getting to suit up and play every Saturday during the fall, and we are working with smaller groups in practice. But the individual attention we are getting is allowing us to fix things fundamentally. We also get to do much more film study than normal."
"We have had to adapt this fall and are doing much more personalized coaching," said Reisert. "We are emphasizing fundamentals more than ever. We are able to break down exactly how to play a position. It gives each player the chance to improve at their position. We can get into instructing the pure form of football with heavy repetition and extreme detail."
For Butler and the Dragons, the goals continue to revolve around national achievements.
"My personal goal is to get this team as close as we can to a national championship," said Butler. "We need to take this offseason more seriously than ever before."
"My goals for Devin are for him to play a key role in the team's success and hopefully reach All American status," said Reisert. "He is very thoughtful off the field and electric on it. Many players respect him for his attitude, and it makes him a vital part of our team."