St. Frances DE Terrance Butler Breaks Down Decision

Maryland's latest pledge breaks down his commitment.

Maryland’s recruiting efforts in the front seven has added the key pieces to help restore the pass-rush and on Monday, St. Frances (Md.) defensive end Terrance Butler became the latest to join the fold. For months, it seemed that it was Maryland that solidified themselves as the clear team to beat as the Baltimore native made his way to College Park countless times, dating back to last fall when several St. Frances prospects took in the week two win over Syracuse. But for Butler, the inability to venture to more schools in his top six caused hesitancy for a commitment timeline.

Butler kept an open mind heading into summer, though, and released his top six of Florida International, Maryland Michigan State, Minnesota, Syracuse and Minnesota earlier this month. But the NCAA’s decision to extend the dead period until July 31 cause Butler to reconsider. “When I realized schools and campuses weren’t reopening for us to be able to visit, that’s when I started to realize this could be the one for me,” Butler told All Terrapins.

Butler went public with his pledge on Monday afternoon, a decision that came with ease. “Just everything about it. The coaching staff, speaking with a lot of the players, the other commits. I always felt like I was a part of the team, so it was time to be a part of it already.” Butler now joins a pair of teammates, defensive end Zion Shockley and tight end Joseph Bearns, as the familiarity with his future teammates put him at ease. “It’s not like I’m going to have to break out of my shell to fit into another culture because this culture, we all had similar cultures coming from different cities and I feel like being local, it makes it comfortable.”

Butler is the latest to represent an almost-exclusive DMV commit list for head coach Mike Locksley and company. It’s a message that Maryland has preached for years, but the 2021 returns for the Terps have proved that Locksley’s vision to rebuild the program continues to come to fruition.

“We’re going to have fun, that’s number one. It’s fun when you win, not when you lose, so I believe us and the other commits, the other players are going to help Maryland win, so it’s going to be fun.”