Battling Black: How Butler catalyzes the ASU defense, leads by example
On Wednesday afternoon, ASU defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez strolled into the media room of the Student-Athlete Facility at Sun Devil Stadium, fist bumping several reporters as he made his way to sit down and discuss his thoughts ahead of the No. 23 Sun Devils’ matchup with the No. 19 BYU Cougars on Saturday.
12 minutes into his availability, the former Minnesota Vikings' assistant defensive line coach gave insight to a preseason procedure that the ASU coaches participate in at the beginning of every season, as they rank who they consider to be the top 20 defensive players on the roster. For the first pick, the defensive line coach didn’t select the likes of graduate defensive end Tyler Johnson, LSU transfer defensive end Travez Moore or even senior defensive tackle Jermayne Lole (before his season ending triceps injury). Rodriguez’s number one overall pick was a guy outside of his own position group, senior linebacker Darien Butler. Rodriguez was a linebacker and a linebacker coach in his football past, after all.
“I’ll tell anyone who listens,” Rodriguez began. “We do that top 20 (defensive players) every year that we rank, and I almost stood up on the table. I made everybody laugh because before anyone even said anything, I was like,’20!’ It was Darien Butler to me. Even though I love Lole, Tyler, all of those guys, I have them up there. Darien Butler is a special type of player.”
In his third year as a captain, Butler is the heart and soul of the Sun Devil defense. He’s the focal point of a potent, experienced linebacker trio alongside graduate student Kyle Soelle and senior Merlin Robertson. Through just two games for ASU this season, Butler has already set himself apart from every other linebacker in the country, as he is the only player to record two sacks and two interceptions through the first two games of the season. The senior doesn’t let all the hype get to his head, though; he prefers to keep the rubber to the road and let his performances do the talking.
“I’m the type of leader that will show you rather than tell you how to do something,” he said. “People have been giving me a lot of credit (for the sacks and interceptions), but I feel like it’s the guys I got up front (who deserve it). My d-line and then the secondary on the back end, the way they lock up (helps). They help me to take advantage of the opportunities I’ve had. That’s all it really is.”
“As a leader, I understood that you can’t just talk and expect people to listen to you. You have to lead by your actions. You can’t tell someone to do something and then not do it yourself.”
Time and time again, whether it’s Rodriguez, head coach Herm Edwards or any player on the defensive side of the ball, Butler’s name naturally comes about when the Arizona State defense is discussed. His talents on the field have spoken for themselves through two weeks in 2021, yet it’s his ability to be a leader on and off the field that makes him special. When Butler goes, the entire defense follows.
Last Saturday against UNLV, redshirt freshman Rebels quarterback Doug Brumfield and his offense were giving the Sun Devils fits for the first 30 minutes of play. Arizona State was missing tackles, running upfield on the pass rush, and dropping easy opportunities for turnovers. At halftime, Edwards knew things needed to change for his defense to show its true identity. He looked to his tried and tested captain, whom he calls by his nickname, “D-Black” or “Black” for short, to get the job done.
“He was one of the guys coming into the third quarter that I looked to and said, ‘Okay, 2-0, let’s go. Let’s get (the defense) going now,’” Edwards explained postgame after the 37-10 victory. “His enthusiasm and his energy, it really gets us going.”
In years past at ASU, former wide receiver Frank Darby, currently with the Atlanta Falcons, was always viewed as the energy guy, sparking the locker room like a firework fuse on the Fourth of July. Nowadays with Darby in the NFL, Butler may have taken the torch, as his teammates can’t stop using the word “energy” when they discuss him.
“It’s the energy (that makes him special),” redshirt freshman linebacker Caleb McCullough said in August. “He just flies around. He’s not the biggest guy, but you know he’s going to fly around and get the energy up.”
“Playing against him in high school, I knew he was a dog,” redshirt freshman cornerback Macen Williams described. “Then I came here and playing with him; he’s even more of a dog than I realized. He’s crazy. I really look up to him. Just the overall energy he brings, it really sets the tone for us.”
Even the most experienced of players on the defensive side of the ball rave about Butler’s value, both to the team as a leader and to the defense as a linebacker.
“From a defensive standpoint, he means everything to us,” graduate cornerback and captain Chase Lucas proclaimed. “The first play is always Black. Black is doing something, whether it’s blitzing, covering a tight end, making a play on the ball… He’s really the reason why our defense, our whole team, is like this. He’s a three-year captain. I’m just happy and blessed to be playing with him again.”
Through two games, Butler leads the team in tackles with 13, tackles for loss with three for 13 yards, two sacks for 11 yards, and a pair of interceptions. To compare, Butler had 11 total tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, no sacks, and no interceptions against USC and UCLA in the first two games of 2020, albeit against much stiffer competition. Per PFF, Butler was the highest graded linebacker in the Pac-12, garnering a score of 79.2, ahead of his teammate Soelle and Utah junior linebacker Nephi Sewell.
The reason for Butler’s explosive start to 2021? His offseason. In August, Butler admitted he likes to snack, grill, and eat more than the average person, but his path to a more fit frame at linebacker began after spring practices were cut short due to the onset of COVID-19. Butler began to monitor his diet, work out and condition more than ever before, cutting out his beloved snacks to achieve his sleek, athletic frame that almost resembles the look of a safety in 2021.
“When you’re younger, college life is different. You want to see what college is all about,” Butler detailed, reminiscing on his younger days at ASU. “I would say I’m more focused and locked in on football than I’ve ever been in my life. I took it seriously this offseason; I did what I had to do (to improve) … I tried to get faster, cut the weight, and I’ve been eating a lot better. I cut some of the (bad) food out, and I’ve been working on my speed and changing things around.”
Butler’s commitment to his own improvement and the overall improvement of the team is one of several aspects of this ASU defense that makes the unit a very special one, one of the best in program history. Although ASU has only played two games thus far in 2021 if Butler continues to play with the vitality, pace, presence, and energy on the field and as a leader that he’s shown thus far; his name could be eternally etched in the Sun Devil Football history books
Rodriguez, who has seen that drive and desire at a pro level, understands and respects Butler’s professional attitude to the collegiate arena. He might also the biggest Darien Butler fan at Arizona State, so much so that if he had to go to war, all he’d need is No. 20 by his side.
“In the NFL, football is the player’s job. There’s this constant drive to be great,” Rodriguez recalled. “You can’t just expect kids to feel that way in college; sometimes they just want to be kids. I struggle with that because I want to coach greatness… When you run into guys like Darien, they have that drive. I thought as a player; I always enjoyed playing with those guys. As a coach, I love coaching them. With Darien, I don’t coach him, but he makes me feel better about my job.”
“I admire the kid. I think he has such a toughness to him. He’s such an intelligent guy, but the biggest thing I admire about that kid is through thick and thin, good and bad, that kid’s intensity is through the roof, and he doesn’t change. You can set your watch to that guy. If I’m in a fight, I love my d-line, but the first dude that I want there with me is No. 20 because I know that dude has my back, and he’s going to fight to the end.”
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