| Deon Butler |
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Deon Butler's mother, Valerie, had a favorite saying for he and his brother, Lee, growing up, "Reach for the moon, and even if you miss, you'll be a star." Butler, a former walk-on defensive back, has made those words prophetic in his initial two years as a Nittany Lion, bursting onto the college football landscape as one of the most productive and reliable receivers in the Big Ten. Butler delivered one of the top individual performances in the 120 years of the Penn State program against Northwestern during the 2006 season. On the first play of the game, Butler caught a 40-yard pass from Anthony Morelli, the first sign of bigger things to come. Hauling in a career-best 11 receptions, including gains of 40, 49, and 55 yards (a career-long), Butler rewrote the Penn State record with 216 yards and became just the third Nittany Lion to post 200 or more receiving yards in a game. Humble with an easy-going demeanor and wide smile, Butler again was thankful he eschewed advice from Lee to take a scholarship offer at a smaller school when major college programs stayed away following an all-state senior campaign at Hylton HS. Lee had spent two fruitless years training before finally earning a walk-on spot on the Miami Hurricane basketball team (his eligibility expired in 2006 after two seasons on the team) and didn't want to see his younger brother go through the same. Butler accepted an invitation to walk-on as a defensive back at Penn State anyway, and, after spending a year on the foreign team, his athleticism and 4.40 speed prompted a scholarship and a switch to wide receiver. He responded by breaking four school freshman records, including season receptions (37), receiving yards in a game (125 vs. Wisconsin) and season (691) and touchdown catches (nine). The huge game against Northwestern highlighted Butler's redshirt sophomore season, which saw him lead the Nittany Lions in receptions for the second consecutive year, and move to the brink of cracking the top 10 in school career receptions and receiving yardage. He made 48 receptions for 637 yards (13.3) and two touchdowns to earn honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition. The athletic and sure-handed Butler is a vital component of one of the most talented and productive group of receivers to ever don the blue and white, with the 2007 unit ranked No. 2 in the nation by The Sporting News. Butler joined classmates Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams to form the first trio of Nittany Lions to each make at least 40 receptions in a season. A Biletnikoff Award candidate, the former Washington Post All-Met honoree is a "field-stretcher" noted for his attention to route running. The talented and intelligent player stands 12th all-time for school career receiving yards with 1,328 and is 13th with 85 career receptions. A post-season honors candidate, Butler has 11 receiving touchdowns in two seasons, moving him into a tie for sixth on the Penn State career charts. He is a dependable target capable of making a big play with each reception, whether it be a streaking over-the-shoulder catch, a diving or leaping grab in the end zone or finding a seam across the middle. Butler is one of six Nittany Lions from Virginia and among 10 returnees who played prep football in metropolitan Washington, D.C
2006 Junior
A starter in 12 games, Butler was the Nittany Lions' leading receiver for the second consecutive season. He made 48 receptions for 637 yards (13.3) and two touchdowns to earn honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition. His 48 catches were tied for sixth all-time in a season at Penn State. He joined classmates Jordan Norwood (45) and Derrick Williams (40) in becoming the first triumvirate in school history to each make 40 receptions in a season. He was third on the squad with 634 all-purpose yards. Butler and quarterback Anthony Morelli were in a zone when Northwestern visited for the Big Ten-opener and the wideout delivered one of the top individual performances in program history. On the first play of the game, Butler caught a 40-yard reception, the initial sign of bigger things to come. Hauling in a career-best 11 receptions, including gains of 40, 49, and 55 yards (a career-long), Butler rewrote the Penn State game receiving record with 216 yards. His performance broke O.J. McDuffie's mark of 212 yards (on 11 catches) set against Boston College in 1992 and he became just the third Lion to post 200-plus yards receiving in a game, joining McDuffie and Bobby Engram, who did it twice. Butler's 11 catches also tied McDuffie for second-most by a Nittany Lion in a game. He got in the groove with Morelli right away, making a 42-yard touchdown catch on Morelli's first pass in the opener with Akron. In the battle at No. 4 Notre Dame, Butler caught two balls for 14 yards, including a two-yard touchdown catch, moving him into a tie for sixth on the Penn State career charts with 11 receiving touchdowns. Butler made a team-high six receptions for 66 yards in the overtime win at Minnesota and posted a game-high five receptions for 65 yards against Illinois. He made five catches at Wisconsin and four in the Senior Day win over Michigan State. On the first play of the Outback Bowl victory over Tennessee, he made a 27-yard catch and later added a leaping 31-yard sideline grab to the Tennessee two to set up a Morelli TD pass to Andrew Quarless. Butler made three catches for 73 yards in the win over the No. 17 Volunteers. He was on the field for 638 snaps during the season, topped by 66 at Minnesota.
2005 Sophomore Season
It was a breakout season for Butler, who led Penn State with 37 receptions for 691 yards and nine touchdowns, tied for fourth-highest overall on the school season list. He broke four school freshman records, including season receptions (37), receiving yards in a game (125 vs. Wisconsin) and season (691) and TD catches (nine). His 18.7 yards per catch average was tops among players with 10 or more receptions and he posted 11 catches of 20 yards or longer (seven for TDs). For his efforts, he was named a third-team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News and earned a spot on TSN's Freshman All-Big Ten team. Butler also was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice. His nine touchdown catches were the third-highest in the Big Ten and the most for a Nittany Lion since Joe Jurevicius had 10 in 1997. He had five catches of more than 40 yards (five for TDs). Butler moved into the starting lineup in the third game and started eight contests. His first collegiate reception was a 28-yarder against Cincinnati and he ended the day with two catches for 73 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown. In his first start, against Central Michigan, he made five receptions for 108 yards and two scores to tie Kyle Brady's school freshman mark for TD receptions in a game. It also was the first 100-yard game by a Lion receiver since 2003. He made it three straight games with a TD when he hauled in a 26-yarder in the comeback win at Northwestern. He made a season-high six catches against Minnesota (83 yards) and had four receptions for 95 yards and a pair of scores in one half of play at Illinois. Butler made five grabs for a career-best 125 yards in the 35-14 win over Wisconsin, with TD catches of 43 and 47 yards from Michael Robinson, the third of his multiple-TD games on the year. His 125 yards against the Badgers broke the school freshman receiving yardage mark. Butler contributed four receptions for 46 yards and a TD in the Big Ten-clinching win at Michigan State. He was on the field for 550 plays, including a season-high 72 in the FedEx Orange Bowl win over Florida State.
2004 Freshman Season
Redshirt Season.
High School
Butler was a three-sport standout at Hylton HS in suburban Washington, D.C. A four-year football letterman for Coach Lou Sorrentino, he also lettered four years in basketball and as a senior sprinter on the track and field team. Establishing himself as one of Virginia's top receivers, he was an all-state pick as a senior, helping lead Hylton to the Virginia Class AAA state championship. Butler also was an all-met, all-district and all-area selection and team captain. Butler made 41 receptions for 1,029 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. He also had 26 kick returns for 763 yards and two touchdowns. A two-way starter, Butler recorded 73 tackles and nine interceptions as a defensive back in 2003 and grabbed 16 career interceptions. He was selected to play in the 2004 VHSL All-Star game.
Personal
Full name is Vincent Deon Butler. He is the son of Valerie and Vernon Butler and has an older brother, Lee. Butler is a crime, law and justice major and is interested in a career in forensic science. He lists reading mystery novels as a hobby. Born January 4, 1986 in Fairfax, Va.
