Butts seeing increased attention after strong opening to July
It took until the end of the first of the July recruiting periods for the action to pick up, but the time appears to have arrived for Devin Butts to be considered a high-major prospect. On Sunday morning, the 6-foot-4 off guard from Georgia put on a shooting clinic against B-Maze Elite, connecting on eight three-pointers.
Following his standout performance, he added offers from Houston, UAB and VCU on Sunday afternoon. Georgia, Georgia Tech and Xavier are showing heavy interest in the Class of 2019 prospect from Team Georgia Magic, and he’s already been on campus at both Georgia and Georgia Tech.
College of Charleston, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia State, Middle Tennessee and Winthrop are among the other schools recruiting Butts.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Butts breaks down the schools involved in his recruitment.
Georgia: “The visit went well. I got to watch practice and I got to run a little bit. They just showed me how they coach and I got to meet some of the guys. I’m pretty close with Tye Fagan. That’s my guy. It would be a big thing because I think of him as a my brother, so that’s definitely something I would look at. I can always ask him a question if I need something. He said the coaches are very enthusiastic and he likes it so far.”
Georgia Tech: “I didn’t really get to walk around their campus too much. I went up for a workout, one of their ‘Power Hour’ workouts. I liked it. It was very nice up there. I got to talk to the coaches and spend some time with them. Coach [Josh] Pastner is a great guy. I liked it a lot there.”
Houston: “It was exciting to get that offer. Their coach was just telling me I would fit in well with how they want to play and how they need a shooter.”
VCU: “It was mostly the same. They like how I play, like how I defend, and they like guys who can shoot 3’s.”
Georgia State: “I like Georgia State a lot. They are on me hard. They communicate with me every day. I like their coaching staff. It’s very family-oriented. I just love the atmosphere there.”
RIVALS REACTION
With the increased recruiting attention, Butts’ recruitment is now back to square one. Before July, Georgia State’s coaching staff, led by Ron Hunter and assistant Claude Pardue, put in the most work and probably held the lead for his signature. But the last day of the first July recruiting period may have put that on hold. Houston and VCU both have his attention now with offers on the table.
If either Tom Crean or Pastner come through with an offer, that complicates his recruitment even more. Expect Butts to be one of the closely watched prospects during the second of three recruiting periods starting Wednesday at 5 p.m.