Matthew Butler is a defensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders. He formerly played for the University of Tennesee. He was selected in the 5th round of the NFL Draft. The North Carolina native was a 4-star recruit in the class of 2017 out of Garner High School. Matt led the Vols’ defensive linemen in tackles as a junior and a senior, and started all 10 games in 2020. Returning for a “super” senior season in 2021, Matt is a respected leader and scholar-athlete. He made the SEC Academic Honor Roll every football season, and in 2021 Matt received a 2021 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship - becoming the 7th Vol in history to do so - and was nominated for the SEC McWhorter award, the highest honor for a student-athlete in the conference. Matt is a role model for success on and off the field.
A powerful interior defensive lineman for the Vols who was also a leader on and off the field. He made a huge jump into a significant NFL prospect in his final season. He collected 152 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks for a loss of 55 yards. One of the SEC’s top scholar-athletes, who was the recipient of a 2021 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and a nominee for the 2021 SEC McWhorter Award. He became the seventh Vol football student-athlete to receive the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship dating back to 1971. Five-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was chosen to the 2018-19 VOLeaders Academy. He Earned his undergraduate degree in December 2020. He was named a 2021 CoSIDA Second-Team All-American. He was selected to play in the 2022 East-West Shrine Game in Las Vegas. He was Invited to the 2022 NFL Combine in March.
