On February 3, 2016, Dante Butler was one of 12 talented Linganore athletes to sign a National Letter of Intent to play a collegiate sport at a university. He was the only Lancer athlete to sign to Morgan State University. Next year, this six foot, 210 pound will play running back on the NCAA Division I university football team.

Butler was approached by other colleges, particularly University at Albany and Towson University, but after considering the academics and division level Morgan State had to offer, Butler concluded Morgan State would be his university of choice.

“I felt at home,” said Butler. “I’m excited to play at the next level.”

While at school, Butler plans on studying sports management. Collegiate sports are, without a doubt, more demanding than high school or club sports, but Butler plans to stay focused.

Butler said, “I’ve always been self-motivated.”

You can see the self-motivation in his statistics. Over the course of his football career at Linganore, Butler has run approximately 3,450 yards and scored 55 touchdowns.

His talent seems to run in the family. Though his father, Phillip Butler, never played in college, he had a successful high school football career at Richard Montgomery High School. His older brother, Phillip Butler, was also a Linganore running back and led the varsity team to the State Championship game in 2013. He now plays at Fullerton College in California. His younger brother, freshman running back Davon Butler, also shows promise.

Butler’s mother, Kendra Butler, will be attending every game. She’s overwhelmed to see him leave, but in her own words, “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Butler says he’s not too worried to play at a higher level. “I think I’ll dominate,” he said.

To see Dante’s senior football highlights, click here.