Max Champion
Drew Butler played punter for the Dawgs under Mark Richt from 2007 to 2011, following in the footsteps of his father, Kevin Butler, an All-American kicker at Georgia and longtime NFL kicker with the Chicago Bears. Drew made his own mark at UGA before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent and later playing for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. Today, he hosts the Punt and Pass Podcast and works with 92.9 The Game and ESPN Radio.
What’s your take on the Dawgs?
I’m really excited about it. When you look at the balanced attack that Coach Bobo has brought this season with Gunner being able to throw it all over the field and the healthy stable of running backs that Georgia has, it seems like they’re going to have really an embarrassment of riches.
We haven’t even discussed the tight end position. It is so deep. They’ve got legitimately five guys in that room that could start at pretty much any other SEC school. If the offensive line stays healthy, I think this could be, as the schedule sets up, one of Georgia’s best offenses.
On the defensive side, they just got so much more experience than they did a year ago. Combine that with the experience of the coaching staff. Coach Kirby Smart, Coach Mike Bobo, Coach Glenn Schumann — these guys have been in the program, they’ve set the standard.
What was it like being teammates with Matthew Stafford, A.J. Green and Aaron Murray?
Matthew Stafford was the quarterback, of course. Knowshon Moreno was the running back. A.J. Green, Aaron Murray, who set a bunch of records. Justin Houston, who I came in with. So many guys. I look back at the time I was at Georgia. Talent was littered all across the NFL.
I look at Chap Daddy (Shaun Chapas), who’s now working in the Athletic Association for UGA, as one of the best leaders that I’ve ever been around. We just had so many good guys who loved Georgia.
It’s always fun to go back on game day and be around those guys, because that’s what brings us together. You tell great stories, you look back on the wins, the losses, the funny moments that you had through four or five years in Athens, and it makes you proud. I love Georgia through and through.
My best friend is Clint Boling and he was my roommate in college. Being able to be with him in college and then play against him in the NFL, those are definitely some of the best moments.
What was it like creating your own identity at Georgia while carrying the Butler name?
Following in my dad’s footsteps, there was definitely some pressure there. I redshirted my freshman year and kind of got down on myself from a football perspective. I learned a lot from our starting punter Brian Mims and starting kicker Brandon Katu.
When that 2009 season came about, Coach John Lilly had a very blunt conversation with me. He was like, “You need to perform better this spring, or else we’re gonna go out and find the next punter for the University of Georgia.”
So I locked in. We focused immensely on consistency, and that led me into starting in 2009 and having a great season that year, which fortunately for me took a lot of that pressure off following my dad’s footsteps. And now, thankfully, we’re able to share a lot of great moments and memories at UGA.
You won the Ray Guy Award in 2009 and were a unanimous All-American. What do you remember most about that season?
I give a lot of credit to our coaching staff, John Lilly, the guys who are out there with me. I share that award with them, and it’s definitely something I’m very proud of.
Tell us about Punt and Pass and your broadcasting career.
Punt and Pass is in its 10th season. I started Punt and Pass when I was still in the NFL, all the way back in 2017, as an SEC, Georgia-focused podcast. I thought even in 2017 I was way late to the game in podcasting, and turns out, 10 years later, we’re still going. Jake Fromm is my co-host now, a great Georgia Bulldog.
About four years ago, I joined up with Steak Shapiro, Sandra Golden and Rusty Manziel on The Steakhouse on 92.9 The Game here in Atlanta. More recently, I’ve been doing pre- and post-game on Atlanta News First, and I do ESPN Radio for NFL game day. It’s a lot of fun.