Although corner back Devin Butler finished his collegiate career at Syracuse, he got his start with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

As a freshman, he was competing in practice against an older, more established player by the name of DaVaris Daniels.

“I was a young one. He taught me some things and he took advantage of me a couple times,” said Butler. “But I definitely got my licks in, too.”

“I won most of them,” rebutted Daniels. “But he carries his own and he definitely learned a lot during his time at Notre Dame and at Syracuse. I’m seeing a different guy than I saw five or six years ago, so it’s exciting to see what he brings to the table.”

After spending three years at Notre Dame, Butler transferred to Syracuse and played his final college season with the Orange.

Following that, he spent the off-season attending camps, including the Stamps try-out in Florida.

“I attended the mini-camp at IMG in April and I had talked to the coach before they invited me down,” Butler said. “I went down there and had a pretty solid couple of days and they extend a contract offer. I was really excited and Daniels was one of my college teammates, so coming out here and linking up with him was a great opportunity.”

And his opportunity will come at a variety of defensive back positions, including the SAM linebacker spot.

Having seen his skills in person, Daniels was excited about the acquisition.

“Devin is a cool dude. I remember him from Notre Dame, we used to always go against each other,” said Daniels. “He’s very long and athletic, so I’m looking forward to see what he can do on the football field up here. This game is very well suited for his type of body and style of play.”

But what is Butler’s playing style? Let the man himself explain.

“I’m an intense guy, I’m somebody who – I believe I’m a savvy player – somebody who gets to the ball, has a nose for the ball and I’m trying to bring that energy every down, every play,” explained Butler. “Just trying to keep my teammates motivated and make them better every play.”

Butler joined all of the other Stamps rookies in the two-day camp held just for them from May 17-18.

Getting the experience to run around a CFL field, learn the playbook, and practice in the system without the veterans taking away from valuable reps was big for the Washington, DC., native. Though, he’s still adjusting to aspects of the Canadian game.

“Camp is going good so far. There’s a lot of competition out here,” he explained. “I’m just learning the game, just getting a feel for playing in the CFL, so it’s real exciting right now. The waggle is a little hard to deal with, but you get more comfortable with it the more you see it. It’s definitely been something that I’ve been working on with the tempo of my back pedal.

“It’s a little different, but you know; football is football. You go out there and make plays and stop guys from making plays.”