Tight End Group Brings Experience, Leadership to the Table for Butler Football in 2023

EL DORADO, Kan. – You would be hard pressed to find a position group  as experienced as the Butler Grizzly tight ends group is in all of NJCAA football.

The primary four tight ends for the Grizzlies, sophomores Dante Daniels, Julian Nixon, Blake Reeder and Mason Ross have all been in the program for multiple seasons and have each played meaningful snaps.

What they mean to the team in terms of leadership and consistency cannot be overstated, and the head Grizzly agrees.

"I think what all four of those guys do great at is they do their jobs at a high level, consistently," said head coach Brice Vignery. "There's no complaining and I think that bleeds through to the rest of the team. When everyone can see that and you can have that kind of leadership by example, you're able to be productive in a lot of areas whether it's football wise, community wise or culture wise. All four of those guys represent our program exactly how I want it to be represented."

Daniels and Ross are both in their third season at Butler and know a thing or two about Grizzly football. Daniels hails from Ontario, Canada and has seen quite the physical transformation from his freshman season until now. Ross is a Wichita native that attended Northwest High and has a brother (Jared Ross, former Butler OL in 2016) that played at Butler before moving on to the next level.

"I redshirted my first year at Butler and got my weight up from 210 pounds to 260 pounds," said Daniels. "My first season playing I got some snaps sparingly, but it was obvious my blocking needed some improvement. I took that to heart and worked hard at it and now I think that it is one of my strengths."

Daniels is a team captain this season and can be seen running with the first team offense quite often. He has three receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown through two games while also impacting the game with his blocking. Daniels has seen the offers roll in this fall from the likes of New Mexico State, Texas State, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky and North Carolina A&T among others.

"After this season I'm looking for a spot at an NCAA Division 1 school where I can play football, continue my dream and further my education," said Daniels. "I'll be the first person in my family to get my college degree at this rate and doing that while playing a sport I love will show my younger siblings what is possible for them."

Ross's decision to attend Butler out of high school was a quick one.

"My older brother Jared Ross played here in 2016 and went on to play at Western Illinois so I was familiar with Butler and the coaching staff. It made my decision to enroll at Butler easy."

He brings a physical presence to the Butler squad in the blocking game as well as on special teams. He and Daniels see how much of a leadership role the tight ends hold on the team.

"When it comes to that leadership role, we definitely feel we have a big part in that," said Ross. "We feel that we set the tone for the offense. Our motto is that we have to be field captains wherever we can, we have to set the tone and whatever we can do to help the team we're always going to do it."

"I personally think that the tight ends group is one that leads by example," said Daniels. "We try to bring the team together when things are not going our way. I feel like as a group we try to take the lead, we always like to say to each other 'let's show the team who we are, let's make that block that allows for a big play or let's go up and make a big catch".

Nixon and Reeder are both in their second season with the Grizzlies and both spent their high school days playing positions other than tight end. Nixon was a wide receiver at Centennial High in Georgia where he was ranked as a 247Sports.com composite four-star recruit that signed with Tennessee. Reeder spent his high school days playing quarterback at Shawnee Mission Northwest High and earned East Team MVP honors at the Kansas Shrine Bowl as a quarterback in August of 2022.

When asked how he chose Butler, Nixon said he felt like it was the best opportunity for him.

"Jeremiah Crawford (former All-KJCCC OL for Butler from 2020-21) and I were good friends at Tennessee and he told me he came from Butler but I knew nothing about the school," said Nixon. "When it was time for me to try and find a new school he told me Butler would be a great spot to land. Once the coaching staff reached out to me I started paying more attention and saw how this program puts guys at the next level consistently. After doing more research I finally made the decision to come to Butler."

Both Reeder and Nixon see what their role and their position group's role is on this year's team.

"We have a huge leadership role," said Reeder. "Most of the other positions have a lot of new guys which, that's what you get at this level. Having four guys who played here last year that are back is huge. We know what the expectations are and we bring a great work ethic every day."

"As a group on the offensive side I think the tight ends bring the leadership because we have years of experience, it's not any of our first time doing this," said Nixon. "We know how this game is played and we understand the speed of the game, there's not really a disconnect in any area for this group of tight ends. Other positions look to us because of our experience and our understanding of the offense."

All four student-athletes have had unique experiences in El Dorado but those experiences have helped them develop as not only football players, but people.

"Coming from Canada to El Dorado has been a big culture shock for me but the community has been welcoming and I've made some great friends," said Daniels. "Every single professor I have had at Butler, I've loved. They are all invested in the students and that is big for me because I was not a great student in the past, but now they have helped me to enjoy the process of gaining my education."

"I think the JUCO reputation is not what the case is here," said Reeder. "You watch Last Chance U and see what is portrayed, but it's totally different here. It's a family environment and if you buy in, it's going to reward you.

When asked how they would describe Butler and why the bonds they form are so tight, this group of veterans summarized what Butler football is all about.

"Toughness, brotherhood and relentless energy," said Ross "We're always ready to get after it and if you aren't, your teammates will hold you accountable and that's the great thing about this place. We want everyone to be great and if you're not being great, we're going to let you know. Sometimes it may come off a little harsh and in ways we don't intend but we want to get everyone where they want to get and this team wants to achieve special things."

"I think the work we put in makes everyone close," said Nixon. "Everyone is on the same page and that's being focused on winning. If you aren't on board with that winning culture, you'll stick out. It's a buy in or leave type mentality because when it comes down to it, if you aren't bought in then what are you here for? Everyone is here for their own reasons, but we have to come together for a collective reason and that will help to make the team and us as individuals successful."

"The work we put in and the grind we go through together makes it to where everyone wants to reach back out after their days at Butler, you want to support this place because of what Butler did for you."