BYU at Kansas highlighted by ‘Lassiter Bowl’, former Grizzly brothers to face off in Big 12 action
EL DORADO, Kan. – Kwinton and Darius Lassiter have spent quite a bit of time playing football with each other, but playing against each other? That’s unknown territory for the two former Grizzlies.
EL DORADO, Kan. – Kwinton and Darius Lassiter have spent quite a bit of time playing football with each other, but playing against each other? That's unknown territory for the two former Grizzlies.
On Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, former Butler Grizzly wide receiver Darius (2019-21) and defensive back Kwinton, (2018-19) will face off in Big 12 conference play on ESPN as Darius' BYU Cougars visit Kwinton's Kansas Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium. Depending on the game plan for Kansas' defense, Kwinton could see himself lining up on Darius in pass coverage for the first time since Butler football practice at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex throughout the 2019 season.
At Butler, Darius appeared in 17 games with 51 receptions, 913 yards and 13 touchdowns over his three-year career. In 2021, he averaged 19.1 yards per catch and 70.7 yards per game, earning First Team All-KJCCC and NJCAA All-American honorable mention honors. Kwinton played in nine games over two years at Butler with opposing defense not looking his way much. He had eight tackles, a TFL and an interception across his career.
When asked what playing against each other this week will be like, both noted how they have always played together and how different it will be.
"I played with Darius in high school and at Butler and it's always been cool to have my brother on my team with me, but I never really thought about playing against him," said Kwinton. "It's a blessing to play against him, we both know each other's tricks and to be able to compete at the Power Five level, something we dreamed about ever since we were little, it's going to be exciting for us and our family."
"It's great actually, all that time of being on the same team and doing everything together and now we are on opposing teams and it's the first time we have played against each other in a game," said Darius. "Both teams are 3-0 and we realize how big of a game and how cool this opportunity is."
The Lassiter name runs deep at Butler as Kwinton and Darius' father, the late Kwamie Lassiter, was a former Butler football starter at defensive back from 1989-90 and was a NJCAA All-American in 1990. Lassister starred at Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia, and played two years at Butler before transferring to the University of Kansas, where he played from 1992 to 1994. Lassiter later played in the NFL, playing for the Arizona Cardinals from 1995–2002, San Diego Chargers in 2003 and St. Louis Rams in 2004. He finished his career with 609 tackles (437 solo tackles), 25 interceptions, and four sacks.[3] Their brother, Kwamie II, played for KU from 2016-21 and currently plays in the NFL for the Bengals.
When asked out about their father and what he meant to them, legacy is something that was mentioned by both.
"It meant everything to me," said Kwinton. "Having that father that I could go to for anything, it was huge. He introduced me to Butler and getting to follow in his footsteps and attend Butler was a big part in my decision. I'm glad I found Butler because I met some lifetime friends while I was there."
"We strive to continue to work as hard as him," said Darius. "We try to continue with his legacy but also build our own with our own dreams and make him proud."
Darius and Kwinton had different journeys to Butler but once there, they knew it was home and that they would have to work hard to be able to continue to the next level.
"I didn't receive the opportunities I wanted out of high school so I had to work twice as hard," said Darius. "Being a walk-on at a junior college, you don't really hear too many people doing that. I knew what I was capable of but I had to get everyone else to catch on. I was someone who took the workouts really serious. Just showing everyone that I was someone they could trust and lean on in big time situations."
When the topic of practicing against each other at Butler came up, Kwinton noted that the two brothers would always make sure to find each other.
"We matched up against each other multiple times and when we would do 1v1's, we always found each other to go against because iron sharpens iron."
This season Kwinton has seven total tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions. His interception vs. Illinois sealed the game for the Jayhawks. Darius has nine receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars. It's been a unique scouting report that each player has gotten regarding their brother.
"It is weird because when you're getting the scouting report for your brother, the coaches are telling the rest of the team what I already know," said Kwinton. "It's weird but I'm excited for it and I realize how rare this opportunity is so I am going to make the most of the opportunity."
"My coach keeps making jokes just saying this is going to show who is the big brother and who is the little brother," said Darius. "You see the scout team DB's run around with your brother's jersey on and that's how I know how close we are to game time."
One person that might have a bit of trouble deciding what team to cheer for this week is their mother, Ericka.
"She has her split shirt, but I don't know how she's going to handle cheering throughout the game," said Darius. "I know she doesn't need to cheer for Kwinton to much."