Before the season began, no one expected to see Jomar Butler amongthe leading tacklers in the Mountain West Conference. That wasbecause his name wasn’t listed in San Diego State media guide.
Nevertheless, Butler has established himself this year as one ofSDSU’s best defenders, racking up 106 tackles going into Saturday’sfinale against UNLV. The junior is one of only two MWC players withmore than 100 tackles in 2000, despite not becoming a starter untilthe season’s third game.
Like fine wine and leftover Italian food, Butler has gotten betterwith time. He had a season-high 19 tackles against Air Force lastweekend, raising his average to 13.7 tackles per game, two more pergame than any other MWC player.
“(Jomar’s) been as pleasant a surprise as this team has had,” saidAztecs head coach Ted Tollner. “He got himself back from not evenbeing involved with us, and he’s become a positive force for us.”
All this from a guy who hadn’t played in nearly two years. Afterredshirting in 1997, Butler played in six games for SDSU in 1998,until a hernia sidelined him for the remainder of the year. He leftthe team before the 1999 season to concentrate on academics and hisrecovery from the hernia.
“I was hurt mentally and physically,” Butler said. “I wasn’t doingwhat I was supposed to do, and I had no love for the game.”
Butler lost his scholarship, but returned to the team this year asa walk-on. He quickly worked his way into the lineup, and has becomeone of the best linebackers in the conference.
“This is a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to bethe best player on defense, and this year it’s happening for me.”
Coming Attraction
The Aztecs received a verbal commitment Tuesday from wide receiverRonnie Davenport, who is currently enrolled at San Francisco CityCollege. Davenport spent two seasons at Cal and in his sophomoreseason (1999), he caught 15 passes for 211 yards and threetouchdowns.
Davenport will transfer to SDSU during the semester break and willbe eligible to participate in spring drills and play next fall.
Notes
Junior running back James Truvillion is listed as questionable for this Saturday’s finale against UNLV, thanks to the neck injury that forced him to sit out the New Mexico game and limited him to six carries against Air Force. If he can’t go, sophomore Garric Simmons will get his second start of the year. San Francisco 49ers running back Jonas Lewis, a former Aztec, attended practice Tuesday and spoke to SDSU’s backs afterward. Lewis has just one carry for San Francisco in his rookie season.
