We previously reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Ethan Cooper from the PSAC’s Indiana University of Pennsylvania. It now looks like two more Division 2 players from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will get a shot at making the Steeler’s roster (or at least practice squad). Paul Butler and Aaron Terry both from California University of Pennsylvania will get try outs. Ironically enough, IUP and CUP are bitter rivals. We know that it would be an amazing feet to see three D2 kids make the final roster, but they deserve their due credit. Congrats guys!
Update (5/10/2017): We sat down with Paul for an interview.
Hero Sports: “The first is tight end Paul Butler, a big 6-foot-6 receiver that was tasked with a lot of blocking during his time at Cal, something I believe that is not suited to his true abilities as a pass-catcher. Only catching 32 passes for 381 yards in his collegiate career, Butler was impressive in blocking which is what the Steelers need on the depth chart.
The second Cal U alum is Aaron Terry. Playing at corner and then safety in his collegiate playing time, Terry was a ball hawk who brought in 13 interceptions during his four years. Also a willing tackler and someone who can stop the run at a decent rate, Terry could be a good player to put in the secondary room for the Steelers as they continue to remodel that portion of their defense.
While the chances for any of the three players to make the opening roster for the Steelers is very slim, it is still something to see that a few D2 players are getting a chance with the local team in their area. Before we know it, we could see Butler, Cooper, or Terry suiting up in the preseason for Pittsburgh trying to get their name out there for any other team that might be interested in their services.”
As always, Paul and Aaron, I’d be remiss if I didn’t let you know that we LOVE guests on our podcast. I’d like to inform you that I’m a PSAC graduate myself (East Stroudsburg) – Go Warriors! Hit me up @ProducerCavi.