Drew Butler, the son of legendary Bulldog placekicker Kevin Butler, has committed to Georgia ($) today after receiving a scholarship offer earlier in the week. Butler will likely have a chance to contribute first as a punter. 2006 punter Gordon Ely-Kelso graduates while placekicker Brandon Coutu will return for his senior season.

Hopefully Butler will be more successful than the last two placekickers who entered Georgia on scholarship. Brett Kirouac found a niche as a kickoff specialist, but that was the extent of his role. Andy Bailey gave way to Coutu in 2004 and has never overcome the inconsistency he showed as a freshman. Bailey got a second chance in 2006 when Coutu was injured, but he still performed poorly under pressure. Georgia’s last two placekickers of impact (Bennett and Coutu) have been walk-ons who eventually earned scholarships, and it was expected that Butler would follow the same path if he chose to attend Georgia. It was a mild surprise that Georgia offered a scholarship. Even Butler was surprised. "I did not see that happening," he told UGASports.com

If Drew does become the placekicker in time, he’ll surely be in the spotlight because of his pedigree, a pressure that surely would have been lessened had he gone to Duke or some other school. But he has chosen to embrace that legacy, and we’ll see if the next Butler can take his place in Georgia history alongside his father.