Knoch grad Tyler Buterbaugh hitting his stride as inside linebacker for Mercyhurst

Aggressive. Fast. Downhill.

That’s the way Knoch grad Tyler Buterbaugh said he likes to play football. It’s the perfect mentality for a linebacker, Buterbaugh’s position.

But for a while during his early years at Mercyhurst, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder wasn’t sure if he fit at outside linebacker or inside linebacker in the Lakers’ scheme. He played inside at Knoch and took practice reps on the inside during his freshman year at Mercyhurst.

He wasn’t seeing the playing time he had hoped, so, the following season, he threw his hat in the ring to vie for a spot on the outside. It wasn’t his natural or preferred position, but, he figured, if he could use his athleticism to gain an edge, maybe it would get him on the field.

“It didn’t end up working out,” said the junior, “… so I ended up moving back inside, and that’s where I feel most natural.”

Second-year coach Ryan Riemedio said Buterbaugh was asked to fill a position of need on the inside.

“As we started graduating our older guys, when we got to this spring … when we were making decisions and looking at rosters postseason, where we can fit some guys in at inside or outside,” he said, “Tyler was one of those guys who, I think, can run with the best of them athletically, but I asked him to play inside ’backer for me this spring.

“I think it kind of had him better understand the defense. … Him being able to play inside and see everything through and through made him a better linebacker.”

The proof is in the results.

Heading into the Lakers’ final three games, Buterbaugh had played in seven of the previous eight. In the four games bookended by Mercyhurst’s Sept. 30 meeting with Edinboro and Oct. 21 against Gannon, he posted at least nine total tackles in three of them.

He had a personal-best 13, including his first collegiate sack — in his first collegiate start — against the Fighting Scots. He also posted double-­digit tackles (10) against the Golden Knights.

“I was, obviously, very excited to get that start,” Buter­baugh said. “I just went in with the mentality of ‘never look back.’ I just wanted to play the hardest I could.

“I was clicking on all cylinders. It just seemed like I was everywhere on the field that day.”

Getting to that point required a lot of work.

First, he needed to get a better grasp of the overall defense. He would be shouldered with the responsibility of playing the “mike” linebacker spot, where he often would call out the alignment and pressures for the defensive line.

As Riemedio put it, Buterbaugh needed his football IQ to catch up with his athletic ability. He needed to understand how his position fit in with the entire scheme, Riemedio said.

To help in that process, Buter­baugh leaned on a pair of current senior linebackers, Dillon Ferretti and Christian Taylor. Following their lead, Buterbaugh started picking up the nuances of the Lakers defense and getting a better handle on what his role would be.

Now, he and Ferretti split time at the mike position, and they complement each other well. Buterbaugh, through Oct. 21, ranked third on the team in total tackles with 49, and Ferretti had 33.

“I love playing with him because we both get to stay fresh,” Buterbaugh said. “The more we rotate, I feel like the better our team is. The more fresh we can stay, the better we can play on each drive, the more impact we can have during each game.”

The last piece of the puzzle was slowing down.

“I was really antsy at first,” said Buterbaugh, who also plays on special teams. “As I got coached up, coach Riemedio taught me how to slow down my steps, be more efficient with my feet. As that came along, I became a lot better of a player, technique-wise and (in) play-making ability.”

Buterbaugh’s trajectory has been on the upswing in the second half of the season. He said he now can play more physical and smarter, and the two go hand-in-hand.

Because he now understands the defense and he is getting more opportunities to get into rhythm during games, he simply can react without having to think about every move. As a result of that, he is able to do what he loves to do best: play fast and physical.

“I know for him, he loves hitting people,” Riemedio said. “And that’s one aspect of football you have to love doing, especially on defense.”

The most exciting part, as far as Riemedio is concerned, is Buterbaugh just beginning to unlock his potential. With the physical and mental parts of his game blossoming, Buter­baugh now must start becoming more of a leader, the coach said.

“He has the ability to kind of run the show,” Riemedio said. “Between his athleticism, his football smarts, his book smarts, all these things, he is kind of what you’re looking for in that position. He’s someone we can expand our defense with.”

His recent play has Buterbaugh excited about what he can accomplish over the next year-plus.

He already plans on hitting the weight room hard in the offseason with an eye toward becoming more powerful. His offseason also likely will include a lot of study so he can become even quicker with his reads.

Now that he has found his home back at inside linebacker, he can focus on being aggressive, fast and playing downhill.

“The more you’re in the field, the more you can activate yourself and become more of the animal you know you can be,” he said.