Liberty Football Jr. Jay Butterfield Named SportStar of the Week

Liberty-Brentwood – Football – Junior

Liberty Football Jr. Jay Butterfield, considered the East Bay’s top national recruit for the Class of 2020, the Lions quarterback is off to a stellar junior campaign.

On Sept. 7, he had his most prolific night of the season to date. He completed 16 of 20 for 297 yards and five TDs in a 51-9 Homecoming win over visiting Rocklin.

Through just four games, Butterfield has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,001 yards, 15 TDs and just one interception.

The Lions are 4-0 and conclude the non league portion of their schedule Sept. 14 with a trip to Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (3-0).

“Football 2018: Liberty’s Encore Roar“

From our Football 2018: Liberty’s Encore Roar story, Junior QB Jay Butterfield is considered by some services to be the Bay Area’s highest ranked recruit for the Class of 2020.

When asked just how far can Liberty go? Ask the aforementioned QB.

“I don’t see why we can’t go all the way,” Jay Butterfield says.

Why not? Butterfield is far more seasoned than he was in camp a season ago, when he could not wrestle the starting job away from senior Ryan Dutt. He and Dutt shared duties in the first nine games.

Junior QB Jay Butterfield is considered by some services to be the Bay Area’s highest ranked recruit for the Class of 2020. (Chace Bryson photo)

“That was hard for me,” Butterfield says. “As a player, you always want to play and I’d never not played before.

I’d never been on the bench. But you can’t quit, and you have to keep working as hard as you can, and keep being prepared. That whole experience …  It really taught me a lot.”

In the 10th game, Partridge handed Butterfield the keys. The rest became history. He produced 203 passing yards and three touchdowns in his first start, a 37-35 win over rival Freedom.

One month after that, he beat the Falcons again. That capped a three-game playoff run in which Butterfield threw for 502 yards and seven touchdowns. He was intercepted only one time in the playoffs as Liberty outscored its opponents 106-27. 

His quarterback rating for the three games: 189.9.

Now, he has vast interest throughout the Pac-12. He’s also attracted the attention of former 49ers and current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.