Immediate impact – Kelan Butler wasted zero time in getting himself on the field early and often at the next level. The 2025 Jefferson product went from his final game played in the Mercedes Benz in a State Championship to DI college football in just eight months’ time.

Butler not only got on the field, but was a true contributor for the Panthers at Georgia State University. In fact, he played in all 12 games, logging 24 tackles and one TFL.

We caught up with Kelan to talk about the biggest adjustments from high school to DI, his ‘welcome to DI football’ moment, excelling as a student-athlete, and what Jefferson means to him.