Butterfield is one of 45 graduating high school seniors selected to play on America's first national team in the sport of players aged 19 and under.

“I'm certainly very proud for Phillip,” Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts said. “He's an outstanding young man who will represent our program and our country in a tremendous fashion. There is no doubt that he has the talent and the character to help Team USA be successful.”

USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, has built America's first junior national team in the sport to compete in the eight-nation, four-continent 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio, from June 27-July 5.  National football teams from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden have qualified to join the United States to pursue the sport's first world championship on the international junior level (19 and under).

Butterfield was a two-time all-state selection and three-time all-conference selection at Lake Hamilton, where he led the Wolves to the the Class 6A state championship as a senior.  The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year, Butterfield threw for 2,761 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.