Nebraska reportedly set to hire longtime NFL assistant John Butler as new DBs coach

Nebraska may have Evan Cooper’s replacement.

Nebraska is expected to hire former Buffalo Bills assistant coach John Butler as the program’s new secondary coach, according to ESPN college football writer Pete Thamel. He’s a longtime NFL defensive backs coach with stints at the Texans (2014-17) and Bills (2018-23).

The deal is not done yet, according to a source.

If Nebraska indeed hires the 51-year-old Butler, it would be getting a coach with a wealth of college and NFL experience. His career includes a stint in 2013 as Penn State’s defensive coordinator. His latest job was defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2022-23).

There is a prior connection to Nebraska’s staff. Butler coached current Husker general manager Sean Padden at Catholic University in 1995-96. Butler was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach during that period.

In addition to his time at Penn State, Butler has Big Ten experience as Minnesota’s special teams and linebackers coach from 2007 to 2010. From there, the Philadelphia native’s journey had a stop as South Carolina’s special teams and linebackers coach (2011) before he moved on to Penn State as secondary coach in 2012. He was promoted to coordinator in 2013.

“The thing that I remember most about John Butler from his time here was his competitiveness,” said Sean Fitz, publisher of Blue White Illustrated of the On3 network. “We used to play pickup basketball together, and the man was a menace. Fiery and scrappy, and that carried over to his coaching style. He’s a passionate guy who was also very sharp. Judging anything from his 2013 Penn State defense comes with an asterisk due to the scholarship limitations at the time (due to Jerry Sandusky scandal). The fact that they were able to keep treading water enough for seven wins that should have been eight, and they were only really out of two of those losses, is a testament to the work Butler and his defensive staff did to keep that group together.”

After Penn State stint, Butler turned to NFL

Then, he turned his attention to the NFL. He was the Houston Texans’ secondary coach (2014-17) before taking the same job with the Buffalo Bills (2018-21). He was promoted to defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator in 2022 and served in that role until this past season.

According to the Athletic, Butler decided to move on from the Bills after being passed over for the defensive coordinator job.

After Leslie Frazier’s abrupt departure, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott hired linebackers coach Bobby Babich as the Bills’ D.C.

“Bobby’s going to do a great job,” Butler told the Athletic in mid-February from his offseason home at the Jersey Shore. “It really just came down to us both feeling we were qualified to do the job. We both still are. The decision doesn’t change anything.

“But once that decision is made, it’s time for me to see if I can be a coordinator somewhere else. I’m at my best when I’m in charge. I ran the secondary for six years, but there’s a ceiling there.”

So, Butler left with a year remaining on his contract. According to the Athletic, he had no job offers pending at the time.

But it appears he does now.

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