John Butler, a veteran assistant coach with experience in both college football and the NFL, has joined the Nebraska football coaching staff. Butler will join Head Coach Matt Rhule’s Husker staff as secondary coach and pass game coordinator.
Butler comes to Nebraska after spending the past six seasons with the Buffalo Bills. Overall, Butler has 29 seasons of coaching experience, including 19 years in college football and 10 in the NFL.
“John Butler is one of the premier defensive backs coaches in football,” Rhule said. “He has a diverse coaching background and a history of being part of winning organizations, and elite defenses at the highest level of football. He will be an outstanding addition to the Nebraska football program and our defensive staff.”
The play of Butler’s defensive backs in Buffalo helped the Bills reach the AFC playoffs each of the past five seasons, and the Bills captured the AFC East divisional title the past four years.
“I am excited to join Coach Rhule, this staff and the great tradition of Nebraska Football and the Blackshirt Defense,” Butler said. “I look forward to working with our players to develop them as players, students and young men, Day by Day!”
Butler spent his first four seasons in Buffalo (2018-21) as the defensive backs coach, before adding the passing game coordinator title the past two seasons. During his six seasons at the helm of the Buffalo secondary, cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer were All-Pro selections, while safety Micah Hyde and nickel Taron Johnson were second-team honorees.
Buffalo has been among the top defenses in the league throughout Butler’s time on the coaching staff. From 2018 through the end of last season, the Bills’ defense ranked first in the NFL in total yards per game, passing yards per game, yards per completion, yards per attempt, TD passes allowed, opponent passer rating and passing first downs. The stifling pass defense allowed Buffalo to rank second in the NFL in points allowed over the past six seasons as the Bills won at least 11 games four times.
Before his time in Buffalo, Butler was the secondary coach on Bill O’Brien’s Houston Texans staff from 2014 to 2017. During his four seasons leading the Texans secondary, Houston captured a pair of AFC South crowns, and the defense allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (238.1 ypg) in that timeframe. In 2016, Houston ranked first in total defense and allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game.
Butler spent 19 years in college coaching before moving to the National Football League. His most recent position in college was on O’Brien’s staff at Penn State in 2012 and 2013. Butler served as the secondary coaching in 2012, before taking over as the Nittany Lion defensive coordinator in 2013. In his first year at Penn State, the Nittany Lions ranked second in the Big Ten and 16th nationally in scoring defense.
Butler’s diverse resume also includes 11 seasons as a collegiate special teams coordinator. He led the special teams and coached the outside linebackers at South Carolina in 2011, helping the Gamecocks to a top-10 national finish. He spent four seasons (2007-10) coaching the linebackers and coordinating the special teams at Minnesota.
Before his time at Minnesota, Butler had stops at Harvard (2003-06), Texas State (2001-02) and Midwestern State (1999-2000). He spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Texas in 1997 and 1998. Butler began his coaching career in 1995 and 1996 at his alma mater, Catholic University (Pa.). Butler graduated from Catholic U. in 1995 and played both football and basketball at the school.
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