LINCOLN, Neb. — The man who plans to bring swag back to the Nebraska defense walked out of a spring football practice this week with reading glasses hanging from the collar of his red hoodie, a graying beard decorating his jaw and a serious look on his face.
John Butler turns 52 on Thursday. To celebrate, he’d probably like nothing more than to sit down and talk about pressuring the quarterback. Or maybe to catch up with a former player of his like Christian Benford, who developed quickly under his guidance and just signed a $76 million contract extension with the Buffalo Bills.
“Ultimately, I think it’s the reason why you (coach),” Butler said. “It’s a pretty cool thing to see guys get better.”
In first-year offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, Nebraska has a former head coach who attracts an audience with his wit and personality. New special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler is a bundle of energy, always ready with a motivational phrase. Third-year head coach Matt Rhule is widely recognized for his ambassadorship and willingness to embrace fun inside the college environment.
The defensive coordinator, meanwhile, could walk unnoticed into any building in downtown Lincoln.
In Rhule’s big coaching shuffle — six coaches are new to the program and eight are in new roles — Butler is the most overlooked consequential figure. But he might be the perfect man to deliver a Nebraska defense that plays with a renewed sense of swag in 2025.
Rhule promoted Butler in December to replace Tony White, who left the Huskers after two seasons to take over the defense at Florida State. The move came with intrigue because Butler only has one year of DC experience at the major college or NFL level. Yet he is the key to driving Nebraska’s defensive momentum.
“I didn’t care about making a splash,” Rhule said of elevating Butler. “I wanted to make the right decision.”
On Tuesday, in his first in-person session with the media since the job change, Butler offered few specifics about his plans for the defense. He went out of his way to avoid singling out players.
Asked about transfer linebackers Dasan McCullough and Marques Watson-Trent, both expected to contend for starting positions in the fall, Butler said, “I would just say that we’re very excited they’re here.”
🎙️ Spring Practice Media Availability with @CoachJBHuskerD + players https://t.co/Jt3tVbQSzY
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) April 1, 2025
But the Huskers know what Butler wants from them.
“I just know what he wants at the end of the day,” said safety DeShon Singleton, who chose to return to Nebraska for a fifth college season after initially planning to make a run at the NFL. “He wants his guys to play fast, play physical and make plays.”
Butler’s guidance helped Singleton experience his best season at Nebraska in 2024. Singleton filled the stat sheet in his 13 starts, ranking second on the team with 71 tackles.
“He expects the standard from me,” Singleton said.
The Butler standard is one that the Huskers and their fans can get behind. He wants the defense to play with an edge and a no-nonsense attitude. “Be multiple enough that you’re not predictable,” he said, “but simple enough that you’re not going to screw it up.”
“He wants you to be immersed in football,” linebacker Javin Wright said. “He wants you to learn the tendencies. He wants you to learn the actual game of football. So if you don’t, he’s very vocal on how you need to be into the game.”
Butler is “high-energy” behind he scenes, according to defensive lineman Elijah Jeudy, who also mentioned the word “swag.”
He wants the Huskers to play with passion and energy. In the intense moments — on third down, in the red zone or at the end of a game — they’re expected to kick it up a notch.
Nebraska slipped to 52nd nationally and 10th in the Big Ten in yards per play allowed last season after ranking 17th and fifth in those categories in 2023.
Phil Snow, Nebraska’s first-year associate head coach and a Butler confidante, said last month the Huskers aim to diversify their third-down defensive package. Butler said he and Snow, who coordinated defenses for Rhule at Temple, Baylor and with the Carolina Panthers, talk regularly about defensive philosophy. Snow, 69, provides an “unbelievable growth opportunity for me,” said Butler, who added that he’d be a “fool” not to embrace the veteran coach.
Butler likened Nebraska’s defensive coaching dynamic to a situation that he saw in 2017 while working as the secondary coach with the Houston Texans under Bill O’Brien. After the Texans’ defense ranked atop the NFL in 2016, O’Brien promoted DC Romeo Crennel to assistant head coach. Crennel then worked closely with defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, who would take his first head coach job in 2018.
“There’s no egos in that room,” Butler said. “It’s all about getting better.”
Nothing about Butler screams big ego.
“I’m the leader of the room,” he said, “but we’re all on the same page, trying to make this the best product we can for Nebraska football.”
In six seasons with the Bills before he joined Rhule’s staff last July, Butler said he gained satisfaction from developing players like Benford, the fourth-year cornerback out of Villanova.
“Whether you’re in the NFL or you’re in college, we all sacrifice so much to do what you do,” Butler said. “It requires so much time and so much sacrifice. I know it’s a game, but at the end of the day, when you see players develop … it’s your job to keep encouraging that growth. It feeds that hunger and desire to keep getting better.”
Players learn to believe, he said, and small growth turns into massive growth.
“It makes you feel pretty good that you made the career decision that you did,” he said.
(Photo: Mitch Sherman / The Athletic)