Breaking New Secondary Coach: John Butler

[Mavsker]

"Hey John we're heading back to Penn State next year, want in?"

It's so over

 

[NSECTA4]

You had all this tome and thats what you came up with? Shitty hire imo

Base on … ?

 

[SOHusker11]

I could be 100% wrong but I think he will only be around a year or two until he can find a DC job or get back to the NFL.

As for taking over if Tony White leaves I don't know if he's the guy. He only has one year of P4 DC experience with O'Brien at Penn State.

His own high school friend McDermott didn't hire him for DC at the Bills and that's the reason he left after six seasons.

I think Rhule will end up promoting one of the younger guys to DC Dvoracek? before he promotes Butler.

Like I said probably be a good position coach for us for a year or two but I wouldn't expect too much more beyond that.

My real concern here is recruiting he hasn't been in the college game for ten years and obviously a lot has changed.

I really like Dvoracek, but I also don't really want him at DC yet. He could use a few more years of experience.

 

[Stenge85]

Seems like a great DB coach, but the Pedo's loathe him as DC, is he the ideal succession plan?

 

[Herbie]

Seems like a great DB coach, but the Pedo's loathe him as DC, is he the ideal succession plan?

So he likes em over the age of 18?

 

[JankTheTank]

I probably got a little carried away there.🤣

I think it's a good assistant coach hire but I also think we need to pump the brakes a little about being the heir apparent to the DC job at this point.

I'm sure that Rhule told him that if TWhite leaves he'll have a chance at the DC job but I doubt that he made him any promises before he even coached a down at Nebraska it doesn't seem like Rhules style.

Obviously we won’t know White is gone until he is. Rhule did tell him he deserves to be picky and to make sure it’s an ideal HC position. I could see something where if White sticks around another year though, Butler gets a co-DC tag or something. But I think Butler knows the DC vacancy light will be turned on here within two years, if not one.

Regardless, it’s nice to know we have someone on staff who has already been a Big Ten DC waiting in the wings if White does leave if we’re looking at a succession plan.

I worry about someone like Dvoracek getting his first DC opportunity here, even if that is the next step for him. Maybe White will take him as a DC to his next gig and let him earn his stripes there before potentially boomeranging back here down the line or something.

 

[SOHusker11]

Seems like a great DB coach, but the Pedo's loathe him as DC, is he the ideal succession plan?

Stolen from Dean.

I caught up with Sean Fitz this morning, the publisher of Blue White Illustrated. He covered John Butler during his time in State College and offered some interesting insight:

"The thing that I remember most about John Butler from his time here was his competitiveness," Fitz said. "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.

"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."

 

[HerbRedman]

Seems like a great DB coach, but the Pedo's loathe him as DC, is he the ideal succession plan?

I'm not a fan of making judgements on 1 yr DCs (in the college game at least). I feel like so much of that success is based on the level of talent that was there before you got there and how much time did you have to implement your system etc.

We've had 2 polar opposites as 1 yr DCs: Pelini in 2003 (success) and Diaco in 2017 (failure).

White fuckin nailed it in his first year but he had a lot of talent to work with (so much so that White felt the need to bring zero players with him from Syracuse).

Not making excuses for Butler/PSU, I just don't draw anything from a 1 yr DC stint in CFB at a place w scholarship limitations.

 

[Lionsfan93]

He will be a DC at Nebraska after one season. That’s the only reason he takes this job.

 

[vailhusker]

I really like Dvoracek, but I also don't really want him at DC yet. He could use a few more years of experience.

I agree. I'm just going off what we have been told about Rhule and TWhite mentoring him to be the next the DC. I would much rather send him to lower school for a few years as a DC and then bring him back when he's ready.

 

[Lionsfan93]

Seems like a great DB coach, but the Pedo's loathe him as DC, is he the ideal succession plan?

1. Consider the state that Penn St was in when he was there. Hard to be too critical of his time there.
2. That was over a decade ago. I'm sure he has grown just a bit as a coach in that time. He has been seemingly successful at Buffalo.

 

[Huskers12392]

Something to consider; could Rhule have been putting out feelers to Butler to be DC back when TW was interviewing for HC jobs? I doubt anything has been promised, but maybe Butler sees the opportunity.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

I agree. I'm just going off what we have been told about Rhule and TWhite mentoring him to be the next the DC. I would much rather send him to lower school for a few years as a DC and then bring him back when he's ready.

However, some dudes are just ready to step up to the big time. Ultimately if Rhule is who hope he is, he is identifying assistants, analyst,and GAs who serve as an internal pipeline to fill in the departures and keep continuity

 

[Hedley Lamarr]

Glad we were able to lean on Jimari and hire his uncle as DB coach

 

[vailhusker]

However, some dudes are just ready to step up to the big time. Ultimately if Rhule is who hope he is, he is identifying assistants, analyst,and GAs who serve as an internal pipeline to fill in the departures and keep continuity

I think it probably comes down to where the defense and Dvoracek are at when TWhite eventually leaves.

If they're both in a good spot then Rhule goes with Dvoracek if not bring someone else in and keep mentoring Dvoracek. I think Rhule would like to keep him around to mentor than sending him somewhere else to learn.

I don't think Rhule would put him in a position to fail.

 

[Hotcarl]

1. Consider the state that Penn St was in when he was there. Hard to be too critical of his time there.
2. That was over a decade ago. I'm sure he has grown just a bit as a coach in that time. He has been seemingly successful at Buffalo.

They were still in purgatory in ‘14 and their defense got significantly better

 

[vailhusker]

Good job Dean finding the 30 year old connection -

 

[vailhusker]

 

[Jim14510]

That's a top 5 show of all time.

 

[Fargo Husker]

Dude whose secondary has been torched by Mahomes for years is gonna have PTSD going against Dylan in practice.