Tag: Evan Cooper

Former Husker coach to join Florida State staff

A former Husker coach will join Tony White in Tallahassee.

A former member of Nebraska’s coaching staff is heading to Tallahassee. The Florida State Seminoles announced Saturday that they hired former Nebraska safeties coach Evan Cooper.

Cooper resigned from the Huskers before training camp commenced in July. He now returns to coaching after a five-month absence, joining former Husker defensive coordinator Tony White and former defensive line coach Terrance Knighton in Tallahassee.

Cooper spent one season at Nebraska and 11 consecutive under Matt Rhule before resigning. In his lone season with the Huskers, Cooper put together a tough secondary.

The secondary recorded seven interceptions and 30 pass breakups in 2023, and the Blackshirts’ pass defense limited opponents to 6.1 yards per attempt, which ranked ninth nationally in the same year. Nebraska also kept seven of 12 opponents to less than 200 passing yards, including two under 100 yards.

Cooper joins a Florida State team that allowed 7.41 passing yards per attempt and only four interceptions. The Seminoles kept teams under 200 passing yards and one team under a hundred. The most passing yards the team allowed occurred in its win over California, where it surrendered 303 passing yards.

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Rhule explains decision to hire John Butler as defensive backs coach

One of the offseason surprises for Nebraska football was the sudden resignation of defensive backs coach Evan Cooper.

One of the off-season surprises for Nebraska football was the sudden resignation of defensive backs coach Evan Cooper. At the time of his departure, Cooper was entering his second year as the Huskers’ defensive backs coach. The school has said that Cooper resigned for personal reasons.

Head coach Matt Rhule quickly hired John Butler as the new defensive back coach. Butler joins the Cornhuskers after holding the same position with the Buffalo Bills since 2022. He stepped down from his post with the Bills in February 2024, citing a desire to become a defensive coordinator. Rhule said that he’s excited to bring in someone with NFL experience.

John’s a guy I’ve known a long time, and I think any time that you can hire someone on your staff as a position coach who’s been a coordinator, they come in with another set of eyes. I’ve had a chance to coach against John when I was at Temple, he was at Penn State. Obviously in the NFL, he was in Buffalo.

Butler also coached with the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2017. Rhule said that the new coach’s track record is already paying dividends on the recruiting trail.

Just think about in recruiting, for those guys who want to go to the NFL and they’re talking to us, you know, I’ve been in those draft rooms, but John’s coached Micah Hyde, he’s coached Jordan Poyer. He’s coached top five secondaries. It was unfortunate we had a change that late in the year, but we wouldn’t have gotten John any earlier.

He also talked about the process of hiring Butler and how he will work with the new coaching staff.

He was at a point where he was ready to get back in and start coaching. It just so happened I was on vacation on the beach two towns away from where he was, so it was all pretty fortuitous. We sat down. Tony White is one of the best coaches in college football. He’s an amazing defensive coordinator. Terrance Knighton is an amazing defensive line coach. Rob Dvoracek, excellent young linebacker coach. I think John will bring some experience, a second set of eyes, and a guy that the players can trust will make them better.

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John Butler officially joins Nebraska football coaching staff

Butler will replace Evan Cooper, who resigned last week citing ‘personal reasons.’

The Nebraska Cornhuskers officially announced the hiring of John Butler as the football team’s new secondary coach and pass game coordinator. Butler will replace Evan Cooper, who resigned last week citing ‘personal reasons.’

The new Husker coach spent the last six seasons with the Buffalo Bills before stepping down in February 2024. Head coach Matt Rhule is excited for Nebraska’s newest addition.

“John Butler is one of the premier defensive backs coaches in football. 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.”

He stepped down from his post with the Bills in February of 2024, citing a desire to become a defensive coordinator. Butler told The Athletic that the split was completely amicable.

“There doesn’t have to be a crazy story behind it. I just want to run a defense in the NFL or college football. I want that opportunity, and I don’t want to wait.”

Butler also coached the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2017 and was the defensive coordinator of Penn State in 2013.

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REPORT: Former NFL assistant coach John Butler to join Huskers

Matt Rhule is working quickly on replacing Evan Cooper on his staff.

Matt Rhule has moved fast in replacing Evan Cooper on his staff. The defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator resigned on Friday night, citing personal reasons. 

On Saturday morning, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that the Nebraska Cornhuskers are expected to name former NFL assistant coach John Butler as the program’s secondary coach.

The 51-year-old is a long-time assistant coach who started his coaching career in 1995 at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He also spent time at Texas, Midwestern State, Southwest Texas State, Harvard, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Penn State before spending the past decade in the NFL with the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.

For the last 12 years, Butler has spent time as a defensive backs coach or secondary coach. He also spent time with Penn State in 2013 as the program’s defensive coordinator.

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Nebraska defensive backs coach Evan Cooper resigns

Defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Evan Cooper resigned on Friday evening.

The Nebraska football team received a resignation letter right before the start of training camp. Defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Evan Cooper resigned on Friday evening.

Cooper was entering his second season as the Huskers’ defensive backs coach. The 2024 campaign would have been his 12th consecutive year on Rhule’s staff. He resigned for personal reasons.

Cooper’s secondary played a key role in the Huskers’ best statistical defense since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011. Nebraska’s pass defense limited opponents to 6.1 yards per attempt, which ranked ninth nationally.

The Huskers also ranked 15th nationally in passing efficiency defense and eighth nationally in rushing defense. The Huskers’ secondary helped Nebraska rank 14th nationally in total defense and 17th in scoring defense, their best finishes since 2009 and 2010.

The secondary accounted for seven interceptions and 30 pass breakups. Defensive back Issac Gifford also led Nebraska in tackles with 86, becoming the first Husker defensive back to record 85 tackles in a season since 2014.

This is the second consecutive season that an assistant coach at Nebraska has departed the program just before fall camp begins. Tight ends coach Bob Wager resigned in 2023.

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Panthers fire 2 defensive coaches after embarrassing Week 9 loss to Bengals

Following a weak showing against the Bengals in Week 9, the Panthers parted ways with a pair of defensive coaches on Monday morning.

With a Thursday night matchup against the Atlanta Falcons coming up quickly, the Carolina Panthers don’t have much time to make adjustments heading into Week 10. So, they got moving right away.

As announced by the team on early Monday morning, interim head coach Steve Wilks dismissed defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni and cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper. These departures come less than 24 hours after an embarrassing Week 9 performance, one where they allowed 241 rushing yards and six total touchdowns in a 42-21 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 73-year-old Pasqualoni was hired into his post this past offseason in a sweeping revamp led by then head coach Matt Rhule. 2022 marked his 50th year of coaching between both the collegiate and pro levels.

In addition to yesterday’s outing, Carolina’s defensive line has not had a particularly impactful season. The Panthers, through nine games, have now totaled just 14.0 sacks—the fourth-lowest total in the NFL.

Cooper, who has spent the last three seasons with the organization, was a 2020 carryover by Rhule from Baylor University.

Defensive assistant Bobby Maffei will take up Cooper’s responsibilities with pass rush specialist Don Johnson and assistant defensive line coach Terrance Knighton working on Pasqualoni’s void.

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