Nebraska fired first-year defensive coordinator John Butler on Monday after the Cornhuskers stumbled to three losses in their final four games following a 6-2 start.
"We thank John for his contributions to our football program over the past two seasons and wish him the best moving forward in his coaching career," Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said in a statement. "Phil Snow will serve as the interim defensive coordinator for our upcoming bowl game. We will work toward naming a new defensive coordinator for the 2026 season in the coming weeks."
Butler spent six seasons with the Buffalo Bills (2016-23) before joining the Huskers' staff in 2024 as their secondary coach and pass game coordinator. He was elevated to the defensive coordinator position after Tony White left to become the DC at Florida State last December.
Nebraska (7-5, 4-5 Big Ten) finished the regular season with the No. 2 pass defense in FBS at 112.1 passing yards allowed per game, but struggled at times to get stops in conference play, finishing with the Big Ten's No. 12 scoring defense in league play and closing out the season with lopsided losses to Penn State and Iowa.
Snow, Nebraska's associate head coach, was the defensive coordinator under Rhule during the latter's previous stints at Temple, Baylor and the Carolina Panthers.