Jay Butler Coming Back to RU!!

RU85inFla

Heisman
Aug 4, 2003
15,570
10,550
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I'm not blaming AC on Schiano, from what I was hearing I didn't think we had better than a 50% chance of ever getting him. He was offered a great package and he decided to decline. My issue with the DEFENSIVE hires is outside of Brown they are all retreads. Every HS coach I know loves Paganos, so I'm cool with bringing him back. I'm sorry but with the money Schiano demanded I'm simply nor impressed with Fraser, Butler, or Smith. They are three guys who have mostly never been hired by anyone not named Schiano or the Schiano tree. Now the argument will be, " who cares it's Schiano's D anyway" and that is exactly why I would have loaded up on young big time recruiters instead.
Its much easier to get respectable by building a defense than by building and offense - especially when you do not have a stud QB on the roster. For GS or any coach that was hired to be successful the quickest, it had to be done by focusing on the defense first. That is why he hired who he did on defense (along with the AC decline). He provided a staff that will give our defense a huge opportunity to improve quickly. It's plug and play.

It is my belief that where Ash failed miserably and GS is focused on is showing immediate improvement to help recruiting and flipping of the roster. Ash missed the boat with his offensive production claims and then claimed in year 2 it was his first recruiting class. GS is staring the problem in the face and attacking the problem. We know the script. We will see a much better defense next year as GS and staff try to attract the horses to turn the offense around.
 
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rufeelinit

All-Conference
May 16, 2010
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My concern with the Fraser, Smith and Butler troika is that it runs a little counter to the hope that GS has changed somewhat since the first go round and this might suggest otherwise. I wasn't crazy about Fraser and then to throw Smith on top of that just compounded the concern. I would need to know more about why Butler stayed in Florida all these years but I thought he was pretty well regarded when here.

I think its reasonable for GS to want some familiarity and experience on this staff but it just feels like we settled and prioritized that aspect versus paying up and getting another person with strong coaching/recruiting credentials. As other have pointed out, seems to me we are lighter on experience on the offensive staff than the D particularly when considering GS's experience. If you were going to take another risk the D is where you would do it.

If we offered Camp what is indicated here, then I certainly don't hold the fact that he did not come against GS. I personally thought that two Camps plus Hoffman was too much of a geographic recruiting concentration than we could afford. What is still a little unclear to me is how strong a recruiter Nunzio is. Is he primarily responsible for the kids from St. Joes and BC coming in this class? His recruiting track record is less established than his younger brother. I assume GS believes Hoffman has the personality to recruit well. Also who on this staff is covering the Maryland/Northern Va area? Seems to be a lot to ask of Brown along with blanketing South Jersey. I assume Aurich will cover PA?

Finally it will be interesting to see how the coaching assignments shake out. Particularly on offense. We know Gleeson is OC/QB, Aurich is OL and Tiquan is WR. If Smith is back, I assume he is RB. That leaves Nunzio and Hoffman for TE and ST? Based on the offense Gleeson wants to run is there an inside slot receiver coach in addition to or in combination with TE and WR?
 

vkj91

Heisman
Feb 7, 2007
188,562
49,725
98
Its much easier to get respectable by building a defense than by building and offense - especially when you do not have a stud QB on the roster. For GS or any coach that was hired to be successful the quickest, it had to be done by focusing on the defense first. That is why he hired who he did on defense (along with the AC decline). He provided a staff that will give our defense a huge opportunity to improve quickly. It's plug and play.

It is my belief that where Ash failed miserably and GS is focused on is showing immediate improvement to help recruiting and flipping of the roster. Ash missed the boat with his offensive production claims and then claimed in year 2 it was his first recruiting class. GS is staring the problem in the face and attacking the problem. We know the script. We will see a much better defense next year as GS and staff try to attract the horses to turn the offense around.
that's where we differ. I don't think our defensive hires "give us a huge opportunity".
 
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy

Guest
not making anything up. It's you who thinks everything the man does is Gold.
Gleeson and Brown are great hires.
Nunzio is a good keep but he wasn't getting fired regardless of who the new coach was.
I think his offensive side of the ball is great but sorry, I'm not impressed with his DC, LB, or strength coach hires. I just didn't want to get the band back together and basically what he has done on the defensive side of the ball minus Brown.
it's absolute bananas to not be thrilled with this staff.
 

NickRU714

Heisman
Aug 18, 2009
14,251
13,051
113
I love our offensive staff. I also think our next OC will come from it with both Nunz and Aurich having bright futures

I would have actually preferred a "retread" or two.
Unlike the defense, the offense is being run by someone with 1 year P5 experience.

While the defense should have loaded up on "young recruiters" because of Schaino, the offense should have done the opposite and gotten a couple more coaches with actual CFB/non-RU experience.
 

MOBFreehold

All-Conference
Jan 28, 2014
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Our strength numbers under butler were great. Hes a very good strength coach. Compare his players strength numbers with parkers. And no, strength isnt talent based

Was Butler thechuy who wanted low body fat so guys were lean? Need beef in the B1G
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
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My concern with the Fraser, Smith and Butler troika is that it runs a little counter to the hope that GS has changed somewhat since the first go round and this might suggest otherwise. I wasn't crazy about Fraser and then to throw Smith on top of that just compounded the concern. I would need to know more about why Butler stayed in Florida all these years but I thought he was pretty well regarded when here.

I remember Butler being very highly regarded while here, too, and people being very concerned about what would happen with our S&C once he left with Schiano to Tampa Bay. We don't know the reasons he stayed near Tampa, or whether he got any offers that he turned down, or whatever.

As for Fraser, he was listed as lead recruiter on Rivals for Logan Ryan, Steve Beauharnais, Quentin Gause, and Kevin Snyder - and I'm sure was part of the recruitment of others, since most commits don't have a lead recruiter listed.
 

RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
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Was Butler thechuy who wanted low body fat so guys were lean? Need beef in the B1G

One of Schiano's things back then was moving guys down a level... so, CBs playing Safety, Safeties playing LB, LBs playing DE, etc.. He wanted speed at those positions more than he wanted strength, which allowed for a more swarming defense that was faster to the ball. Butler helped facilitate that vision, though I don't know if Schiano's perspectives have changed since 2011.
 

beaced_rivals

Heisman
Jul 18, 2004
32,005
10,324
113
Schiano said at his first meeting with RU faithful his first RU stint the most important coach on his staff is the Fitness Trainer since he's allowed to work with the players all season long all the time even once the football season is over....I'm paraphrasing
I'm happy jay will be back an intense guy the players will love and work hard to be the best they can...
Welcome back Jay Butler!
double DITTO.
 

RUnTeX

All-Conference
Dec 21, 2001
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Was Butler thechuy who wanted low body fat so guys were lean? Need beef in the B1G

Not sure if it was strictly Butler's philosophy or one that he shared with and/or was directed by Schiano in order to pursue the speed-first mantra, which Schiano may have brought with him from his time at Miami. Agree that the lines need some beef (while perhaps trading off some speed) so as not to get pushed around in the B1G.
 
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rsketch

All-Conference
Feb 5, 2014
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Besides bringing back a bunch of guys who couldn’t do better than 3rd in a weak Big East? How many threads did we have about Butler not getting it done. Now, we will rewrite history and make believe he’s some amazing hire. We just hired a HS strength coach.
Who also was on the Longhorns staff.
 

beaced_rivals

Heisman
Jul 18, 2004
32,005
10,324
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vkj91, I have been watching this program closely since 1988. Jay Butler did an excellent job in his time. We were never pushed around due to strength or badly conditioned. All those NFL guys from Schiano, were built by Butler. When Butler left and Jeremy Cole took over you saw a major drop in our ability to be physically on par with other teams. And since Butler stayed in Tampa post the Buccaneers, my guess is wanted to give his family of 4 kids some stability for a while. IMG is no HS. It's basically a FCS school in regards to resources. We offered AC a million, he chose not to take it. That's on AC not Schiano.
GS RESURRECTED RU FB from the Anderson,Graber and Shea morass.A number of his re-hires were on his staff.HE and They gave us New Life as a program.I was once again,since the Burns Era ,able to ENJOY RU FB.EVERYTHING that Greg is doing ,at this time,WORKS FOR ME.Happy New Year everybody.It has begun wonderfully for RU FB.
 

vandalen1

Junior
Feb 4, 2006
5,904
227
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I'm not blaming AC on Schiano, from what I was hearing I didn't think we had better than a 50% chance of ever getting him. He was offered a great package and he decided to decline. My issue with the DEFENSIVE hires is outside of Brown they are all retreads. Every HS coach I know loves Paganos, so I'm cool with bringing him back. I'm sorry but with the money Schiano demanded I'm simply nor impressed with Fraser, Butler, or Smith. They are three guys who have mostly never been hired by anyone not named Schiano or the Schiano tree. Now the argument will be, " who cares it's Schiano's D anyway" and that is exactly why I would have loaded up on young big time recruiters instead.

I like Fraser a lot. I thought he did a great job with LB's back at Rutgers. Glad to see him back on the field. I think Fraser is the kind of guy you give him an assignment and he gets it done. And he was able to recruit kids as well.
I think Smith and GS needs to take a lesson on how to handle a spread offense. They both like an aggressive D and man free backfield and running that D gives the offense potential for big plays. I think Brown's DB's have done a great job against the spread so I'm hoping he had input on how to run it.
 
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rsketch

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Feb 5, 2014
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I don't care that he didn't get another P5 head job. I care that nobody outside of Schiano has EVER hired him. He wasn't even the head guy at a HS job.
That is a blatant lie. He was on the Longhorns staff.
 

rsketch

All-Conference
Feb 5, 2014
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not making anything up. It's you who thinks everything the man does is Gold.
Gleeson and Brown are great hires.
Nunzio is a good keep but he wasn't getting fired regardless of who the new coach was.
I think his offensive side of the ball is great but sorry, I'm not impressed with his DC, LB, or strength coach hires. I just didn't want to get the band back together and basically what he has done on the defensive side of the ball minus Brown.
What about Hoffman?
 

Knight Shift

Heisman
May 19, 2011
90,030
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His efforts resulted in his being named the 2006 Samson’s strength and Conditioning Coach of the year by the American Football Monthly.

Butler’s philosophy has also paid off for the athletes under his guidance, as Scarlet Knights - many of whom continued to train with Butler in the offseason - found success in the NFL in record numbers duringyears Butler led the strength and conditioning program.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...ayButler.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3GdI8JoZclhHNoZ1sH8siB
 

nukem

All-Conference
Feb 3, 2003
2,154
4,720
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Anyone who thought Schiano would come in here and hire 10 new guys that he never worked with wasn't living in the real world. No coach who has been a head coach in his past would do that. He is going to want some familiarity on his staff that he's worked with before. He's going to be able to spend a lot less time teaching his system to this defensive staff which will free him up to do other more important things at this juncture of the program.

I personally was more worried what he would do on the offensive side of the ball. And I think he went out and put a very good staff together there. I think we have enough guys that will recruit well. Besides Brown and Campanile, I believe Hoffmann and Underwood will do very well. I think Underwood can really be a star recruiter for us. And Gleeson has been very good at recruiting QB's.

Anyone complaining about this staff probably has some kind of ax to grind.
 

Knight Shift

Heisman
May 19, 2011
90,030
87,949
113


Rutgers running back Brian Leonard knows strength and conditioning coordinator Jay Butler played a major role in the Scarlet Knights’ amazing turnaround. But that doesn’t mean he always enjoyed Butler’s tactics.

“Along with the strength, conditioning and speed, he’ll do things to make you mentally tough,” said Leonard. “He’ll do the worst things you could ever think of. Like after a long day of winter conditioning, you’ll be real tired, and the next day, he’ll wake you up early and make you do three laps around the field just to piss you off. That’s just what he does, and it just makes you more mentally tough.”

That’s not the only mental game Butler plays with his athletes. He loves to press their buttons and test his players anyway he can.
 

RUBOB72

All-American
Aug 5, 2004
23,385
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All things considered the staff is solid . Though AC remained at Michigan it is still a very good mix of young
and energetic guys with plenty of ties to local in- state recruiting. Did I miss something with AC and his history as a DC ? The D is Schiano’s as everyone knows... Smith will be tied at the hip to Greg...All I remember with Jay Butler our D and O lines were pretty stout for being undersized. We were well conditioned and consistently recognized by the media and teams we played as tough and strong...One key to any leader being successful is their ability to feel secure with those they hire and work along side of ...
 

MOBFreehold

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Not sure if it was strictly Butler's philosophy or one that he shared with and/or was directed by Schiano in order to pursue the speed-first mantra, which Schiano may have brought with him from his time at Miami. Agree that the lines need some beef (while perhaps trading off some speed) so as not to get pushed around in the B1G.

There is such a thing as good fat especially for linemen in the B1G
 
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rsketch

All-Conference
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Who is killing every decision. You know what I hate about Rutgers fans? The belief that everything Schiano does is perfect. If any other coach came in here and made those three hires people would lose their mind. Especially when a guy like bob Shoop is unemployed.
Maybe he's unemployed for reason?
 

RUSK97

All-American
Dec 28, 2007
10,460
6,551
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I'm not blaming AC on Schiano, from what I was hearing I didn't think we had better than a 50% chance of ever getting him. He was offered a great package and he decided to decline. My issue with the DEFENSIVE hires is outside of Brown they are all retreads. Every HS coach I know loves Paganos, so I'm cool with bringing him back. I'm sorry but with the money Schiano demanded I'm simply nor impressed with Fraser, Butler, or Smith. They are three guys who have mostly never been hired by anyone not named Schiano or the Schiano tree. Now the argument will be, " who cares it's Schiano's D anyway" and that is exactly why I would have loaded up on young big time recruiters instead.
I hear what you're saying and while I have no problems with Butler coming back, I agree with you on Smith and some of the other retreads. And with no-experience Tiquan on the other side of the ball. With the unprecedented assistant pool money on the table, some of these hires were a bit underwhelming.
 

bitnez

All-American
Jan 18, 2006
6,536
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I have no issue with Butler. In fact, I like that Schiano brought him back. You need your S&C guy to be your eyes and ears because they have the most contact with the players. There needs to be absolute trust. As for the DC, I am not as concerned. If he's not getting it done he'll be gone, and I actually like his attacking style.
 

FELONIOUSMONK

All-American
Apr 1, 2012
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For those who prayed for the return of GS let him get who he gets. We are still Rutgers not OSU. Let it be.
 

rsketch

All-Conference
Feb 5, 2014
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I'm not blaming AC on Schiano, from what I was hearing I didn't think we had better than a 50% chance of ever getting him. He was offered a great package and he decided to decline. My issue with the DEFENSIVE hires is outside of Brown they are all retreads. Every HS coach I know loves Paganos, so I'm cool with bringing him back. I'm sorry but with the money Schiano demanded I'm simply nor impressed with Fraser, Butler, or Smith. They are three guys who have mostly never been hired by anyone not named Schiano or the Schiano tree. Now the argument will be, " who cares it's Schiano's D anyway" and that is exactly why I would have loaded up on young big time recruiters instead.
Okay so Pags was on Minnesota and Fraser on the Pats. They must be pretty bad coaches?
 

dvb91

Senior
Feb 5, 2003
5,184
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When do we expect the Butler hire to be official? Not totally unexpected, but there were also naysayers due to the fact he seemed to be happy at IMG & Florida. Looks to be a good fit for GS & RU, which really is what it is all about. All assistants & staff are an extension of GS & his philosophy, so getting Butler back makes sense.

In fact, it makes sense that the defensive staff are GS 'retreads', as he will probably be more invested & in tune with that side of the ball. Not sure if someone like Shoop would be in sync with GS, so maybe the options really were limited, at least for this go around. Not sure who else would have been considered, given the parameters & probability that GS is going to be very hands-on with the defense. The Smith hire is a bit underwhelming and I kind of agree with vkj that maybe we could've gotten a young turk known for recruiting, but it is what it is. Panagos & Fraser (& Brown) recruit pretty well anyway, so maybe Smith being less than stellar when it comes to the recruiting front isn't too much of a burden. I actually hope he'll eventually be Co-DC with Brown, or even move on after a good 2 seasons to make room for Brown. Will be interesting to see how they all work together & see who is on the field vs being up in the booth.
 

rsketch

All-Conference
Feb 5, 2014
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vkj91, I have been watching this program closely since 1988. Jay Butler did an excellent job in his time. We were never pushed around due to strength or badly conditioned. All those NFL guys from Schiano, were built by Butler. When Butler left and Jeremy Cole took over you saw a major drop in our ability to be physically on par with other teams. And since Butler stayed in Tampa post the Buccaneers, my guess is wanted to give his family of 4 kids some stability for a while. IMG is no HS. It's basically a FCS school in regards to resources. We offered AC a million, he chose not to take it. That's on AC not Schiano.
Stop it you're making way too much sense.
 

RUBOB72

All-American
Aug 5, 2004
23,385
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That any being there for 5 years
What about the fact that no one outside of Rutgers wanted to hire Schiano as was stated?
Nobody actually knows what jobs Greg Schiano may have been approached about... it is fact he had
interest in coming back to Rutgers even when at Ohio State... didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know Ash was treading on thin ice in his tenure here... after year 2 most expected him being terminated and if it had not been his $$$$ buyout Ash would have seen the door after 2018...we could have done much Worse by hiring several other suspected candidates.
 

AreYouNUTS

Heisman
Aug 1, 2001
124,649
58,698
113
Well, with the exception of 2 hires, this is exactly what I hoped he wouldn’t do.

This is 1 huge I wanted HOWEVER I agree. possibly TOO many “yes men” right now HOWEVER maybe that’s a good way to get things headed in the direction he wants - we all want - sooner rather than later, due to that “familiarity.” The single most important hires, IMHO, he nailed: Gleeson, Brown, Hoffman, Auirich, Butler and Underwood. Lots of good coaching ability AND string Jersey ties all over the state. Wasn’t too worried about the D in his hands.
 

RUbacker

Heisman
Dec 5, 2014
16,198
23,149
108
This is 1 huge I wanted HOWEVER I agree. possibly TOO many “yes men” right now HOWEVER maybe that’s a good way to get things headed in the direction he wants - we all want - sooner rather than later, due to that “familiarity.” The single most important hires, IMHO, he nailed: Gleeson, Brown, Hoffman, Auirich, Butler and Underwood. Lots of good coaching ability AND string Jersey ties all over the state. Wasn’t too worried about the D in his hands.
Yes men?
 

RUsince52

All-Conference
Apr 3, 2016
6,821
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Do we still have the same nutritionist ? I think Jay has a policy of NO stadium food on game day.
 
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