Rutgers Football Fires Longtime Director of Sports Performance, Jay Butler

Butler was entering his 17th season with the program, and sixth in his current role. Butler will be replaced by Spencer Brown, who was recently hired from Dartmouth, where he spent the past nine seasons as the Director for Strength and Conditioning.

Dec 26, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights director of sports performance Jay Butler against the Kansas State Wildcats during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A significant staff change was announced today by Head Coach Greg Schiano at his annual Charity Golf Classic at Fiddler's Elbow Country Club in Bedminster. Longtime staff member Jay Butler, who spent the prior six years as the Director of Sports Performance, was let go and replaced by Spencer Brown, recently brought in from Dartmouth.

The change was a difficult one for Schiano, who is fiercely loyal to staff, and had spent 18 years working with Butler - sixteen at Rutgers and two in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"It was something I felt like we needed to do, but it was really hard. Jay has been a tremendous contributor to this program, and when we were in Tampa, so we've been together for 18 years. It was just something that I felt like we needed to do, but it was really, really hard," Schiano said.

Butler was the Scarlet Knights' Strength and Conditioning Coordinator from 2001-04, before being promoted as Head Football Strength and Conditioning coach from 2004-2011. The two also spent one year on the field together at Bucknell, where Schiano played linebacker and Butler offensive tackle. When Schiano left Rutgers to take the head coaching job at Tampa Bay in 2012, Butler followed him for two seasons.

No one should ever have a case of the Mondays. It should be your best day of the week.
Spencer Brown, Dartmouth

Brown played linebacker at Lafayette from 2006-2009, and took the role of Assistant Director of Sports Performance from 2010-12 after graduation. He then moved on to Moravian College as Director of Strength and Conditioning from 2012-14 before taking the same role at Dartmouth for nine years. A native of New Port Richey, Florida, he earned second-team honors twice in football at J.W. Mitchell Hight School and was a two-time state qualifier in weightlifting.

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