Cooper is moving aside for personal reasons, having worked with Matt Rhule for several years.
Evan Cooper, Nebraska’s defensive backs coach, has resigned for personal reasons, 247Sports confirms. According to ESPN, the Cornhuskers have worked rapidly to find a replacement and are slated to employ John Butler, former Buffalo Bills defensive backs coach.
Cooper’s exit seems untimely, however. Nebraska’s fall camp begins at the end of July, and the team opens the 2024 season on August 31 against UTEP.
Cooper had also followed coach Matt Rhule to several places throughout his career. The two first collaborated in 2013, when Rhule, then in his first year at Temple, hired Cooper as a graduate assistant. Cooper became Baylor’s director of player personnel after the two left in 2017. In 2018, he received his first on-field coaching assignment, handling the secondary and defensive line.
Rhule was hired by the Carolina Panthers in 2020, while Cooper was named cornerbacks coach and director of player evaluation. Cooper was not retained after Rhule was sacked in 2022, and the two relocated to Nebraska before of the 2023 season.
In terms of smoothing the transition between Cooper and his replacement, Nebraska can get creative owing to a new NCAA regulation that permits analysts or quality control personnel to take on on-field coaching duties.
“Senior defensive analyst Kevin McGarry has worked with Tony White at both San Diego State and Syracuse and could provide valuable knowledge of White’s defense to assist with defensive backs,” according to Huskers247’s Michael Bruntz. “McGarry was key last season in easing the transition to the 3-3-5.”
