Rutgers football has announced its decision to move on from Jay Butler, its longtime Director of Sports Performance. Butler served in the position for 17 years total, and was about to enter his sixth year in his second stint. He joined the Scarlet Knights’ staff in 2001 alongside Greg Schiano as Scarlet Knights’ strength and conditioning coordinator from 2001 to 2004, before being promoted to strength and conditioning coach from 2004 to 2011. Butler followed Schiano to the NFL and became the Buccaneers’ head strength and conditioning coach from 2012 to 2013. Butler then became the assistant head of strength and conditioning coach at IMG Academy from 2017 to 2019, before assuming his current position as Director of Sports Performance from 2020 to 2025.
Schiano discussed the decision during his charity golf outing at Bedminster, New Jersey, stating that “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.”
Spencer Brown, former Dartmouth Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Director of Sports Performance, will take the open position left by Butler. He worked with the football, skiing, and both men’s and women’s tennis teams during his time at Dartmouth. Brown spent over 10 years with the Big Green, and is expected to bring new and modern training regimens to improve player performance.
Despite the emotional weight of the decision, it signals a commitment to new practices that will enhance the Rutgers football team’s strength and conditioning moving forward. With college football in an unprecedented modern era with many shifts on and off the field, Greg Schiano is making sure that his strength and conditioning department is allowing players to prepare themselves best for a grueling football season. Although Butler will be missed, Brown will help guide Rutgers into a new age when it comes to sports performance.