Butler USC's new special teams coach

COLUMBIA -- Steve Spurrier accidentally showed members of the media John Butler's resume on Valentine's Day. And he hired Butler on Wednesday to be South Carolina's special teams coordinator.

Butler was a special teams and linebackers coach for Minnesota from 2007 until Tim Brewster's staff was fired last season.

"We think John Butler is an excellent special teams coach," USC's head coach said Wednesday in a release. "He had good success at the University of Minnesota. Our coaching staff was impressed with his knowledge and his eagerness to do the job here at South Carolina. We look forward to having him on our staff."

Butler, 37, replaces Shane Beamer on the USC staff. Beamer left to become an assistant on his father's staff at Virginia Tech.

In addition to Butler's hiring, receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. will assume Beamer's role as recruiting coordinator.

Butler was hired Feb. 11 by the Houston Texans as a defensive assistant, but the 37-year-old was willing to come back to the college game because, as one source said, the NFL job was a "glorified graduate assistant" position.

Butler's resume wound up in Spurrier's hands because of USC strength coach Craig Fitzgerald, who worked with Butler at Harvard from 2003-06.

Somewhat humorously, that resume then literally wound up in Spurrier's hands at the news conference to announce Jadeveon Clowney's signing with the school. Spurrier had scribbled notes about Clowney on the backside of Butler's resume, holding it up in plain view of reporters.

At that point, Butler was a periphery candidate, but he eventually became Spurrier's main target. He interviewed Tuesday for the job and was offered the position soon after. Butler resigned Wednesday with the Texans, who are coincidentally owned by USC grad Bob McNair.