Nebraska secondaries coach John Butler has landed his first recruit since joining the Huskers' staff, securing the pledge of 2026 Windermere (Fla.) defensive back CJ Bronaugh, a fast-rising prospect from the state of Florida.

The junior runs 10.3 in the 100-meter dash, trains with US Olympian Tyson Gay and despite missing the early part of the season as he recovered from a torn quad, came down with six interceptions in seven games this fall.

Bronaugh visited Nebraska for the first time this month to see the Huskers take on UCLA. Though the result of the game wasn’t what the junior expected, he left impressed with the program on and off the field.

“It was amazing, I love the culture, the people, the atmosphere of the game. It was really nice, I loved it.”

Bronaugh felt like a priority on campus, with Butler, recruiting assistant Shevin Smith Jr and Matt Rhule all making sure he felt comfortable on campus and that he had all his questions answered. Nebraska’s staff care for prospective student-athletes and current players beyond the football field has consistently stuck out with recruits.

Butler went above and beyond during the following bye week, making sure to visit Windermere first as he made the rounds seeing top targets across the country.

“It just shows how much he really cares,” Bronaugh said. “I was his first stop, he wanted to see me first. We talked for probably an hour.”

Butler’s already been giving Bronaugh tips on how to improve his game and sharpen his technique. Knowing Butler’s background with the Buffalo Bills, the junior is all ears.

“I could automatically tell he’s a good coach, especially knowing he’s coached in the NFL and the people he’s coached there. I can just tell he knows what he’s talking about.”

The opportunity to be coached by Butler is special for Bronaugh, and his father, because whether they realized it or not, they’d been watching the impact of Butler’s coaching for years.

“When we went down there, he and my dad talked a lot about the guys he’s coached,” the junior said. “My dad was super excited because he’s a Bills fan.”

Standing 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Bronaugh battled through injury this season to make an impact for his Windermere team. He tore his quad in the spring and missed the first four games of the season. Despite still not being 100% healed to this day, he played in his team’s final seven games and came down with six interceptions, three of which he returned for interceptions.

Nebraska beat out the likes of Oklahoma, Florida State, Penn State, Syracuse and Indiana for his commitment. Bronaugh is the third commitment in Nebraska’s 2026 class and the first defensive commit in the class. He ranks as a three-star recruit per Rivals.

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