Former Army Lacrosse middie assumes offensive coordinator duties for Flames

Brandon Butler, a former midfielder on the United States Military Academy's NCAA Division I men's lacrosse team from 2006-11 before serving for 11 years in the U.S. Army, is the newest addition to Liberty University's men's lacrosse team's coaching staff.

"Like anybody that goes to West Point and serves in the military, Brandon has a very disciplined mindset, and that's something that we're all going to benefit from," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "He brings an intense focus on being disciplined and doing the right thing at the right moment."

Brandon Butler Liberty men's lacrosse coach — Brandon Butler is pursuing his M.Div. through Liberty's online programs.

"Everyone's been incredibly welcoming and accommodating in helping me get into the learning curve of an incredibly competitive lacrosse team that Liberty has," added Butler, who started his Master of Divinity in Biblical Languages through Liberty's online programs last January with a projected completion date of May 2030. "Having the exposure of playing at an NCAA DI level for an amazing program like Army's and coming to Liberty, with how intentional Kyle and his staff are in glorifying God and putting that first, is something that is so attractive to me. They have hearts for following Jesus and stewarding the young men in the program. That ripple effect is going to grow and I'm so happy to be a part of it. It is incredibly special, and I'll do this for as long as they'll let me."

Butler is taking over offensive coordinator duties this spring as former Flames' attack Ryan Miller, Liberty's all-time leading scorer who has commuted in recent seasons from Northern Virginia, shifts to more of an advisory role on offense.

"Ryan as a full-time coach has been a tremendous resource to us," McQuillan said. "Ryan is fantastic in breaking down film and working with players on a one-on-one basis. Now, with Coach Butler taking on the role of offensive coordinator this spring, I will be interested to see what they combine to do this season."

"I hope he doesn't have any intention of doing anything else," Butler added of Miller, who helped his transition on staff during both of the Flames' fall semester scrimmages. "He has been a continued asset both for the team and for me and that has been a blessing."

Liberty will open its 2025 campaign with an exhibition game at Roanoke College on Feb. 1 before hosting its first official contest against ALC North Division rival Virginia Tech on Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.

The father of five sons between the ages of 10 and 1 — Cadell (Cade), Abram (Abe), Bowen (Bo), Phinehas (Phin), and Maccabee (Mac) — Butler coached his two oldest on the same Forest Youth Lacrosse Association U-10 team last spring as one of the sons of Flames Assistant Coach Jessi Glauser, who recruited him to join the staff.

"I didn't have any intention to really get back into lacrosse outside of raising our boys, if that was an interest any of them had," said Butler, who works as an accountant for a medical supply company and enjoys running ultramarathons in his free time. "It was an easy decision (accepting the position) aver seeing the caliber of our staff and of the young men that are on the team at Liberty. I've been around some high performers at West Point and in my military career and am seeing that again, and it's refreshing and exciting to be around men who are getting after athletic pursuits and their walks with God."

Butler — whose wife, Shaylyn, played for the USA Lacrosse U-19 team and was the No. 1 women's recruit coming out of high school before becoming a two-time captain and three-time all-American at Notre Dame — coached a women's lacrosse travel team his first summer after graduating from Army with degrees in kinesiology and exercise science.

He took a year off after his sophomore year at West Point to go on a mission trip to Tanzania. Upon his return to Army, he helped the Black Knights upset two-time national champion Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament his junior season after beating the Naval Academy for the first time in more than 10 years. As a company commander in the U.S. Army, he was deployed to Afghanistan from Jan. 2018-19.

Butler family — Brandon and Shaylyn with their boys Cade (holding Mac), Abe (middle), Bo, and Phin

"My wife Shay and I are very intentional about raising our boys to love and follow Jesus," Butler said. "To have an opportunity to pour into young guys on the lacrosse team, and to see them have an impact in our boys' lives, we view it as a gift from God. Lacrosse is great, it is a beautiful game, and a really fun sport. At the end of the day, we are happy to be encouraging young men on the team — above everything on the field — to glorify God. It's something we didn't know we were missing, and now we're 100 percent in as a family. Our 3-year-old (Phin) is aggressively supporting Liberty Lacrosse already."

Butler, who didn't start playing lacrosse until the summer of his eighth-grade year, sees tremendous potential in this year's Flames.

"It is an exciting time to be getting back into the sport," he said. "I'm floored looking at the guys we've got on the team. The depth, the overall talent, it's incredible, and the amount of work these guys put in is something I truly admire. Liberty University, for its Club Sports teams specifically, sets conditions that are very similar and probably above and beyond what I saw at the DI level. If we're going to be competitive and stepping out into the arena as Champions for Christ, we're equipping these young men and women to be very successful in their athletic pursuits and spiritual walks."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Former Army Lacrosse middie assumes offensive coordinator duties for Flames

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