University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Football Adds Three in Recruiting and Personnel Roles
March 19, 2024 | Football
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA Football Head Coach DeShaun Foster announced Tuesday the additions of Butler Benton, Chris Carter and Stacey Ford to his staff in recruiting and personnel roles.
Benton, who headed player personnel efforts at Notre Dame in 2023, has been hired as general manager of recruiting and personnel. Former USC director of player development Carter, who played seven years in the NFL, joins the Bruins as assistant general manager of recruiting and personnel. Ford moves from Washington State, where he was director of recruiting, into the position of director of player personnel for Foster's program.
"The UCLA brand is a constant, but college football recruiting has evolved and will continue to do so every day," said Foster. "Butler, Chris and Stacey bring years of experience from around the country that will help us build and enhance relationships while staying a step ahead of that next change. The process of finding the right young men to wear those four letters never ends and we are fortunate to have this staff in place."
Benton arrives in Westwood with more than 10 years of experience at the Division I level, including the past eight working directly in personnel and recruiting at FBS schools Notre Dame, Arkansas, Georgia Southern and Michigan State.
Most recently, Benton spent the 2023 season as the assistant athletic director for player personnel at Notre Dame. With the Fighting Irish, he was responsible for roster management and evaluation, as well as management of the recruiting and scouting departments. Notre Dame posted a 10-3 record in 2023 and won the 90th annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Benton spent the previous two seasons as general manager at Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks to a combined 16-10 record and two bowl wins. On the recruiting front, Benton helped Arkansas import back-to-back top-30 classes, including the No. 22 class for the 2023 season, according to 247Sports.com.
READ FULL BENTON BIO
Carter was a fifth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers as an outside linebacker and spent parts of seven years on NFL rosters before transitioning to off-field roles in collegiate and professional football. He most recently served as USC's director of player development after working in the role of defensive recruiting analyst at Oklahoma.
Carter served a fellowship in 2020 and 2021 with the NFL Players Association's The Trust, which provides former players with the support they need to succeed in life after football. Carter himself pursued a career in business during and after his professional football days, working for StubHub (2020) and the Clare York Group (2015-19). He was also a motivational speaker and started The Chris Carter 4 Youth Foundation and The Carter After School Program in his hometown of Fontana, Calif. Carter's brother, David, starred on the gridiron for UCLA from 2007-2010.
READ FULL CARTER BIO
Ford comes to Westwood after a two-year stint as the director of recruiting at Washington State. Prior to that, Ford made coaching stops at Warren High School and Cathedral High School, both in Los Angeles.
His tenure in Pullman, Wash. was highlighted by a solid 2022 campaign that saw the Cougars go 7-5 during the regular season en route to an appearance in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl against Fresno State.
Ford spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Warren High in Downey, Calif. During his last two seasons there, the Bears did not drop a single regular-season game and won back-to-back San Gabriel Valley League titles.
Ford got his professional start in 2016, serving as a player personnel scout intern for the then-Oakland Raiders. With the Raiders, he crafted individual scouting reports, managed departmental databases and made life skills presentations.
READ FULL FORD BIO
Benton, who headed player personnel efforts at Notre Dame in 2023, has been hired as general manager of recruiting and personnel. Former USC director of player development Carter, who played seven years in the NFL, joins the Bruins as assistant general manager of recruiting and personnel. Ford moves from Washington State, where he was director of recruiting, into the position of director of player personnel for Foster's program.
"The UCLA brand is a constant, but college football recruiting has evolved and will continue to do so every day," said Foster. "Butler, Chris and Stacey bring years of experience from around the country that will help us build and enhance relationships while staying a step ahead of that next change. The process of finding the right young men to wear those four letters never ends and we are fortunate to have this staff in place."
Benton arrives in Westwood with more than 10 years of experience at the Division I level, including the past eight working directly in personnel and recruiting at FBS schools Notre Dame, Arkansas, Georgia Southern and Michigan State.
Most recently, Benton spent the 2023 season as the assistant athletic director for player personnel at Notre Dame. With the Fighting Irish, he was responsible for roster management and evaluation, as well as management of the recruiting and scouting departments. Notre Dame posted a 10-3 record in 2023 and won the 90th annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Benton spent the previous two seasons as general manager at Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks to a combined 16-10 record and two bowl wins. On the recruiting front, Benton helped Arkansas import back-to-back top-30 classes, including the No. 22 class for the 2023 season, according to 247Sports.com.
READ FULL BENTON BIO
Carter was a fifth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers as an outside linebacker and spent parts of seven years on NFL rosters before transitioning to off-field roles in collegiate and professional football. He most recently served as USC's director of player development after working in the role of defensive recruiting analyst at Oklahoma.
Carter served a fellowship in 2020 and 2021 with the NFL Players Association's The Trust, which provides former players with the support they need to succeed in life after football. Carter himself pursued a career in business during and after his professional football days, working for StubHub (2020) and the Clare York Group (2015-19). He was also a motivational speaker and started The Chris Carter 4 Youth Foundation and The Carter After School Program in his hometown of Fontana, Calif. Carter's brother, David, starred on the gridiron for UCLA from 2007-2010.
READ FULL CARTER BIO
Ford comes to Westwood after a two-year stint as the director of recruiting at Washington State. Prior to that, Ford made coaching stops at Warren High School and Cathedral High School, both in Los Angeles.
His tenure in Pullman, Wash. was highlighted by a solid 2022 campaign that saw the Cougars go 7-5 during the regular season en route to an appearance in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl against Fresno State.
Ford spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Warren High in Downey, Calif. During his last two seasons there, the Bears did not drop a single regular-season game and won back-to-back San Gabriel Valley League titles.
Ford got his professional start in 2016, serving as a player personnel scout intern for the then-Oakland Raiders. With the Raiders, he crafted individual scouting reports, managed departmental databases and made life skills presentations.
READ FULL FORD BIO
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