Rutgers sets sights on Schiano return
Former Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano, who led the Scarlet Knights to six bowl games in seven seasons with a 56-33 record overall, is scheduled to meet with Rutgers Athletics on Wednesday of this week, according to an article on NJ Advance Media.
“OK, it’s time Rutgers. ‘Wake up the echoes,’” tweeted Ronald Garutti, a vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, on Sunday. The phrase “Wake up the echoes” is usually used at the University of Notre Dame and is associated with restoring old glory.
Having been a heavy fan favorite to fill former head coach Chris Ash’s position, Schiano has been communicating with Rutgers officials through back channels since Ash’s firing on Sept. 28, according to the article.
While top Rutgers Athletics officials, such as Athletics Director Pat Hobbs, have yet to meet Schiano in person, the arrangement is seen by high-level donors to be very likely unless an unforeseen complication arises.
After leaving Rutgers in 2011, Schiano went on to serve as head coach of the NFL team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to the article. Schiano spent two seasons leading the Buccaneers before heading to Ohio State as their defensive coordinator.
Schiano was slated to join the NFL team the New England Patriots as their defensive coordinator before deciding to take the season off, according to the article.
The Daily Targum reported yesterday that the University had interviewed former University of Tennessee head coach Butch Jones for the Knights’ top job, but Schiano would be the choice for the position if he were to want it.
Rutgers football has struggled since Schiano’s departure. The Knights have not been to a bowl game since 2014, according to the article.
This season, attendance at SHI Stadium has been the lowest on average since the 2005 season, the Targum reported in October.
At a New Jersey Hall of Fame ceremony earlier this month, Schiano declined to comment on Rutgers’ head coaching vacancy, according to the article.
“Well, tonight is all about Jerry," Schiano said of Hall of Fame inductee and former Star-Ledger columnist Jerry Izenberg, when asked if he was interested in the job, according to the article. "That’s why I’m here, and I’m going to stick to that. It’s great to be back in New Jersey. I haven’t been back in Asbury Park for 15 years. It’s cool to see what’s going on here. It’s going to be a great night.”
