Groundhog day has officially struck a couple of months early in Piscataway, New Jersey. That’s because according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and others, former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has agreed in principle to become the next head coach at Rutgers — for a second time.
Schiano put the Rutgers program on the map back in the mid 2000’s by using a workmanlike attitude sorely needed in a program that had struggled to string together any type consistent competitiveness. The Scarlet Knights enjoyed their most productive seasons in school history under his watch.
He then used that success to make the leap to the next level with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but never met expectations there and was fired during the 2013 season after just two seasons. He then went back to the high school ranks before being hired as the defensive coordinator by good friend Urban Meyer at Ohio State in 2016.
Schiano though, was not retained by new head coach Ryan Day and had a short stint with the New England Patriots in the offseason before deciding to concentrate of family rather than the rigors of the NFL.
Now, it appears. he is back to familiar surroundings in the state he knows and loves well. The deal is reportedly an 8-year $32 Million deal also according to the same sources that detailed the arrangement to The Athletic.
It remains to be seen whether Schiano can duplicate the success he had in his first stint. It’ll be an uphill climb both ways with all the disadvantages built into the program, but time will tell.
