PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Greg Schiano, who will be taking Rutgers to its second bowl game since returning as head coach in 2020, has been given a new contract through the 2030 season.
Athletic director Pat Hobbs announced the deal Wednesday, roughly two weeks before the Scarlet Knights (6-6) are to face Miami (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28.
Schiano will be paid $6.25 million next season. He had signed an eight-year deal for $4 million annually when he took over for the 2020 season.
Schiano, the program’s all-time wins leader with 86, has guided the Scarlet Knights to eight bowl games heading into the game later this month. The Scarlet Knights are 5-2 in bowl games under Schiano. The team completed the 2023 regular season with 13 players recognized in the All-Big Ten voting, the second-highest total for the program.
“In four years, Coach Schiano has transformed our program, this year resulting in bowl eligibility,” Hobbs said. “Continuity is critical in building winning programs. We have the right leader and the right staff to lead the Scarlet Knights in the years ahead.”
Schiano, 57, is in his second tenure at Rutgers, having built a dismal program into a respectable one between 2001-11. He left to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL for two seasons, spent time away from football and rejoined as a coach and coordinator at Ohio State from 2016-18.
“Rutgers is home to my family and me, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to build a championship program right here in New Jersey,” said Schiano, who took the Scarlet Knights to the Gator Bowl in 2020 against Wake Forest after a COVID-19 outbreak forced Texas A&M to withdraw.
In addition to sweeping the non-conference portion of the 2023 schedule, Rutgers tied the program record for Big Ten wins (3-6) in a season. It finished the season on a four-game losing streak.
Rutgers held opponents to an average of 21.0 points, which was 27th nationally. The unit ranks 19th in the country in overall total defense (313.7), 11th in passing yards allowed (175.9) and boasted the ninth-best red zone defense.
Offensively, the Scarlet Knights are led by the Big Ten’s leading rusher, Kyle Monangai, who has posted 1,099 rushing yards on 217 carries.
In addition to the team’s results on the field, academic success continues to be a hallmark for Schiano-led programs. The Scarlet Knights led the nation in Academic Progress Rate during his first stint in 2010 and ranked second in the country in 2011. The program was the lone state university to be ranked in the top 10% nationally in APR during each of Schiano’s last five seasons of his first term. Since his return, the Scarlet Knights have seen 195 honorees to the Academic All-Big Ten list.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
