Greg Schiano didn’t spend Big Ten Media Days sugarcoating Rutgers’ 2024 season. He went straight to the problem, and then straight to the fix.
The Scarlet Knights’ offense was the best Schiano has had since returning to Rutgers, but it wasn’t enough to cover for a defense that finished second-worst in the Big Ten. That imbalance shaped the season, and Schiano made clear the offseason was built around correcting it.
“A great New Jerseyan, Bill Parcells. I heard him once say, 'You are what your record says you are.'
We were 5-7 last year. That's unacceptable,” Schiano told reporters on Tuesday.
“But you know what? We know what we had to fix, and we spent the last eight months fixing it. And I really look forward to coaching this team.”
The overhaul touched both the staff and the roster. Rutgers hired Travis Johansen, who had been the head coach at South Dakota, to run the defense, and added a wave of position coaches along with several upgrades in talent. Around the program, the belief is that the unit is in a much better place than it was a year ago.
Schiano said the focus has been on two things: keeping the ball and taking it away. Rutgers did a strong job protecting the football last season, and he expects that to improve again. The bigger issue, in his view, is creating turnovers and getting the defense to function at a higher level.
“It’s a programmatic theme that goes throughout our entire coaching staff, every player, everybody involved, our trainers, our equipment managers, anybody is allowed to coach ball security in our program,” Schiano said.
“What we need to do is we need to get better at taking the ball away. We need to get better at defense, period, and that’s why we hired Travis Johansen as our new coordinator.
I am really thrilled and excited, not only to see the level of play rise, but the feeling between those players, that chemistry between the players and the coaches. I see it developing every day, and it’s an exciting thing to me.”
Johansen’s background is different from what Rutgers has had before. He has not coached at the Power Four level, but Schiano pointed to his résumé in player development and getting the most out of talent as reasons for confidence.
The exact shape of the defense is still to be determined, but Schiano said the plan will be tailored to the personnel Rutgers has on hand.
“It’s going to be a little different. It’s going to be a mix of a lot of things.
I think Travis has a great understanding of what we need to do with the personnel that we have. That to me is coaching, right?”
Schiano said.
“Using the players, putting your players in the best position to make plays, and I think Travis is a really, really talented coach. And not only the X and O’s, like I said earlier, the chemistry that he’s building is special.
I have two really fine coordinators in Kirk Ciarrocca Eddie Allen, is doing a tremendous job. So I’m excited, really excited about the course where we’re headed.”
In Other News...
Greg Schiano Just Drew A Hard Line For Rutgers This Season
Greg Schiano did not spend much time soft-pedaling Rutgers standard for this season. The head coach pointed back to last years 5-7 finish as a line the program cannot accept, then said the offseason was used to push the Scarlet Knights toward a better version of themselves. Schiano also emphasized that the people steering the program are aligned, from the top of the university through the athletic department, and he sounded convinced the roster now has the kind of depth and talent that can make that message matter.
The pressure point remains on the defensive side, where Rutgers never looked settled enough a year ago. Schiano said the unit has to improve, especially in the areas of takeaways and overall chemistry, and the staff has already made a change to help address it. For a team trying to turn a frustrating record into something sturdier, that side of the ball may end up defining whether Schianos hard line becomes a turning point or just another reminder of how much work is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Greg Schiano Heads To Media Days With Rutgers At A Crossroads
Greg Schiano heads to Chicago this week with Rutgers still trying to sort out what kind of team it can be in 2026. The Scarlet Knights are sending their coach and representatives to Big Ten Media Days at a moment when the program has real questions to answer, from who takes over at quarterback to whether the offense can keep building around KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond after a season that showed both promise and the need for more consistency.
There is also a bigger-picture test looming for a staff entering Schianos seventh year in his second stint. Rutgers has pushed to raise its NIL budget, a move that could matter in keeping and attracting talent, while the defense now turns to new coordinator Travis Johansen after a rough year on that side of the ball. Media days will not solve any of it, but they should give a clearer read on how Schiano plans to steer a team that finished with five wins and is still looking for a firmer footing in the Big Ten. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Just Got Meaningful Big Ten Respect Before The 2026 Season
The Big Tens preseason honors list is out, and it gives Rutgers a little more to point to as summer turns toward camp. The leagues annual group includes 12 players from across the conference, with Indiana leading the way with three selections, and eight of those honorees are slated to be on hand for Big Ten Media Days this week.
For Rutgers, the takeaway is a positive one: the Scarlet Knights landed two names on the list in wide receiver KJ Duff and running back Antwan Raymond. It is the kind of preseason recognition that does not change a season by itself, but it does signal that Rutgers has players who are drawing real conference attention before the 2026 campaign gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]