It didn’t take long for Brian Kelly’s name to get tossed into the coaching rumor mill after Week 1, and this time the chatter is pointing straight at Rutgers.
Kelly, 64, has already built a long résumé. He went 92-39 at Notre Dame and got the Irish to a national championship game before leaving for LSU with title aspirations of his own. That stop ended with a 34-14 record and his firing, but fans are already wondering where he could land next.
The idea gaining traction online is Rutgers, especially if the school moves on from Greg Schiano. That conversation picked up steam after Rutgers lost Thursday night to UMass as a 29-point favorite against a team that had lost 16 straight. For plenty of fans, that was enough to reopen the coaching search in their minds.
“Rutgers and Brian Kelly are going to fit like a glove next season,” one fan said.
“Tbh, I think Brian Kelly can do well at Rutgers. While he didn’t win at LSU, he did turnaround a bad Central Michigan program, elevated Cincinnati into a household name and brought back Notre Dame to national relevance,” a second fan commented.
“Brian Kelly at Rutgers would be hilarious, but I mean he can’t be too picky if he’s wanting to coach again,” another fan added.
A move isn’t close right now, but Kelly has emerged as a name to watch if Rutgers decides to make a change.
Kelly himself left the door open in March when asked about a possible return to coaching. “I don’t know that I’ve made the decision that I want to get back in, as all the things we’ve talked about, I’d want to see some changes.
But I think while you wait, you need to work. And so, I need to stay in the game.
My first order of business is this next two, three weeks, I’m gonna be visiting some places to see spring ball, get a chance to see some things relative to the football side, the operational side, some of the things we talked about today with NIL, transfer and calendar, and get a temperature in the spring for some things,” Kelly said, via On3.
For now, Kelly is also lined up to be part of CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2026 college football season.
In Other News...
Rutgers Women's Soccer Enters Princeton Match With One Leadership Question
Rutgers womens soccer closes its nonconference slate at Yurcak Field against Princeton, with a familiar look and a fresh twist. Mike ONeill is in his 13th season guiding a roster built around 22 returners and nine newcomers, giving the Scarlet Knights a blend of continuity and new pieces as they head into one of the last tune-ups before the schedule shifts for good.
Olivia Bodmer and Gabriela Gil have already been named captains for the 2026 season, which gives the program a clear starting point on the leadership front. The more immediate question is how that leadership develops in real time as Rutgers tries to keep sharpening its identity against Princeton and carry momentum out of the nonconference portion of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Now Have One Big Reason To Judge Keli Zinn
Keli Zinn has spent much of her first year at Rutgers taking a hard look at what was working and what needed to change across the athletic department, and that evaluation has already produced a major decision in womens basketball. She moved on from Coquese Washington and brought in Gary Redus as the new head coach, a clear sign that the Scarlet Knights athletic director is willing to make an early call when she thinks the program needs a new direction.
Zinn has also pointed to progress in football under Greg Schiano, saying recruiting and the use of resources have improved since she arrived. For Rutgers fans, the larger question now is whether those moves are the start of a broader reset or just the first visible steps in a longer rebuild, with Zinns judgment on the departments biggest pieces set to be watched closely from here. [Read more 🡒]
Keli Zinn Faces Rutgers Problem Fans Know All Too Well
When Keli Zinn arrived as Rutgers athletic director in July 2025, she inherited the kind of to-do list that can define a tenure before it really starts. The program has been working through NIL infrastructure issues, stadium conditions and debt, but Zinn has also made it clear she sees another problem as just as important: the school has not done enough to keep students connected to its athletic programs.
That part of the rebuild is now getting more attention, with plans to add staff focused on student marketing and involvement. Zinn has singled out the Rutgers Riot Squad, the most committed student fan group, as a piece of that effort, a sign that the push is not just about filling seats but about restoring some of the pride and energy around Rutgers sports that has been missing for too long. [Read more 🡒]