The possibility of Rutgers moving on from Greg Schiano once felt far-fetched. Schiano has already pulled the program back from the brink twice - first with his run from 2001-11, then again after returning in 2020 to steady a Scarlet Knights team that had unraveled after his departure. But college football doesn’t wait around for sentiment, and if Rutgers keeps spinning its wheels in the expanded Big Ten, the questions around his future will only get louder.
For now, though, an immediate breakup still looks unlikely. Rutgers’ 2026 season has been a mess, starting with a stunning opening-week loss to FCS opponent UMass and followed by a 2-5 start that ended with a lopsided loss to Northwestern.
That kind of slide has fueled plenty of criticism of Schiano’s on-field results, the transfer portal approach, and the direction of the program overall. Even so, the money involved makes a coaching change hard to pull off.
A firing without cause would reportedly run Rutgers between $17.3 million and $18.5 million in buyout money, and that doesn’t include assistant coaches. The athletic department is already dealing with major strain after reporting a $78 million deficit in the 2024-25 fiscal year. Add in assistant buyouts, the cost of assembling a new staff, and the need to pay Big Ten-level salaries, and the total for a full reset could climb past $40 million.
That leaves Athletic Director Keli Zinn and university leadership in a tough spot. They may want more from the program in the modern Big Ten, but the financial hit of making a move is enormous. So while Schiano is clearly under pressure, Rutgers is more likely to push for improvement with him than absorb the cost of starting over right now.
If the school ever did decide to go searching, the candidate list would be interesting.
Brian Kelly would be the biggest name on it. The former Notre Dame and LSU coach has won everywhere he’s been and brings decades of Power Four experience.
He would offer instant credibility, national recruiting reach, and a long track record of building winners. The obstacle is obvious: landing a coach of that stature would take serious money, and Rutgers would be fighting plenty of competition.
Jason Eck would be a very different kind of swing. The New Mexico head coach has become one of the hottest names outside the Power Four because of his reputation for developing players and building winning cultures with limited resources.
He’d be more of an ascending bet than a finished product, but his success at smaller programs shows he knows how to get the most out of a roster. The jump from the Mountain West to the Big Ten would be massive, though.
Fran Brown may be the most intriguing option of all. The Syracuse head coach has deep recruiting ties in New Jersey and across the Northeast, and before becoming a head coach he built a reputation as one of the nation’s top recruiters while helping put together highly ranked classes at several major programs.
That matters at Rutgers, where keeping elite New Jersey prospects home has always been central to the program’s success. Brown’s relationships, energy, and regional familiarity would give him immediate appeal.
Joe Harasymiak would fit a different mold. He may not bring the same buzz as some of the other names, but he has Northeast ties and a strong feel for the region’s football landscape.
His defensive background could also appeal to a Rutgers administration that wants to preserve the physical identity Schiano built. He would be more of a culture hire than a splashy headline-grabber, but that kind of profile can still carry weight.
Dana Holgorsen would make sense if Rutgers wanted to lean in a new direction offensively. He has spent years building explosive attacks and has head coaching experience to go with it.
In a Big Ten landscape where scoring matters more and more, his offensive background could offer something different from the defense-first approach Rutgers has traditionally favored. His work with quarterbacks and major programs would make him a compelling choice for a school looking for immediate offensive juice.
If Rutgers did wind up in the market, Fran Brown would likely stand out as the best fit. Kelly has the strongest resume, but Brown offers a mix of upside, recruiting power, regional credibility, and long-term promise that makes him especially appealing. Rutgers’ path to real success has always started with winning New Jersey recruiting battles, and Brown is positioned to do exactly that.
In Other News...
Rutgers Faces Early Michigan Trouble With One Big Question Still Looming
Rutgers walked into Saturdays meeting with Michigan knowing the margin for error was slim, and the first half only sharpened that reality. The game at noon on the Big Ten Network came with the usual pregame injury watch on both sides, but the early action quickly shifted the focus to execution, field position and whether Rutgers could settle in before the Wolverines seized control.
Michigan had already built a 14-3 lead by halftime behind touchdown plays from JJ Buchanan and Jordan Marshall, leaving Rutgers with plenty to clean up after two quarters. The bigger question for the Scarlet Knights now is whether they can find enough offense to make the second half competitive, especially with every update from the sideline carrying added weight in a game that was supposed to be defined by the details. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Let Michigan Hang Around And Paid For It Late
Rutgers had plenty of chances to tilt Saturdays game its way and never quite cashed in, which made the final stretch against Michigan feel especially costly. Missed field goals and a few key defensive stops left the Scarlet Knights in position to seize control, and there were bright spots on both sides of the ball, including a more active defense and a ground game that got real production from Antwan Raymond and Clay Thevenin.
AJ Suraces stat line was uneven, but he did connect on a touchdown strike, and the defense got encouraging work from JJ Conyers and Rondo Porter even as Michigan kept finding ways to stay alive. The frustration for Rutgers is that the effort was there, the game was there, and the result slipped away late, leaving the Scarlet Knights to regroup with Wisconsin coming next and the health of Dylan Lonergan and KJ Duff something worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Has A Third-Down Problem That Just Wont Go Away
Rutgers defense spent too much of Saturday chasing the sticks, and the result was another frustrating loss in a game that was there to be won. Michigan kept extending drives in a 28-21 victory, repeatedly finding answers on third down and putting the Scarlet Knights in long stretches of survival mode instead of control.
Greg Schiano acknowledged afterward that the issue has become a recurring one, even if he did not have an immediate explanation for why it keeps happening. Michigan quarterback Tommy Carr helped turn those extended possessions into points, guiding the decisive drive with his arm and legs as Rutgers was left to wonder how many more chances it can afford to give away in games like this. [Read more 🡒]