Greg Schiano thinks Rutgers football will land a jersey patch sponsor, and he sounds pretty sure about it.
Speaking after Saturday’s practice in Piscataway, N.J., Schiano pointed to the changing college football landscape and the growing need for revenue, then made it clear that the business side is now in other hands.
"Well, it is important, but you know the best part-that's not my deal anymore. It used to (be)," Schiano said following Saturday's practice.
"I had to be involved in everything. Now I get to coach this team, and I know that Keli and Todd (Knisley) and everybody, including president (William) Tate.
We'll get a good deal, and we have to - you know, everything's important now, right? Revenue's huge because the way college football's changed but I'm very confident they'll find the right fit for us."
Under recent NCAA rule changes tied to revenue generation, schools can now use commercial jersey patches, creating another possible money stream for Rutgers as it tries to keep pace in the Big Ten. Athletic director Keli Zinn has inherited a long list of priorities, and the patch opportunity only adds to the pressure to keep new dollars coming in.
Schiano said the job used to pull him into every corner of the operation, but now he can focus on coaching while others handle the business side. He also expressed confidence that the school will make the right move.
Zinn has made the importance of NIL and commercial revenue a consistent theme since arriving at Rutgers a year ago, saying repeatedly that both are central to the future of football and the rest of the athletic department. Her previous stop at LSU recently signed a patch deal with Woodside Energy.
The Big Ten has not been sitting still either. Illinois landed a five-year, $30 million deal, which is the second-highest reported patch deal in college athletics. Michigan State and Wisconsin are also among the conference programs with jersey patches.
Rutgers could be an appealing place for a sponsor to invest. The Big Ten was drawn to the program in part because of what Schiano built during his first run as head coach, and the school’s location between New York City and Philadelphia gives it another layer of value in two of the country’s biggest media markets.
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