Rutgers coach Schiano back in 2027 despite losing seasons - ESPN

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano will return to coach the Scarlet Knights in 2027, the school announced Tuesday.

It will be his 19th season as head coach at the school over two stints. Rutgers is 2-7 amid back-to-back losing seasons.

Athletic director Keli Zinn said the results are «not acceptable» and told ESPN there were a «number of factors» that led to Schiano's retention.

«Most specifically, the plan Coach Schiano and I were able to at length visit about and review,» Zinn said in a phone interview. «I do believe he has an opportunity in the offseason to really strengthen the roster and make changes to position us to a higher level of competitiveness for next season.»

Schiano is the winningest coach in school history, going 101-115 in his 18 years. He's in the seventh year of his second stint, which included back-to-back 7-6 seasons in 2023 and 2024.

Schiano's contract runs through the 2029 season, and he would have been owed $18.6 million if he had been fired this year. The cost for the entire staff to be dismissed would have been close to $28 million.

Zinn said she's hopeful Rutgers is better positioned to thrive in the transfer portal this year. «What I hope to see is that we are more aggressive in the portal to assemble a roster that brings a level of talent here in order to compete at a higher level,» she said.

Zinn released a statement which indicated the decision to bring Schiano back is in the «best long-term interests of Rutgers.» She made clear that Schiano's return is «not reflective of a lowering of standards or an indication that everything is fine.»

The timing of the announcement comes in part to help assure recruits and, eventually, portal players, that they'll be playing for the current staff. Rutgers'