Greg Schiano To The Miami Hurricanes?

Ian O’Connor recently wrote an article for FOX Sports giving a million and one reasons why Greg Schiano should stay at Rutgers, instead of bailing for Miami.

The more he droned on, listing reasons why it was smarter to build a program in New Jersey rather than Coral Gables – the more I started believing that Schiano won’t coach the Scarlet Knights much longer.

O’Connor provided some nostalgic, feel-good moments when talking about the legacy of Joe Paterno at Penn State. He even went so far as to remind us that JoePa turned down the Canes in the 90s, before Butch Davis booked the gig. Paterno flirted with the idea of leaving Happy Valley and rebuilding The U, but in the end decided to stay home. And at that point, who could blame him?

Paterno was nearing his 30 year anniversary as Penn State’s head coach. He had two National Championships. His 70th birthday would occur December 1995, after the season ended. Though flattered by the Miami offer, why attempt to rebuild a new dynasty when you could maintain and old school one you built? Try to win a few more titles, bow out gracefully and retire a living legend at the school who made you.

There’s no mystery why JoePa turned down Miami in January 1995. He already had his dream job.

Schiano loves New Jersey and is building something up there, but he strikes me as a coach on the move. Climb the ladder, put in some time and find that next big opportunity.

Rutgers is knee-deep in their Cinderella-esque season. Sitting pretty at 9-0 with Cincinnati, Syracuse and West Virginia on deck. It’s an uphill battle, but 12-0 is hardly out of reach. Pull that off and Schiano deserves coach of the year honors. (A toss up between him and Jim Grobe of Wake Forest.)

The only problem with this run? Anything less than winning it all in 2007 will be a let down. The bar was raised here in Schiano’s sixth season. RU can be a solid top-20 program year in and year out, but they’ll never be a perennial top-5. They need some National Championships under their belt if they want to be considered elite.

Miami has that prestige. Five National Championships won and five left on the field. 22 First Round NFL Draft picks since 2000. A recent 34-game win streak. When we say NFL U, that’s for players and coaches.

The Canes are only a couple years removed from this level of play. Miami only loses nine impact players to graduation, but returns some solid underclassmen.

This ship can be righted quickly by the right captain.

Sitting at 5-5, we have to believe Larry Coker will be dismissed days after the Thanksgiving Day match up with Boston College. His efforts are appreciated and he the first half of his six year run at Miami was a great one. Forget whether or not he won with Davis’ players, he was a great ambassador for The U and he brought home the Canes’ fifth championship. He also coached some premier NFL players and has their endorsement.

A great resume, but not the guy to lead Miami into the next generation of Hurricanes Football. A new era has to be underway in 2007 and I’m calling on Greg Schiano to return to Coral Gables and take the job which was almost his in 2001.

O’Connor rambles about Schiano being a New Jersey lifer and Rutgers being his dream gig. To some degree, I’m sure that’s true. Still, great young coaches are ‘great’ because they’re hungry. Because they’re driven. Because they have egos.

Everything which made Schiano successful at Rutgers, these are the traits which will drive him to a Miami, a Penn State and/or the NFL. What he’s doing at RU is nothing short of amazing. Taking a conference doormat and making them a potential BCS team? That’s miracle work. It’s also a sign that a bigger challenge awaits.

All the right things are being said, about loving New Jersey and wanting to raise his family in the old neighborhood. It sounds like a throwback coach and the stuff of yesteryear. Paterno and Bobby Bowden uttered those words decades ago and are still respectively at Penn State and Florida State.

They’re also few and far between.

Schiano is saying all the right things in the media and he’s making all the right moves on game day. He’s focused on getting Rutgers in a BCS game and won’t be distracted by Miami talk. Still, he hears it and it has to be in the back of his mind. He knows what this job means, just as Davis knew what the Cleveland opportunity could do for him.

Davis left the cupboard full in 2001, after going 11-1 and finishing #2 in 2000. He left a sure championship on the table to take over one of the NFL’s worst franchises. More money? Sure. But it’s was also a strategic move forward. The NFL is the pinnacle.

Few guys in Schiano’s position wouldn’t leap at the Miami gig. If he comes to The U, then he’s hungry and ready for the challenge. It’s exactly what the Canes need. If he stays put, then both sides win. Similar to recruiting at The U, it’s not always about the five-star kids. It’s the specials ones who want to be here and come to make a difference.

He coached at Miami from 1999-2000 and he knows the area as he’s still recruitingit like a madman. Schiano knows that South Florida is a hotbed for talent. He also knows that Miami is a much easier sell to a recruit than Rutgers, no matter how much better the Scarlet Knights look in 2006.

I’m a realist and a cynic. Money and opportunity are what makes this country great. Schiano can stay at Rutgers, build it up and be the next long-timer at Penn State. If that’s what he’s looking for, I’m shocked. There’s a reason we only have Joe and Bobby as examples of old school loyalty. These days NFL money is too good to turn down and college footbal is big business.

Schiano was an assistant at The U from 1999-2000 and bailed just before Davis left for Cleveland. He has as good a shot as Coker at landing the head coaching gig and could’ve won the 2001 National Championship. Instead, he rebuilt Rutgers. While he’s done a great job in Jersey, Schiano knows he was close to a title and bailed a moment to see. That has to eat him alive. If he gets another crack at Miami, what does he do this time around?

I believe Schiano is jumping ship sooner than later and there’s no better time than now. Miami is drowning. Schiano has ‘life preserver’ written all over him.

Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks.

.:Canes305:.

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