This sentiment is based on reports that current Rutgers’ head coach Greg Schiano will actually bolt for the NFL in the coming days, unlike Oregon leader Chip Kelly, who flirted with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front office before deciding his heart was in Eugene.
Reports are stating that Schiano will be named Tampa Bay’s new head coach today, having inked a five-year deal that will send him back to the Sunshine State. Former Buccaneers’ head coach Raheem Morris was fired weeks back after leading his squad to a 4-12 campaign in 2011.
Schiano spent the past eleven seasons at Rutgers University in his first and only head coaching gig. After going 2-9 and 1-11 out the gate, Schiano’s teams began improving. 5-7 and 4-7 were followed by 7-5, 11-2, 8-5, 8-5 and 9-4 before 4-8 in 2010. The Scarlet Knights bounced back in 2011 going 9-4 and winning the Pinstripe Bowl over Iowa State.
No one can fault Schiano for taking his shot at the NFL. He more than left his mark at Rutgers and has earned the right to move on. That said, the timing is downright awful with National Signing Day under a week away.
One can’t help but draw a comparison to the frustration fans show towards college-bound freshmen who play the ‘hat game’ and flip flop back and forth when deciding between universities.
We are so quick to hold kids to a higher standard, trashing them for last minute bail-outs, yet here’s a head coach, under contract and in his mid-forties, also doing “what’s best for he and his family” by going elsewhere.
You can see both sides to this story as it’s a win-win and lose-lose at the same time. Still, not what Rutgers expected to be dealing with in regards to their football program, a week away from welcoming a new class.
Especially considering Schiano was a big-time dark horse.