https://rutgers.rivals.com/news/rutgers-football-adds-mississippi-state-asst-adam-scheier-to-staff
PRESS RELEASE:
Bronx native completes Rutgers football coaching staff
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 28, 2020) – Rutgers football head coach
Greg Schiano has completed his coaching staff with the addition of
Adam Scheier as special teams coordinator. A native of The Bronx, New York, Scheier brings 24 years of collegiate coaching experience, including the last 20 working with special teams.
“Adam is an accomplished, veteran special teams coach who will be a great asset to our coaching staff,” said Schiano. “In our time working together, I saw how passionate Adam is about teaching and mentoring young men. We look forward to welcoming Adam, his wife Erica and their children to our Rutgers family.”
“I am fired up to be back home,” said Scheier. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for coach Schiano and I look forward to working with him again. I appreciate the opportunity he has given me to coach at Rutgers in the great state of New Jersey.”
Most recently, he spent the 2019 season as senior special teams consultant at Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs earned a spot in the Music City Bowl. In 2018 he served as Texas Tech’s special teams coordinator, earning a Broyles Award nomination, and overlapped with Schiano on the 2017 Ohio State staff.
In 2018, Scheier served as special teams coordinator at Texas Tech and merited a Broyles Award nomination. The Red Raiders were one of only three schools nationally that produced a semifinalist for both the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award. Kicker Clayton Hatfield was named First Team All-Big 12 with 106 points and ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage (.895). Punter Dominic Panazzolo, who downed 21 boots inside the 20-yard line, and returner De'Quan Bowman, who placed fourth in the country with 906 combined kick return yards, both earned honorable mention All-Big 12 status.
Scheier arrived in Lubbock after spending the 2017 season at Ohio State, where he served as a special teams quality control coach. In that role, he worked closely with head coach Urban Meyer on game-planning, scheme development, opponent scouting and personnel for a team that won the Big Ten Championship Game and finished No. 5 in the AP Poll. Ohio State ended the year ninth nationally in punting (led the Big Ten), 10th in kickoff coverage (third in the Big Ten) and 17th for kickoff return (second in the Big Ten). The Buckeyes produced All-Big Ten performers at three special teams positions as well, kicker, punter and kickoff return specialist.
Scheier helped build several of the nation’s top special teams units during his three years at Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons ranked fourth nationally in net punting during his first season in 2014 and then eighth in 2015. Wake Forest led the ACC each of those two seasons and also ranked 13th nationally for kickoff coverage in 2014. Alex Kinal became one of the nation’s top punters under Scheier’s guidance. He was a two-time semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award and ended his tenure at Wake Forest ranked fourth all-time in career punting (41.8 yards per punt).
Scheier, who was also the tight ends coach at Wake Forest and Bowling Green, was instrumental in the development of Cam Serigne, who set the Wake Forest single-season record for receptions by a tight end as just a redshirt freshman in 2014. Serigne caught 54 passes for 531 yards and five touchdowns that season, earning second team Freshman All-America honors by
College Football News and third team accolades by
Athlon Sports.
Serigne, who played three seasons under Scheier, added 562 receiving yards through the air the following season, which ranked second all-time among Wake Forest tight ends. He closed his career in 2017 as the school’s all-time career leader for both receptions and receiving yards by a tight end.
Scheier was similarly successful during his stint at Bowling Green, as the Falcons regularly ranked among the top special-teams units in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). During his five-year tenure, Bowling Green blocked 16 kicks, returned three kickoffs for a touchdown and added four more touchdowns via punts during that span alone.
In his final season, Bowling Green led the MAC and finished fourth in the nation for punt return average. Bowling Green returned two punts for a touchdown in 2013, as the Falcons led the MAC and ranked fourth nationally in punt return average. The Falcons were also the conference leader for kickoff return average as the Falcons finished 14th nationally in the category.
Bowling Green returned a punt for a touchdown in 2012 as well. Scheier led a special teams unit that was third in the MAC for punt return average. The Falcons notched a pair of blocked kicks in a win over Ohio that season and then added a blocked punt against San Jose State in the Military Bowl.
Scheier tutored Brian Schmiedebusch to All-MAC honors in both 2011 and 2012 as he was among the top punters in the country. Schmiedebusch averaged an impressive 45.3 yards per punt in 2011, which ranked fifth nationally and helped the Falcons finish fifth nationally as a team in net punting.
Schmiedebusch, a Ray Guy Award semifinalist, closed the 2011 campaign ranked eighth in MAC history for single-season punting average and second all-time among Bowling Green greats. He connected on three punts that went for 70 yards on the season, including a booming 81-yarder that was just the third in school history to go over 80 yards.
Bowling Green relied heavily on its tight ends throughout his tenure as Scheier’s position group earned All-MAC honors on three occasions with Jimmy Scheidler in 2009 and Alex Bayer in both 2012 and 2013. The Falcons won the MAC title in 2013 as Bayer ranked second on the team with 37 receptions for 593 yards and four touchdowns.
Scheier began his coaching career shortly after a four-year career at Dartmouth College where he was named the Special Teams Player of the Year as a senior. He earned his degree in psychology from Dartmouth shortly after his playing career concluded in 1995.
Scheier, a native of The Bronx, New York, remained at Dartmouth for the 1996 season where he assisted in coaching the secondary. He moved to Columbia University a year later to coach the strong safeties and outside linebackers for three seasons (1997-99). While in New York, he also earned his master’s degree in education from Columbia in 1998.
