Supposedly, the University Florida BOT is meeting with the expected result that they will Fire their Head Football Coach. Even if they don’t decide to Fire him today, he’s a dead coach walking, and it’s just a matter of time before they get rid of him. And once that happens, it will be a matter of time before Jimmy Sexton, Schiano’s agent, floats his name for the job.
I am always monitoring the college football landscape for risks to our program, which is why I brought up last September on an NJ.com group podcast that we had to extend Schiano and give him a suitable increase in a question to our best writers. I’m thankful this was done in a timely manner, thx in part to articles that Steve Politi wrote, advocating as such. So Hobbs pushed for the extensión and suitable raise, and got it done. Probably his biggest accomplishment in the last year, before leaving.
And consequently, we’ve gotten commitments from outstanding prospects, and are poised to enjoy one of our best seasons ever.
But unfortunately, success can be a double edged sword, especially when in college football, the haves take from the have nots. Rutgers takes from Temple. Penn State takes from Rutgers. And Ohio State and Michigan takes from Penn State. Greg Schiano’s name will be mentioned for reputable program openings, imo, because he has done a tremendous job in turning our program around. In particular, he has the skillset and name recognition to be successful at Florida.
The University of Florida is a Have. They are a selector school which has won two National Championships within the last 20 years, and another in 1996, which is one I attended, in person at the SuperDome.
They have top notch facilities, strong fan support, strong fan attendance, and most importantly, the financial support to win at the highest level. They even have a jet to shuttle around coaches and recruits.
Financial Support is where we are severely lacking. NIL support isn’t where it needs to be and the Fieldhouse, which was a contractual point, isn’t going to be built anytime soon.
This would put us at a very disadvantageous position, if Schiano were to have the opportunity to choose between Florida and Rutgers. Other risks are we don’t have an athletic director and the status of our President is unclear, to say the least.
Florida fans think they’re getting Urban Meyer or Nick Saban. But if those types of candidates fall through, Greg Schiano would be very attractive to them. He’s making a decent salary at $6M a year, but they could afford to pay him $8M. They’d Give him a huge budget for his coaching staff. The Florida job would also carry risks for Schiano. He’d be expected to win right away, even though that team needs talent. Whereas at Rutgers, he could go 6-6 to 7-5 in perpetuity.
So what’s the point of this rambling soliloquy?
We haven’t done enough to support Greg Schiano.
So, If you have any inclination of supporting NIL, NOW is the time. Schiano has said NIL is his #1 priority.
I’ve given what I can, but am also contemplating doing more. I understand that all of us have our budget priorities and that’s fine. This isn’t curing Cancer and I’ve given my tithe to my Catholic Parish.
But if you want to see Rutgers continue to be successful, if you want to build Rutgers into a selector school, and Championship Contender, you have to do your part. It doesn’t happen on its own. Show me a successful football team, and I’ll show you the supporters who make it happen. The Towers and the Garruti’s have done their part. Now it’s on us.
And if you don’t want to do NIL, Give to the RFund. We have to be proactive and worry about these things now, not wait till he gets another offer. Below are the relevant links.
Knights of The Raritan (KTR) was created for all student-athletes that represent Rutgers University. KTR’s mission is to provide those student-athletes with the resources and opportunities they deserve during their time On The Banks.
www.knightsoftheraritan.com
