Politi: "Greg Schiano deserves a contract extension as Rutgers clears a major hurdle"

[RU848789]

Another good article by Politi. I'm sure the Greg-haters will throw a fit if he gets extended, but given the obvious program improvements to date and given that Greg is now the lowest paid non-interim football coach in the B1G, to quote Greg, himself, it's time. This one's behind a paywall, but here are the first couple of paragraphs...

This is for the furious boosters. This is for the protesting fans. This is for the people who believed that the quickest way — maybe the only way — to get Rutgers back to something resembling a respectable college football program started with the one man who had dragged it to that level in the first place.

This is for Eric LeGrand. This is for Phil Murphy. This is for anyone who raised hell in late November 2019 when this university’s leadership looked like it was about to screw the pooch again — when it looked like, somehow, Greg Schiano wasn’t going to be rehired as head coach of a team that had become the worst kind of punchline again.

Rutgers defeated Indiana, 31-14, on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, and no, a victory over the lowly Hoosiers is not the final destination for the Scarlet Knights. But bowl eligibility is certainly a milepost on the journey that is worth celebrating, one that wouldn’t have happened if not for the people who pointed at the familiar gap-toothed head coach and refused to back down.

This moment is for all of them.

And, if you’re one of them, this is for you.

https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/...on-as-rutgers-takes-the-next-step-politi.html

 

[rutgersguy1]

Don't agree, it's a poor practice throughout CFB. Long term financial obligations off short term results. If a coach wants to leave let them as opposed to being stuck holding the bag if things turn south which they often do.

Look at the coach across the ball from this past week's game. Allen actually had 2 years of even better results and look at them now. He was 8-5/5-4 and 6-2/6-1 in the pandemic year and would've qualified for a 12 team playoff that year. They've fallen off a cliff since and would owe him 20M if they fired him before the end of next year. 8M after that.

Mel Tucker off one good year, didn't even finish the year yet iirc before MSU fell over themselves to hand them a 95M dollar contract.

Jimbo at A&M had one good year and they re-extended a 10 year deal that had just barely started a year or 2 earlier lol and now would owe him 77M if they fire him.

Sam with Pittman at Ark. They just fired their OC too who just started a 3yr contract lol.

Orgeron at LSU after winning a national championship, as soon as his coordinators left it fell apart.

The list goes on and on. If they're so eager to throw money at the coaches feet then make it some annual bonus tied to wins and accomplishment rather than long term annual obligations. If the results drop then you're not stuck with massive obligations at least. Consistent results need to be seen before giving out long deals and you can't see consistent results until enough time passes.

 

[RU848789]

Don't agree, it's a poor practice throughout CFB. Long term financial obligations off short term results. If a coach wants to leave let them as opposed to being stuck holding the bag if things turn south which they often do.

Look at the coach across the ball from this past week's game. Allen actually had 2 years of even better results and look at them now. He was 8-5/5-4 and 6-2/6-1 in the pandemic year and would've qualified for a 12 team playoff that year. They've fallen off a cliff since and would owe him 20M if they fired him before the end of next year. 8M after that.

Mel Tucker off one good year, didn't even finish the year yet iirc before MSU fell over themselves to hand them a 95M dollar contract.

Jimbo at A&M had one good year and they re-extended a 10 year deal that had just barely started a year or 2 earlier lol and now would owe him 77M if they fire him.

Sam with Pittman at Ark. They just fired their OC too who just started a 3yr contract lol.

Orgeron at LSU after winning a national championship, as soon as his coordinators left it fell apart.

The list goes on and on. If they're so eager to throw money at the coaches feet then make it some annual bonus tied to wins and accomplishment rather than long term annual obligations. If the results drop then you're not stuck with massive obligations at least. Consistent results need to be seen before giving out long deals and you can't see consistent results until enough time passes.

I agree that contracts for coaches are insane and hate how far much of college football has moved towards professionalism and away from what universities are supposed to be about, but whether I like it or not, that's the reality and how the game is played and if we want to keep the trajectory moving up, we have to build that field house and at least give Greg a decent raise.

 

[rutgersguy1]

I agree that contracts for coaches are insane and hate how far much of college football has moved towards professionalism and away from what universities are supposed to be about, but whether I like it or not, that's the reality and how the game is played and if we want to keep the trajectory moving up, we have to build that field house and at least give Greg a decent raise.

The money isn't even my issue with contracts. You could pay Saban 20M/yr and that's fine imo. He's worth it, for the high level of accomplishment and consistency he's demonstrated. Smart has won at a high level too consistently for some time so if you pay him good money on a longer deal, okay you've seen consistent quality results. I'm fine with paying for consistent results and performance but not fine with paying for unknown results and performance.

Paying millions of dollar on these crazy long deals when a coach has just 1-2 years of results isn't smart. ADs and schools act like they have no power when they have plenty of power and leverage. They're handing over generational wealth to these coaches. Who should be the side with the leverage? They're only so many of these jobs out there. If you're desperate to hand over money for short term results then give them "short term" pay in the way of a big bonus. That way it's commensurate with whatever the results of the year may have been but doesn't lock you in long term for unknown results of the future.

 

[Eagleton96]

I agree that contracts for coaches are insane and hate how far much of college football has moved towards professionalism and away from what universities are supposed to be about, but whether I like it or not, that's the reality and how the game is played and if we want to keep the trajectory moving up, we have to build that field house and at least give Greg a decent raise.

Need to separate complaints about the state of college football with what we should do with GS's contract. If we want to be competitive, we need to pay fair market rate for coaches...unless he is saying Rutgers should fall on it's sword and sacrifice our competitiveness to make a point about college contracts, then the answer is a new contract.

 

[BeantownKnight]

Don't agree, it's a poor practice throughout CFB. Long term financial obligations off short term results. If a coach wants to leave let them as opposed to being stuck holding the bag if things turn south which they often do.

Look at the coach across the ball from this past week's game. Allen actually had 2 years of even better results and look at them now. He was 8-5/5-4 and 6-2/6-1 in the pandemic year and would've qualified for a 12 team playoff that year. They've fallen off a cliff since and would owe him 20M if they fired him before the end of next year. 8M after that.

Mel Tucker off one good year, didn't even finish the year yet iirc before MSU fell over themselves to hand them a 95M dollar contract.

Jimbo at A&M had one good year and they re-extended a 10 year deal that had just barely started a year or 2 earlier lol and now would owe him 77M if they fire him.

Sam with Pittman at Ark. They just fired their OC too who just started a 3yr contract lol.

Orgeron at LSU after winning a national championship, as soon as his coordinators left it fell apart.

The list goes on and on. If they're so eager to throw money at the coaches feet then make it some annual bonus tied to wins and accomplishment rather than long term annual obligations. If the results drop then you're not stuck with massive obligations at least. Consistent results need to be seen before giving out long deals and you can't see consistent results until enough time passes.

I could not agree more.

Hey - I like where we are right now as much as the next guy (making it to 6 wins/bowl eligibility before Halloween) but, in terms of the development of this program, we're in the "just arrived in the middle third of the conference". It's good. But there's still a lot further to go.

I think giving Schiano a contract extension now is premature. I think it's important to be here again (bowl eligible) next year .. and, perhaps, with a few more wins .. before we start having these discussions. Heck, maybe even the year after that. It's like offering the Apollo 11 astronauts a big bonus for clearing take-off. Lets not get ahead of ourselves.

 

[NickRU714]

He has 4 years left on his contract. There is no imperative.
Do it after next year and another bowl appearance when he only has 3 years left (but even that wouldn't really be imperative to me unless he was being actively poached by another team).

I don't believe the "coaches need active 5 year contracts for recruiting" argument.
If that was true then making a bowl didn't matter and HC Schiano needed an extension with a 0-12 season.
That argument also means that our current recruiting is falling off a cliff because of the current contract being less than 5 years - which isn't happening.

 

[mildone]

When is his current contract complete? Edit: nevermind, I see Nick posted it just before I posted.

Given he has 4 years left in his contract, I'd wait and see how next season goes. IIRC, he has incentives built into his existing contract so he gets extra money for getting into a bowl game (and even a bit more, if he wins it, no?).

 

[NickRU714]

Need to separate complaints about the state of college football with what we should do with GS's contract. If we want to be competitive, we need to pay fair market rate for coaches...unless he is saying Rutgers should fall on it's sword and sacrifice our competitiveness to make a point about college contracts, then the answer is a new contract.

Are we not competitive now? We're 6-2.
Unless pressed by other teams, why bump up pay now and not allocate that money to improve other aspects of the program? (i.e. fieldhouse fund)

Is HC Schiano going to start coaching worse if he doesn't get an extension?

 

[rutgersguy1]

Need to separate complaints about the state of college football with what we should do with GS's contract. If we want to be competitive, we need to pay fair market rate for coaches...unless he is saying Rutgers should fall on it's sword and sacrifice our competitiveness to make a point about college contracts, then the answer is a new contract.

No I'm saying don't jump off the bridge everyone else in CFB seems desperate to do. It's that same saying your parents tell you, "if your friend jumps off a bridge..."

It's more imperative for a school like us without the resources to erase mistakes so easily to not be stuck in any contract should things go south. The schools with less money need to be smarter not dumber.

If we don't extend then what? Basically nothing. It'll be the status quo. Same for many of these coaches. Not everyone is Saban or Smart or whomever where there is big demand them.

I remember Dave Doeren at NC State was often flirting with other jobs but their AD Debbie Yow iirc didn't give him anything and in the end he always came back. Eventually he did get an extension but all that flirting made no difference and he's still there now lol. Just sit tight and let things play out and you could end up just fine.

 

[rutgersguy1]

When is his current contract complete?

It still has 4 years on it. He signed an 8 year deal and we're in year 4.

 

[NickRU714]

When is his current contract complete?

After 2027 season.
4 more years after this year (2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027).

 

[BeantownKnight]

Need to separate complaints about the state of college football with what we should do with GS's contract. If we want to be competitive, we need to pay fair market rate for coaches...unless he is saying Rutgers should fall on it's sword and sacrifice our competitiveness to make a point about college contracts, then the answer is a new contract.

I agree. But, wasn't that the benefit of Schiano's (original) 8-year deal? Rutgers was getting a huge benefit (assuming that he worked out). Rutgers was going to be paying even less for his services, over the life of the contract, than the average coach would be making per annum in the latter years of the term.

 

[mildone]

It still has 4 years on it. He signed an 8 year deal and we're in year 4.

I saw Nick had posted that and edited my post. But you are too quick (that what's she said). 😉

 

[NickRU714]

No I'm saying don't jump off the bridge everyone else in CFB seems desperate to do. It's that same saying your parents tell you, "if your friend jumps off a bridge..."

It's more imperative for a school like us without the resources to erase mistakes so easily to not be stuck in any contract should things go south. The schools with less money need to be smarter not dumber.

If we don't extend then what? Basically nothing. It'll be the status quo. Same for many of these coaches. Not everyone is Saban or Smart or whomever where there is big demand them.

I remember Dave Doeren at NC State was often flirting with other jobs but their AD Debbie Yow iirc didn't give him anything and in the end he always came back. Eventually he did get an extension but all that flirting made no difference and he's still there now lol. Just sit tight and let things play out and you could end up just fine.

We finally appear to have a "bargain" at HC.
Say what you will about HC Schiano but we are clearly getting our money's worth so far.

Why are people so quick to remove that competitive advantage sooner than necessary?
It's not like the AD has unlimited funds.

 

[sct1111]

I think Greg is perfect for this job and has done a heck of a job bringing us back to respectability. But let's be real. What other P5 team would hire Greg away from us? I can't see him making a lateral move for a little more money and the elite schools won't hire him. Maybe somewhere like Michigan State? Even that's a stretch.

 

[mildone]

I don't think any of us hoping the AD is patient w/extensions are GS haters. We are all just thinking a little pragmatism is in order here. Plenty of time left in his contract means he can still recruit w/out being on a hot seat. There's no motivation for doing an extension right now.

If GS wants to leave because he isn't being extended halfway through a contract he signed, then let him go.

 

[ClassOf02]

On a side note, Politi is an ass for introducing this conversation when no one was talking about it.

 

[Mr Magoo]

We always set the bar extremely low here.

 

[Eagleton96]

No I'm saying don't jump off the bridge everyone else in CFB seems desperate to do. It's that same saying your parents tell you, "if your friend jumps off a bridge..."

It's more imperative for a school like us without the resources to erase mistakes so easily to not be stuck in any contract should things go south. The schools with less money need to be smarter not dumber.

If we don't extend then what? Basically nothing. It'll be the status quo. Same for many of these coaches. Not everyone is Saban or Smart or whomever where there is big demand them.

I remember Dave Doeren at NC State was often flirting with other jobs but their AD Debbie Yow iirc didn't give him anything and in the end he always came back. Eventually he did get an extension but all that flirting made no difference and he's still there now lol. Just sit tight and let things play out and you could end up just fine.

Given that there's 4 years left on the contract, we could probably get by one more year before extending. But I don't think that it's smart to take chances with GS. Even if he wouldn't leave (and don't count your chickens), he is pouring his life blood into this rebuild. I'm sure he'd feel a undercut and deflated if he remained the lowest paid coach in the conference.

 

[rutgersdave]

I agree that contracts for coaches are insane and hate how far much of college football has moved towards professionalism and away from what universities are supposed to be about, but whether I like it or not, that's the reality and how the game is played and if we want to keep the trajectory moving up, we have to build that field house and at least give Greg a decent raise.

Greg isn’t going anywhere. No one will give him credit just for one year and we might even go 6-6. Greg is the best fit for Rutgers. He has 4 more years on his contract and some team may want him when he continue to improve Rutgers over the next two years. That’s when we should extend his contract and give him better salary.

 

[NickRU714]

Given that there's 4 years left on the contract, we could probably get by one more year before extending. But I don't think that it's smart to take chances with GS. Even if he wouldn't leave (and don't count your chickens), he is pouring his life blood into this rebuild. I'm sure he'd feel a undercut and deflated if he remained the lowest paid coach in the conference.

I mean, he did sign the contract himself.
Maybe he shouldn't have pushed and locked himself into such a long contract if he expected to succeed earlier.
Nobody forced him into an 8 year contract.
Didn't he push for a longer contract?
He could have asked for a shorter contract that would have forced a renegotiation earlier.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Given that there's 4 years left on the contract, we could probably get by one more year before extending. But I don't think that it's smart to take chances with GS. Even if he wouldn't leave (and don't count your chickens), he is pouring his life blood into this rebuild. I'm sure he'd feel a undercut and deflated if he remained the lowest paid coach in the conference.

If a coach leaves he leaves, that's his prerogative. Sometimes there's not even demand like I said above with Doeren. You think agents won't try to gin up "demand" to get a new contract out of the school.

In the end whatever happens happens, ADs are there for a reason. To make responsible financial decisions and if need be, make a good hire. If not then what's the point of an AD.

I've said this before, I think it's too much OPM (other people's money) syndrome. If anyone was operating their own biz with their own money, they wouldn't do it in this fashion or act as irresponsibly with it. If they did they would got out of biz quickly.

If someone feels deflated over millions of dollars a year I don' know what to say. In absolute terms, it's a lot of money regardless of where it ranks on the compensation totem pole. Plus many of these coaches often say they don't do it for the money or recognition etc...well if that's the case then it shouldn't matter unless it's just load of BS.

And it doesn't have to be the lowest in a given year. Like I said, give a big annual bonus commensurate with the results of that year. So the school at least is only paying for actual results not who knows what kind of results in the future.

 

[mildone]

Given that there's 4 years left on the contract, we could probably get by one more year before extending. But I don't think that it's smart to take chances with GS. Even if he wouldn't leave (and don't count your chickens), he is pouring his life blood into this rebuild. I'm sure he'd feel a undercut and deflated if he remained the lowest paid coach in the conference.

C'mon now, he's not pouring his lifeblood into the rebuild. That's overly dramatic. He's just doing what every D1 head coach has to do to have any hope of success; working his ass off. If he doesn't want to work his ass off, he chose the wrong profession.

Again, he signed the contract he has for the money and terms he's getting. I have no problem extending him if, after next year, he demonstrates some consistency and shows it wasn't just a one-season thing.

Actually, if I were GS (or his agent), I'd probably want to wait a year anyway. If he performs well again next season, it puts him in a better negotiating place than he's in right now. The AD might actually view an extension now as a way to save some money. The AD would probably prefer to negotiate now based on performance to date without giving GS an opportunity to demonstrate seasonal consistency which would surely create upwards pressure on the compensation level in discussions.

 

[rutgersdave]

Schiano loves Rutgers and won’t leave again.

I might add some incentives for wins over 6 wins a season.

Just 2-3 weeks ago, some fans were saying Schiano hire was a bad hire. Way to early to judge Schiano performance, I think he will improve the team the next two years but not a sure thing.

 

[mildone]

If a coach leaves he leaves, that's his prerogative. Sometimes there's not even demand like I said above with Doeren. You think agents won't try to gin up "demand" to get a new contract out of the school.

In the end whatever happens happens, ADs are there for a reason. To make responsible financial decisions and if need be, make a good hire. If not then what's the point of an AD.

I've said this before, I think it's too much OPM (other people's money) syndrome. If anyone was operating their own biz with their own money, they wouldn't do it in this fashion or act as irresponsibly with it. If they did they would got out of biz quickly.

If someone feels deflated over millions of dollars a year I don' know what to say. In absolute terms, it's a lot of money regardless of where it ranks on the compensation totem pole. Plus many of these coaches often say they don't do it for the money or recognition etc...well if that's the case then it shouldn't matter unless it's just load of BS.

And it doesn't have to be the lowest in a given year. Like I said, give a big annual bonus commensurate with the results of that year. So the school at least is only paying for actual results not who knows what kind of results in the future.

What the AD should be doing is keeping his coaching contingency plans up to date, having conversations, building relationships. He should be doing that for all the sports, but especially MBB and FB right now.

Being prepared is always wise. Getting caught unprepared is dumb. Coaches could get hired away, or develop health issues forcing them to step away from the sport, or get run over by a busload of nuns. Shit happens.

 

[mildone]

Schiano loves Rutgers and won’t leave again.

Oh please. He's a pro and it's a job.

Not that I think it's likely, but if a program with very deep pockets offered him good enough terms to make going a wise decision, he'd go. I'd lose respect for him if he didn't.

Fans love schools. Coaches do their jobs.

In some cases, where success is go great that adulation is universal, then coaches can form an enduring bond with the school. Like Paterno. And how did that work out?

 

[WhiteBus]

I think Rutgers and Schiano both learned that they are perfect together (to use the old NJ tourism line). I don't see any rush and I don't see him wanting to leave. After Tampa there wasn't much demand for him becoming HC. And he wasn't in a rush, mostly because he was being paid $4 million a year by Tampa. Is Michigan or WVU calling again, don't think so. He knows his greatest value will always be at Rutgers.

 

[mildone]

I think Rutgers and Schiano both learned that they are perfect together (to use the old NJ tourism line). I don't see any rush and I don't see him wanting to leave. After Tampa there wasn't much demand for him becoming HC. And he wasn't in a rush, mostly because he was being paid $4 million a year by Tampa. Is Michigan or WVU calling again, don't think so. He knows his greatest value will always be at Rutgers.

I agree that, right now, GS, in his heart and mind, probably doesn't want to leave. But the key part of that is "right now". Circumstances can change in a heartbeat.

His value is determined by what schools are willing to pay him. And that's determined by the combination of his past and recent performance, right? With more weight placed on recent performance. If he performs well, that value will rise. If he performs brilliantly, that value will rise a lot and to a wider group of ADs.

At some point, if he has a lot of success, his value could easily rise beyond that which RU is willing to pay.

Not saying it's likely or unlikely or making any sort of prediction. Just stating the cold logic. It's why I'd never make bets on the future of most football coaches. I mean, who thought Urban Meyer wouldn't still be coaching at OSU?

 

[mdk01]

Schiano loves Rutgers and won’t leave again.

I might add some incentives for wins over 6 wins a season.

Just 2-3 weeks ago, some fans were saying Schiano hire was a bad hire. Way to early to judge Schiano performance, I think he will improve the team the next two years but not a sure thing.

I'm not sure he wouldn't leave under the right circumstances, but I don't see that happening in the immediate future. Schiano 1.0 turned down Michigan and Miami before he bolted for the NFL. Who's courting him right now? Now that could change in a year or two of 7-8 wins and bowls. That's why I like your idea of sweetening the incentives over the next few years if the success continues.

 

[RUich]

I think Rutgers and Schiano both learned that they are perfect together (to use the old NJ tourism line). I don't see any rush and I don't see him wanting to leave. After Tampa there wasn't much demand for him becoming HC. And he wasn't in a rush, mostly because he was being paid $4 million a year by Tampa. Is Michigan or WVU calling again, don't think so. He knows his greatest value will always be at Rutgers.

This!
Sometimes, one person becomes THE person for that job. Nobody else has come close to what Greg has accomplished.
He is not that young hot commodity that he once was when he got the COY award. His venture into the pro ranks should have been enough not to want to go back.
Unlike his first time around at RU, the landscape has changed dramatacally. Super league to be in that will continue to gush ca$h for years to come. But, be absolutely brutal to play in! We all have to be realistic with our expectations.
This is the job for him and I think he understands that RU is not and will never be like OSU, Mich. etc. in terms of
the absolute fan fervor they have. I think he is more interested in keeping top assistants on the payroll than him getting a ton more money. Just my take.

 

[Knight Shift]

Another good article by Politi. I'm sure the Greg-haters will throw a fit if he gets extended, but given the obvious program improvements to date and given that Greg is now the lowest paid non-interim football coach in the B1G, to quote Greg, himself, it's time. This one's behind a paywall, but here are the first couple of paragraphs...

This is for the furious boosters. This is for the protesting fans. This is for the people who believed that the quickest way — maybe the only way — to get Rutgers back to something resembling a respectable college football program started with the one man who had dragged it to that level in the first place.

This is for Eric LeGrand. This is for Phil Murphy. This is for anyone who raised hell in late November 2019 when this university’s leadership looked like it was about to screw the pooch again — when it looked like, somehow, Greg Schiano wasn’t going to be rehired as head coach of a team that had become the worst kind of punchline again.

Rutgers defeated Indiana, 31-14, on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, and no, a victory over the lowly Hoosiers is not the final destination for the Scarlet Knights. But bowl eligibility is certainly a milepost on the journey that is worth celebrating, one that wouldn’t have happened if not for the people who pointed at the familiar gap-toothed head coach and refused to back down.

This moment is for all of them.

And, if you’re one of them, this is for you.

https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/...on-as-rutgers-takes-the-next-step-politi.html

I just read @rutgersguy1 's reply, and as usual, we are 100% on the same page. When we are co-AD at Rutgers, this type of nonsense will not happen.

A pay bump? Sure. Extension- wait until end of next year. We have seen this horror movie too many times: Mel Tucker, Bret Bielema, PJ Fleck.

Steve is a twit as usual. Look at me! Look at me!!! Like me!!! Like me!!!

 

[Knight Shift]

I agree that contracts for coaches are insane and hate how far much of college football has moved towards professionalism and away from what universities are supposed to be about, but whether I like it or not, that's the reality and how the game is played and if we want to keep the trajectory moving up, we have to build that field house and at least give Greg a decent raise.

So, toe the line, even if the line is crooked? Nope, not for me. Never been one to say do it because that's the way it is done. Instead, go against the grain and look for a better way.

 

[mildone]

Steve is a twit as usual. Look at me! Look at me!!! Like me!!! Like me!!!

To be fair, if he doesn't convince people to look at him, he loses his job.

He won't convince me. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give him crap for trying to get people to read his stuff. It's, literally, his job.

 

[NY AGENTMAN]

Let’s pump the brakes on this. Can we see the rest of the year

 

[rutgersal]

Steve was inspired by the question I asked during the live podcast and also the topic I raised this past summer on this board. Schiano is going to get his extension for his achievement and a job well done, 1 year ahead of schedule. He started at Rutgers when the stadium was empty. Now the stadium will be full for Ohio State. That alone justifies the increase and extension.

It is important to pay the market rate for valuable resources. Schiano has a unique set of skills that are more valuable to Rutgers than anyone else. He has had to work harder than other coaches because Rutgers lacks resources, most notably a state of the art Fieldhouse, which our peers already have. Very few coaches could have replicated what Schiano has achieved. Urban Meyer is one, but he’s not touching this job with a 100 foot pole, due to lack of resources.

Schiano will get his extension by the end of the year. It’s no longer a question of if. It’s a question of when.

 

[Roy_Faulker]

Did we pay off Ash’s contract yet?

To me the priority needs to be $ for the assistants.

 

[RUtrumpet92]

I wouldn't extend the contract in the middle of this season, but it is a conversation worth having after the year is over. The comparisons to Tucker and Jimbo are irrelevant here IMO. Greg's not going to jump to $7+ M per year on an extension, and I don't see him pulling a Tucker. Tom Allen is more fair to bring up, but it's not like Greg hasn't shown he can win at Rutgers before. I think an extension by the end of next year at worst is a fine idea, as long as the wheels don't come off the wagon in the meantime.

I think it's more important to keep the assistant coaching budget high enough to keep a STRONG staff like we appear to finally have this season.

 

[RU848789]

The money isn't even my issue with contracts. You could pay Saban 20M/yr and that's fine imo. He's worth it, for the high level of accomplishment and consistency he's demonstrated. Smart has won at a high level too consistently for some time so if you pay him good money on a longer deal, okay you've seen consistent quality results. I'm fine with paying for consistent results and performance but not fine with paying for unknown results and performance.

Paying millions of dollar on these crazy long deals when a coach has just 1-2 years of results isn't smart. ADs and schools act like they have no power when they have plenty of power and leverage. They're handing over generational wealth to these coaches. Who should be the side with the leverage? They're only so many of these jobs out there. If you're desperate to hand over money for short term results then give them "short term" pay in the way of a big bonus. That way it's commensurate with whatever the results of the year may have been but doesn't lock you in long term for unknown results of the future.

By the way, I didn't specify what I thought about an "extension" per se. For me, I'd simply make sure he gets a decent bump in salary/bonuses and that he always has at least 5 years left on his contract, so that recruits know he's at least very likely going to be here for their entire time at Rutgers. I wouldn't necessarily try to extend him for an additional 8 years or something like that. But I think you'd have to agree he does not deserve to be the lowest paid coach in the B1G and he deserves to have that promised field house built.

 

[rutgersguy1]

I wouldn't extend the contract in the middle of this season, but it is a conversation worth having after the year is over. The comparisons to Tucker and Jimbo are irrelevant here IMO. Greg's not going to jump to $7+ M per year on an extension, and I don't see him pulling a Tucker. Tom Allen is more fair to bring up, but it's not like Greg hasn't shown he can win at Rutgers before. I think an extension by the end of next year at worst is a fine idea, as long as the wheels don't come off the wagon in the meantime.

I think it's more important to keep the assistant coaching budget high enough to keep a STRONG staff like we appear to finally have this season.

The amount isn't the issue and on some level it's just relative to the resources of a particular school.

It's the practice of undertaking long term financial obligations on the basis of short term results that's the problem across CFB imo. That is a constant you see across the landscape and it's not a good one.

I'd prefer we not fall into the same trap but it wouldn't be a surprise if we do. Let things play out, let time pass, let consistent results be seen before taking on long term financial obligations.

Annual incentive bonuses are more responsible if you really want to pay a coach. Just an arbitrary example...say 500K for 6 wins, 1M for 7, 1.5M for 8 etc...Then at least you're paying for actual winning and not unknowns and if it drops off the next year then the financial obligation isn't there either.