Rutgers fans are asking about Greg Schiano buyout after UMass disaster
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Greg Schiano is the winningest coach in Rutgers football history. But that distinction can't sugarcoat the disaster Thursday night was as the Scarlet Knights — a 29.5-point favorite — lost at home to UMass.
The Minutemen went 0-12 last season and hadn't beat an FBS team since Oct. 28 2023, and had never beaten a Power Four conference team since joining FBS in 2012.
“I didn't have them ready to play,” Schiano said afterward per the Asbury Park Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. “I'm in charge of all the coaches. I'm in charge of all the players. So when we come out and lay an egg like we did Opening Night — I thought we had a great training camp. Never saw it coming, and I've been doing this a long time. Never saw it coming. I didn't expect that at all.”
Rutgers is 31-42 in Schiano's second stint in Piscataway. After making bowls in successive seasons in 2023-24, Rutgers slumped to 5-7 last season. And while the season is far from over after Week 1, a home loss to UMass, and the manner in which it unfolded, doesn't leave Scarlet Knights fans with much optimism.
If the school was to make a change, Schiano is owed 76.875% of his remaining base salary when he is fired. If he is let go at the end of November, that number would be approximately $18.5 million, per documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Up next for Rutgers is a Friday night, Sept. 11 road game at Boston College, who is coming off a 2-10 season. A loss to the Eagles will only escalate the noise.
"We're going to chop our way out of this, and we're going to be a good football team,” Schiano said. “If I didn't believe in the people downstairs, I wouldn't say that. I’d say, ‘Hey things have gone awry.’ But that's not how I feel. That's not what I believe.”
Asbury Park Press reporter Chris Iseman and USA TODAY Sports assistant colleges editor Erick Smith contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rutgers fans are asking about Greg Schiano buyout after UMass disaster
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