The all-time wins leader in Rutgers football history,
Greg Schiano is in his 17th season as the head football coach “On the Banks.” The second tenure, now in the Big Ten, has seen a rebuild headed in a positive direction, highlighted by exciting victories, bowl appearances, academic success and a pipeline of players to the NFL. All of this has taken place with increased fan support and unprecedented attendance records. The Wyckoff, New Jersey, native previously led the Scarlet Knights to new heights from 2001-11 before returning to the Piscataway sidelines in 2020. RU enters 2025 off back-to-back winning seasons and bowl game appearances.
Overall, Schiano has directed the Scarlet Knights to three bowl appearances in the past four years, nine postseason berths overall and six bowl championships. He has coached 113 RU players who signed NFL contracts, guided the program to the top APR score in the nation and saw the program post a record-high GPA during the spring 2025 semester. The 2006 National Coach of the Year owns three nine-win campaigns and coached 20 Rutgers All-America selections.
Coming back to Piscataway in Dec. 2019, Schiano has built the program with a foundation based on F.A.M.I.L.Y., TRUST and CHOP, emphasizing player and cultural development.
The Scarlet Knights won a program-best four Big Ten games in 2024 and picked up seven victories overall in the regular season for the first time in a decade. The season saw the team start 4-0, including a thrilling victory over Washington, the national runner-up the prior year, in front of the second-largest crowd in SHI Stadium history showcased on a FOX national primetime broadcast. The campaign ended with a 3-1 November to claim a bid to the Rate Bowl in Arizona.
RB Kyle Monangai, who developed into the second-leading rusher in school history, and OL Hollin Pierce earned All-America honors from
Phil Steele, with Monangai becoming the first Scarlet Knight to claim First Team All-Big Ten on offense in both the coaches and media votes. The duo was part of 12 overall recognized in the All-Big Ten voting and among five from the program who were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, the second-most in RU history.
Rutgers finished with a 2,000-yard passer (QB Athan Kaliakmanis), a 1,000-yard rusher (Monangai) and two 600-yard receivers (WR Dymere Miller and WR Ian Strong) for the first time since 2007. The team averaged 28.9 points per game, the best since 2008, while posting the fourth-most total offense (4,975) for a season in program history. In Big Ten-only statistics, the Scarlet Knights set team records for total offense (351.2) and rushing yards (149.8) per game.
The defense held 3-of-4 opponents under 20 points in November, as LB Dariel Djabome ranked fifth in the conference with 8.1 tackles per game. In the kicking game, PK Jai Patel matched the program record by making his final 13 field goals of the season, while the punt block unit added two more to its ledger and leads the nation with 10 punt blocks over the last three seasons.
“The ball is program” is the emphasis for success, as Rutgers led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally with just nine turnovers lost. That included winning or neutralizing the turnover battle in 11-of-13 games. The Scarlet Knights were also one of the least penalized teams nationally, ranking fifth with only four penalties against and 34.15 yards of penalty yardage per game.
Rutgers continues to develop players for the NFL, with DB Robert Longerbeam (Ravens), DL Kyonte Hamilton (Texans) and Monangai (Bears) all selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, the most picks for the program since 2013. Previously, DB Max Melton was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Cardinals at No. 43 overall, the highest pick from RU since 2010. That followed DB Christian Braswell’s selection by the Jaguars in 2023. In addition, 19 others have signed contracts as free agents over the past three seasons.
On the recruiting front, Schiano and his staff have continued to build the roster and fill the pipeline starting with the top players in New Jersey, as well as in the State of Rutgers and the Big Ten footprint. Attracting student-athletes to a F.A.M.I.L.Y. atmosphere, defined culture and proven record of player development, Rutgers signed a consensus top-30 class in 2025 with 10 four-star prospects. That followed bringing in seven four-stars in 2024, including welcoming the top
247Sports New York prospect for the third straight year. The 2022 class ranked as the highest for the Scarlet Knights in the Big Ten era according to
ESPN and
247Sports. In addition, the program has successfully used the transfer portal to identify talent and cultural fits to immediately impact the program.
In 2023, the Scarlet Knights compiled seven wins for the program’s first winning season since 2014. The campaign was capped by a 31-24 win over Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The regular season schedule ranked as the second-hardest nationally by
ESPN, including wins over bowl participants Northwestern and Virginia Tech, plus an 18-point comeback in the fourth quarter to defeat Michigan State. In addition, Rutgers saw 13 different players recognized in the All-Big Ten voting, the second-highest total for the program in a season.
The defense ranked 16th nationally in total defense (313.5), posting its best mark and ranking for a season in the Big Ten era. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights recorded their best numbers in Big Ten play for total (337.9) and scoring defense (25.1). Monangai highlighted the offensive production with a Big Ten-best 1,262 rushing yards. On special teams, RU scored two game-changing touchdowns off blocked punts in wins over Indiana and Miami and Patel went 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) on field goals, the most accurate season in program history.
Schiano led Rutgers to a 3-0 start in 2022. The win over Temple marked the 79th victory for Schiano, who passed the legendary Frank Burns as the program’s all-time wins leader. Rutgers also set its average home attendance record, with nine home games over the last three seasons sold out, including three of the top four marks in stadium history. One of eight players to collect All-Big Ten honors, three-time captain P Adam Korsak earned First Team All-America status and won the 2022 Ray Guy Award as the nation's best punter. It marked the first on-field national award won by a Rutgers football player in program history.
The 2021 season featured two Big Ten road wins, a come-from-behind victory at Illinois that saw a late fourth-down stop and a five-touchdown triumph over Indiana, the program’s largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game. The defense finished second in the conference in third-down conversions against, while the offense saw both WR Bo Melton (Seahawks) and RB Isiah Pacheco (Chiefs) selected in the NFL Draft. Led by Korsak, an All-America honoree by multiple outlets, the punt unit set the NCAA record for net punt average (45.25). Rutgers went 5-0 when committing no turnovers, with seven from the 2021 roster earning invitations to postseason all-star games and five signing NFL contracts, including Pacheco, who has appeared in the Super Bowl each of his first three professional seasons, winning two championships as the Chiefs’ starting tailback.
With just nine days’ notice, Schiano led the Scarlet Knights to the 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on New Year’s Eve, battling top-20 Wake Forest in front of a national television audience of over three million on ESPN. Johnny Langan garnered Rutgers’ MVP for the game, as the Scarlet Knights gained valuable experience and exposure participating in the nation’s sixth-oldest bowl game.
The 2020 season presented unforeseen challenges dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Playing a Big Ten-only schedule, the Scarlet Knights were one of just two teams in the conference to play all nine of its scheduled games. RU, despite missing spring and summer camp, matched the program high at the time with three Big Ten victories, all away from Piscataway to equal the number of league road wins the previous six seasons combined. Rutgers posted a program-best 26.7 points per game in a Big Ten season. The Scarlet Knights had 14 players recognized in the All-Big Ten voting, the most for the program since joining the conference. That included four on the top-three teams, with WR Aron Cruickshank, the Big Ten Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year and honorable mention All-America pick by
Phil Steele, and LB Olakunle Fatukasi both earning first-team honors.
Off the field, the Scarlet Knights launched #Chop4Change to spread a message of unity and equality, while registering every student-athlete on the team to vote in elections. The initiative also involves giving back to the community through various forms and continues to be a staple of the Rutgers football culture.
The program also achieved academic success with 245 student-athletes recognized on the Fall Academic All-Big Ten list the past five years, resetting the program record twice, with 10 earning distinguished status in 2025. The team posted its highest GPA (3.39) ever as a program during the spring 2025 semester.
Rutgers football advanced to one bowl game in its history prior to Schiano’s first tenure. Since then, he has led the program to nine of the school’s 13 appearances, which includes five consecutive victories with the 2006 Texas Bowl being the first postseason win in school history. The success resumed with a win in the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Schiano's six bowl wins are tied for fourth-most among active Big Ten head coaches and tied for 11th among active FBS head coaches.
Building up the Scarlet Knights with three rejuvenating recruiting classes to start, Schiano put together an upset win over Syracuse to close 2003 before knocking off Michigan State to start 2004. The team broke through in 2005 with a 7-5 record, the first winning season since 1992 and a trip to the Insight Bowl for RU’s first bowl trip since 1978.
Moving to the memorable 2006 campaign, Rutgers went 11-2, earned the program’s first national top-10 ranking, peaking at No. 7, and won a bowl championship with a convincing 37-10 victory over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. “Pandemonium in Piscataway” was achieved with a 28-25 upset of No. 3 Louisville in front of a raucous home crowd and national television audience. It was the first triumph for the program over a top-25 opponent since 1988. Schiano collected the Eddie Robinson, Walter Camp, Home Depot and Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year, as well as the Big East Coach of the Year following the season. The final national ranking of No. 12 still stands as the high-water mark in program history. RU was ranked 20 weeks during Schiano’s first tenure after appearing in the AP Poll only nine times prior.
The momentum continued in 2007 with eight more wins, which included a 30-27 victory over No. 2 USF. The season was capped by running past Ball State, 52-30, in the International Bowl and set school records for scoring (426), first downs (294) and total offense (5,841). RU also became the first and still only team in NCAA history to have a 3,000-yard passer (QB Mike Teel), a 2,000-yard rusher (RB Ray Rice) and two 1,000-yard receivers (WR Kenny Britt & WR Tiquan Underwood) in the same season. The 2008 campaign started 1-5, but the Scarlet Knights reeled off a six-game winning streak to become bowl eligible again and went on to beat NC State, 29-23, in the PapaJohns.com Bowl to finish with seven-straight in the win column. Then in 2009, RU beat a top-25 opponent for the fourth consecutive year with a 31-0 shutout of No. 23 USF and took down UCF, 45-24, in the St. Petersburg Bowl to finish off a 9-4 season.
In 2011, Rutgers had its third nine-win season under Schiano, tying Burns for the most in program history. The Scarlet Knights defeated Iowa State, 27-13, in the Pinstripe Bowl for the fifth consecutive bowl win.
Schiano has coached the leading rusher, passer and receiver by yards in Rutgers football history, sending all to the NFL. Rice finished with 4,926 rushing yards, 1,705 more than second place, with 49 touchdowns. He holds the top two spots on the RU single-game rushing leaderboard with a high of 280 in the 2008 International Bowl. Teel was a three-year starter and is the only signal caller in school history to lead the Scarlet Knights to three bowl victories. Throwing for 9,398 yards overall, he still owns single-game school records for passing yards (447) and touchdowns (7) in Rutgers' 63-14 victory over Louisville in 2008. Britt was a primary target for Teel, recording 3,403 receiving yards. He once had five consecutive games with over 100 yards and totaled 14 such outings, both school standards.
Schiano has also turned special teams into a game-changing force for the Scarlet Knights. RU has blocked 73 kicks to rank among the nation's leaders, while scoring 63 defensive/special teams touchdowns, including 12 since 2020. PK Jeremy Ito shattered the school record with 80 career field goals and earned All-America status, with Korsak also achieving national accolades in helping RU set the NCAA record for net punt average (45.25) in 2021 and leading the country in punt defense with minus 11 return yards against on the way to winning the Ray Guy Award in 2022. In 2023, Patel logged the most accurate field goal season in program history with 15-of-18 connections (83.3 percent) and followed that by tying the school record with 13 consecutive makes in 2024.
While producing victories at a rate unprecedented in the program’s history, Rutgers football is equally committed to succeeding in the classroom. In 2010, Rutgers ranked first in the nation in Academic Progress Rate. The team followed that up with the nation’s No. 2 ranking in 2011. The program was the lone state university to be ranked in the top 10 percent nationally in APR during each of Schiano’s last five seasons of his first term.
DB Nate Jones became the program’s first two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection (2002-03) and was a member of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame National Scholar Class of 2003, one of just eight FBS players honored. In addition, LB Brandon Renkart earned CoSIDA Academic All-America status in 2007, while FB Brian Leonard received the prestigious Draddy Trophy, recognized as the “Academic Heisman,” in 2006.
The emphasis on academics continued with a program-record 57 named to the Academic All-Big Ten list in 2021, 46 honorees in 2020, 41 in 2022, 51 in 2023 and 50 in 2024, including 35 earning distinguished over than span (3.7 GPA or better). The program recorded the highest GPA (3.39) in team history during the spring 2025 semester.
Owning five years of NFL sideline experience, including two as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13), Schiano has mentored 113 Scarlet Knights who went on to sign NFL contracts. That includes first-round picks in Britt (2009), OL Anthony Davis (2010) and DB Devin McCourty (2010). Rutgers had never had a player taken in the first round before Britt went 30th overall to the Tennessee Titans. Davis’ selection at No. 11 by the San Francisco 49ers marked the highest draftee in school history. McCourty, who went 27th to the New England Patriots, won three rings in five trips to the Super Bowl during his illustrious professional career.
The pipeline continued in 2025 with Longerbeam (Ravens), Hamilton (Texans) and Monangai (Bears) all selected in the NFL Draft, the most RU selections since 2013. Max Melton went off the board in 2024, being drafted in the second round (pick 43) by the Arizona Cardinals, the highest RU pick since 2010. The cornerback was named the Cardinals’ Defensive Rookie of the Year by
Sports Illustrated.
Both Bo Melton (Seahawks) and Pacheco (Chiefs) were drafted in 2022, with Pacheco emerging as one of the best stories in the NFL with 830 rushing yards, five touchdowns and a victory in Super Bowl LVII as a rookie. He followed that with another championship to cap the 2023 season in becoming the first starting running back to win consecutive Super Bowls during his first two years in the league. Super Bowl LVIII saw Pacheco face off against Logan Ryan (49ers), as 19 former RU players coached by Schiano have reached the big game, with 13 earning rings. In 2023, Braswell was taken by the Jaguars and six others signed contracts. Thirteen more were signed over the past two years.
Overall, 21 Scarlet Knights who played for Schiano at Rutgers entered 2025 training camp active on NFL rosters: DB Tre Avery, TE Shawn Bowman, DB Christian Braswell, FB Michael Burton, LS Andrew DePaola, DL Kyonte Hamilton, DB Desmond Igbinosun, DL Isaiah Iton, DB Christian Izien, WR JaQuae Jackson, DB Robert Longerbeam, DB Shaquan Loyal, PK Jude McAtamney, WR Bo Melton, DB Max Melton, WR Dymere Miller, RB Kyle Monangai, RB Isiah Pacheco, OL Hollin Pierce, LB Tyreem Powell and DB Eric Rogers.
Schiano returned to the sidelines as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator, also coaching safeties, at Ohio State in 2016. He coached 10 players who were NFL Draft picks, five of whom were first-round selections during his three seasons. There were three first-round picks from the secondary in the 2017 NFL Draft: S Malik Hooker (Colts), CB Gareon Conley (Raiders) and CB Marshon Lattimore (Saints). Hooker, a unanimous All-America pick in 2016, was first nationally with three pick-sixes and third with seven interceptions that season. The Buckeyes went 36-5 in Schiano’s three years as defensive coordinator and 24-3 against Big Ten opponents. That led to two Big Ten titles, plus wins in the 2017 Cotton Bowl and 2019 Rose Bowl. In addition, OSU was No. 6 nationally in total defense under Schiano in 2016 when advancing to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Buckeyes were one of just three programs to rank in the top 10 in total defense in both 2016 and 2017. Schiano was the No. 2 recruiter in the nation by
247Sports and
CBSSports.com for the 2018 signing class.
Schiano served as the defensive coordinator at Miami in 1999 and 2000 before becoming the Rutgers head coach. The Hurricanes posted a 20-5 record during that time, including an 11-1 mark, the No. 2 national ranking and a Sugar Bowl win in 2000. That defense finished fifth nationally in scoring defense (15.5) after ranking 12th in the category the year before (17.2). Following the 2000 season, LB Dan Morgan, who was the 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft, became the first player in college football history to win the Butkus Award (top linebacker), Nagurski Award (college defensive player of the year) and Bednarik Award (top defensive player) in the same year, in addition to being a consensus First Team All-America selection and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. S Ed Reed was also a consensus First Team All-America honoree in 2000 and would later earn a spot in both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Prior to his assignment in Miami, Schiano spent three seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears (1996-98). The 1997 team placed first in the NFC in third-down defense (31.7 percent), while the 1996 squad climbed from 27th in the NFL to 11th in fewest yards allowed.
Schiano was the defensive backfield coach at Penn State from 1991-95 after working as a graduate assistant in 1990. The Nittany Lions picked up 58 wins throughout those years and made six bowl appearances. The 1994 PSU team went 12-0 (8-0 Big Ten) and finished No. 2 in the national rankings after beating Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Schiano previously was a graduate assistant at Rutgers in 1989, beginning his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Ramapo High School, the year before.
Schiano was a three-year letterwinner at linebacker for Bucknell (1985-87). He was named to the Sporting News All-America Preseason Team in 1987. He served as a team captain his senior year after leading the team with 114 tackles as a junior to earn All-Patriot League honors.
Full Name: Gregory Edward Schiano
Birthdate: June 1, 1966
Hometown: Wyckoff, N.J.
Alma Mater: Bucknell, 1988 (B.S. in business administration)
Wife: Christy
Children: Joey, John, Matt, Katie
2020-present: Rutgers (head coach)
2016-18: Ohio State (associate head coach/defensive coordinator/safeties)
2012-13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (head coach)
2001-11: Rutgers (head coach)
1999-00: Miami (defensive coordinator)
1998: Chicago Bears (secondary)
1996-97: Chicago Bears (defensive assistant)
1991-95: Penn State (secondary)
1990: Penn State (graduate assistant)
1989: Rutgers (graduate assistant)
1988: Ramapo HS (assistant)
2024 Rate Bowl
2023 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
2019 Rose Bowl
2017 Cotton Bowl
2016 Fiesta Bowl
2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl
2009 St. Petersburg Bowl
2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl
2008 International Bowl
2006 Texas Bowl
2005 Insight Bowl
2000 Gator Bowl
1996 Outback Bowl
1995 Rose Bowl
1994 Citrus Bowl
1993 Blockbuster Bowl
1992 Fiesta Bowl
1990 Blockbuster Bowl
2018 Ohio State (Big Ten)
2017 Ohio State (Big Ten)
2000 Miami (Big East)
1994 Penn State (Big Ten)
Gallery: (12/3/2019) Greg Schiano Through the Years
