Rutgers Keeps Greg Schiano for 2027 Despite 2-7 Start as Keli Zinn Calls Results Not Acceptable

Rutgers is 2-7, out of bowl contention for the second straight year and sitting near the bottom of the Big Ten. Greg Schiano is still going to be its head coach in 2027.

Athletic director Keli Zinn made it official on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in a statement posted by Rutgers Athletics (opens in a new tab). It read less like a vote of confidence and more like a warning shot. "Our results are not acceptable for the expectations we have for our football program and for the athletics program we are building," Zinn wrote.

What Zinn actually said

The statement opened by admitting the 2026 season "has fallen well below our expectations" and that fan frustration is understandable. Zinn said she shares it. Then came the pivot. After "weighing all factors, and consulting with University leadership," Zinn wrote, Schiano "will be returning in 2027."

The line Rutgers fans will remember is the one right after it: "Let me be very clear: this decision is not reflective of a lowering of standards or an indication that everything is fine. It is not."

Zinn framed the call as a bet on roster rebuilding. The statement says she and Schiano have met repeatedly about the future, that she is encouraged by the plan he has built, and that both recognize "plans alone do not produce wins." It closed with a nod to a fan base that has heard plenty of promises: "I know our fans are tired of hearing about what Rutgers Football can become. You want to see results and it's our responsibility to make sure we deliver."

How the season got here

The hole opened on night one. Rutgers lost its opener 37-21 at home to UMass on Sept. 3, then dropped a 28-21 game at Boston College eight days later. The Scarlet Knights have won only twice since, routing Howard 58-7 and winning 37-30 at Maryland.

The Big Ten slate has been rough. Rutgers lost to USC and Indiana at home, fell 42-14 at Northwestern and lost a 28-21 heartbreaker to Michigan on Oct. 31. The 31-10 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday was the seventh defeat, which ended any shot at a bowl game. Rutgers is 1-5 in conference play.

The defense is the sore spot. ESPN reported that Rutgers ranks 125th nationally in scoring defense after finishing 115th a year ago. This comes after a 5-7 finish in 2025, which followed back-to-back 7-6 seasons in 2023 and 2024 that earned Schiano a contract extension.

The money behind the decision

Firing Schiano would not have been cheap. CBS Sports put his buyout after this season at $17,296,875, dropping to a little more than $11.7 million after 2027. ESPN reported that dismissing him this year would have cost $18.6 million and that clearing out the whole staff would have run close to $28 million. NJ.com reported, citing multiple sources, that the buyout was the main reason Rutgers kept him.

That cost would land on a department CBS Sports says ran a $78 million deficit in 2024-25. Schiano's contract runs through 2029, and NJ.com reported his salary rises from $6.75 million this year to $7.25 million in 2027.

Schiano promises a full teardown

Schiano did not dodge the frustration. In comments reported Tuesday by NJ.com, he said he is even more frustrated and angry than the fans. He promised to "sit down and do a full autopsy on how we got here" and said there is "nothing that is off the table for examination," including a possible general manager hire.

He also admitted to mistakes that cost Rutgers games and insisted the gap is closable. "We're not a million miles away," Schiano said, adding: "We've won here before at Rutgers and we'll win here again at Rutgers."

Timing matters here. ESPN noted that a year ago Rutgers did not hire a defensive coordinator until Feb. 11, after the transfer portal window had closed. Announcing now gives recruits and portal targets certainty about who will be coaching them.

What comes next

The 2027 season will be Schiano's eighth in his second stint and his 19th overall at Rutgers. He coached the program from 2001 to 2011, returned in 2020 and holds the school record for wins. He will also be coaching under tougher scheduling rules: as CBS Sports pointed out, the expanded 24-team College Football Playoff requires Big Ten teams to play nine league games plus another Power Four opponent, which makes six wins harder to find.

First, three games remain. Rutgers hosts Nebraska at SHI Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network, visits Penn State on Nov. 21 and closes at home against Michigan State on Nov. 28.

Zinn bought Schiano one more year. The statement made clear it is not a blank check.

Sources: Rutgers Athletics, ESPN, CBS Sports, NJ.com, News 12 New Jersey.

Photo: Rutgers Athletics (file photo from Sept. 25, 2026, vs. Howard).