Rutgers keeps Schiano for 2027, with a 2-7 season demanding change

Greg Schiano will return as Rutgers’ football coach in 2027. Athletics director Keli Zinn announced the decision Tuesday after consultation with university leadership, while describing this season’s results as unacceptable.

Rutgers is 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten entering Saturday’s home game against Nebraska. Wisconsin won 31-10 in the Scarlet Knights’ last outing, scoring the final 21 points after Rutgers drew even late in the second quarter.

Zinn said she and Schiano had met repeatedly about the program’s future and that his plan would strengthen the roster. She did not identify the proposed changes, attach a spending figure or announce new contract terms in the statement.

What the decision leaves to be answered

That leaves a clear distinction for supporters evaluating the decision: Rutgers has settled who will lead the program next season, while the personnel choices behind the promised improvement remain to be shown. Retaining a coach gives his plan continuity. The value of that continuity depends on which weaknesses the offseason actually fixes.

There are productive players to build around. Rutgers’ Nebraska preview lists receiver KJ Duff with nine touchdown catches, one short of the school’s single-season record of 10. Running back Antwan Raymond leads the Big Ten at 87.7 rushing yards per game. Those individual results have not translated into a competitive conference record.

Nebraska comes to Piscataway at 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the conference. Kickoff is Saturday, November 14, at 12:30 p.m. EST on Big Ten Network. Rutgers then visits Penn State on November 21 at 3:30 p.m. before closing the regular season at home against Michigan State on November 28; the finale’s kickoff remains unannounced in the school’s listing.