The Phanatic Magazine
A source told The Phanatic Magazine Thursday that a succession plan to replace Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno is being ironed out.
The man in the middle of this plan -- Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano.
The source told The Phanatic Magazine that Paterno's recent poor health and a divided board of trustees over the program's future has led University President Graham Spanier down this path.
It is unclear, according to the source, whether Paterno or the program will issue a statement about the plan or clarify that this is Paterno's final season at Penn State.
The source also stated that the university, by NCAA by-laws, can not have any official contact with Schiano, who is under contract at Rutgers, but has put out feelers to gauge Schiano's interest.
That interest, according to a source, appears to be substantial and mutual.
Barring a last-minute power struggle or change of heart, the source indicated that this will be Paterno's last season in Happy Valley, and that Penn State would move quickly after Schiano at season's end.
The rest of the staff is a mystery. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Sr. and defensive coordinator Tom Bradley have scored major recruiting victories in recent years, with Johnson bringing in a host of Maryland prospects for the Class of 2009.
That led many surrounding the program to assume either Bradley or Johnson, Sr. would take over once Paterno retired, while the other (particularly in Johnson, Sr.'s case) became the right-hand man, defensive coaching staff leader and head of recruiting.
That is not the case, according to the source, who maintains the board of trustees would rather go outside the program while attempting to maintain some Penn State ties.
That leads directly to Schiano.
23 comments:
Paterno's relationship to Schiano transcends mentor-protege; it's as near a father-son bond as any we've seen galvanized in the foxholes of college football. I believe Schiano meant what he's said in the past about his commitment to big-time college football at Rutgers. As a Jerseyan, I want him to stay. But his principled commitment to us is, in part (and not inappropriately), built upon our commitments to him. And I'm afraid we may have given him an out. For anyone whom Paterno might ask to succeed him and carry his program forward it's as if being knighted. For Schiano, it may mean leaving his Knights. :(
bootsy say another golden boy is coming, not the Rutgers pisano!!!
bootsy say a golden boy cometh
I don't buy it. The only real lure would be the presumed easier shot at a national title and he's already turned down Michigan where it would be a little easier than at State Penn and Miami, where it would be a lot easier.
His greatest attributes are his character, vision and program building ability - he has done something that was pretty much thought impossible at Rutgers by most knowledgeable football people. But I don't think even the most biased Rutgers fan would consider him a master strategist or an exceptional game day coach, and that is something Penn State needs more than a program builder or visionary.
He runs a clean program overwhelmingly composed of good kids who stay out of trouble and take care of their classroom responsibilities so that has to be appealing to PSU - which has become a cesspool of bad behavior/embarassing incidents. But the goodwill he has engendered and his image as a high character individual has largely been the result of being true to his word. You don't swear up and down you're staying to kids and to administrators if "demands" are met, convince the school to gut part of a campus nature preserve so you can build a beautiful home near work, convince the school to go forward with a $100 Million stadium expansion at a time of austerity, talk endlessly about "National Championships" when it isn't at all obvious Rutgers can get there and then bolt. Yes it is a possibility I suppose. But the point is that the difference between a side show clown and a visionary leader proposing to accomplish the unimaginable is in actually following through.
So if he left for Penn State it would mean they were getting someone whose character is not exactly what it seems and who is not a great game day coach. Not exactly a hard combination to find in the coaching ranks.
This is rubbish. Tell the truth... your "source" was really a drunk at the end of the bar last night.
Yeah, and Kirk Herbstreit was told Les Miles was basically hired at UM... I like Schiano, btw, as I was born and raised in Bergen County, NJ.
Planting a story such as this may be a calculated attempt to negatively impact Schiano's ability to recruit. Recruits may become "concerned" when stories such as this appear periodically through out the years.
Meh... when has a Philadelphia guy EVER had real inside dirt about Penn State happenings?
It's been rumored that Schiano has a clause in his contract allowing him to negotiate with PSU only. It seems pretty clear that Schiano wants the job and he would be the likely candidate if PSU were to go outside the program. I think Schiano would bolt for this opportunity immediately and become the Rutgers version of Rich Rod in terms of hatred. As for other rumored candidates... I don't see Cowher accepting a college position and dont believe Edsall/Kelly/Golden are nearly qualified enough.
Ultimately, I think they promote Tom Bradley to HC and move Larry Johnson, SR up to DC and completely clean staff on the offensive side of the ball. IMO, it appears that far more alums are in favor of this course of action than an outside hire. Bradley and LJ have been the only people keeping PSU afloat both on the field and with recruiting.
A Bradley/LJ led defensive approach with an ABOVE AVERAGE offensive staff (top 3-4 in conference) will be enough for PSU to become Big Ten force. Either Joe's stranglehold over the offensive staff or Jay/Galen's ineptitude at playcalling and developing QB's have been our achilles heel the last two seasons.
Zuck has it about right.Whether it's
college or NFL,it's the QB,the QB,the QB if you want to beat the Michigans and OSUs of the world.Our QB development is subpar.
If your prep star kid who had NFL potential was being recruited by USC,OSU,Michigan,even Louisville would you send him to PSU?
To be groomed by Jay?
Here me now and believe me later. . . It's not going to happen. Schiano is staying at Rutgers.
Why on earth would a great coach like Greg Schiano want to set-up shop at Rutger's little sister school in the middle of the damn corn fields in a dying area of Pennsylvania, where half the population is getting food stamps?
State College PA is actually one of the weathier areas in Pennsylvania.
This has been a rumor for awhile so it is not surprising now. schiano was a DB coach at PSU under Paterno betweem 1991 and 1995, which is when the football team was in their prime (1994 should have won the Nat'l Championship in many minds). Those ties also could explain why he passed up at jobs at Michigan and Miami while potentially waiting for JoePa to step down, so don't throw this rumor to the side so easily, this could be a very likely possibility. As a current student at PSU I would love to see what Schiano can do at a place like Penn State with all the success he has managed at Rutgers with not that much to offer.
YOU GUYS REALLY DO CRACK ME UP! Schiano is an Italian guy for Wyckoff NJ. Didn’t know that Penn St was known for it’s mass influx of Jersey Italians. Growing up in NJ we all realize that States like PA are JUST nice tourist destinations, THAT IS IT!!! Recruits and fans are learning that the world revolves around NYC, and Rutgers is close enough to be involved in NYC Media Hype(i.e.: RED EMPIRE STATE BUILDING & YANKEE STADIUM SALUTING RUTGERS). Let me see, Schiano will exchange his love of Rutgers, the Super Bowl Winning Giants, Yankees, and Devils for THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!!; Not sure he’s going to move his family to farm country. I think he is pretty happy to see he has created a solid foundation in the mecca of our country and his HOME. He knows very well that he can build a college football team in the media GIANT of America. As a matter of fact, the NY Post has a special Wednesday Gameday Edition dedicated to Rutgers, and circulates that edition throughout Manhattan. Sorry Pennsyltucky, your state university is witnessing the REBIRTH of the BIRTH PLACE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL! Your old man will die off soon and you will be left with cows, corn and pickups! Not great aspirations!!! GO RU!!
Schiano does not have a PSU out in his contract. It's a NJ public record, you can look it up online. It's not a particularly big buyout, but there's no mention of PSU.
Greg's family is Jersey Through and through. His family would divorce him if he ever took that job.
Pennsylvania used to have a sign at the state line that said "America Starts Here". We used to say "And Prosperity Ends Here"
Not going to happen, I hear (from reliable sources) that it will be ex-Giants coach Jim Fassel, who has ties at Penn State. I think if Schiano was going anywhere, it would be back to Miami w/ a fat package.
None of this is going to matter unless Jay Paterno is completely removed from any position which impacts the players and the plays on the field.
Great comments people... but State College is an area with a high standard of living, not a place with people on food stamps. Actually I guarantee the amount of food stamps given out in the county Schiano lives in now is exponentially more than the amount given out in Centre County. He may have a nice house, but the area surrounding the campus is disgusting which is one of the major reasons I only applied to RU to make my parents happy but went to PSU because I wanted a ghetto free college experience.
This story is floating for awhile now. Schiano is too ambitious to stay where he is at now. There is too much resistance in the Rutgers community to make Rutgers one of the elite programs in the next decade. New Jersey's fiscal issues are well documented. Governor Corzine cannot pay for everything out of his own pocket. Schiano cannot afford too many fall-off seasons like 2007 to remain a hot coaching commodity. The speculation is this is the job he is waiting for and he has had some conversations in the PSU community through second and third parties about the coaching dynamics in State College.
Don't forget Schiano already has family ties on the current staff i.e. o-line coach Dick Anderson is greg's uncle. so that is another in right there.
Greg Anderson is Greg's uncle?!.. Some family we have here..
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