but we all know that Schiano is the right coach at exactly the right time that we need him.
We don't know that. Schiano might be a popular choice, especially with a segment of the fanbase. But he is hardly a safe, or risk-free choice.
It isn't 20 years ago any more, and if he came back to Rutgers, Schiano would be 20 years older, with 20 more years of successes and failures which impact his personality and reputation.
Part of Schiano's success 20 years ago was to drive Rutgers to make the transition from Grunninger-era D1AA-type infrastructure to a D1A-type infrastructure. That is no longer a job he needs to do. As Hobbs indicated in his press conference yesterday, Rutgers may have to continue to close the gap with top B1G programs, but the big pieces of our infrastructure are in place. Schiano doesn't need to get the AD to put that in place.
Part of Schiano's success 20 years ago was to sell a vision of what Rutgers could become. He can't sell that same 20-year-old vision again, because he already has shown that while he succeeded at part of that vision, he failed at other parts, and he jumped ship after hitting a plateau. And while he could certainly sell a new realistic vision of hitting a plateau far better than what we had under Ash, that is not as inspirational as the vision he relied on 20 years ago.
It is not 20 years ago, and thing have changed. Rutgers has changed. Schiano has changed.
It is possible that Schiano could come back and replicate the success he had 20 years ago. It is even possible that he could come back and surpass the success he had previously. But it is also possible that he could come back and fall short or fail. And that is a huge risk and a very realistic risk.
And if Schiano comes back and fails, then what is the next step. Are we stuck with a coach who failed as a retread, with a long contract, huge buyout, and now the reputation that no one can succeed at Rutgers, not even the guy who caught lightning in a bottle 20 years ago.
I believe there are much better options. I believe that there are other coaches who have shown the ability to win elsewhere, who can bring new vibrancy and vision to Rutgers, and have new success here, without all the risk that a Schiano retread would bring. And if none of those coaches are out there, then we can fall back to rehiring Schiano. But he should be one of our last choices, not the first choice.