Rutgers has a job opening and, with plenty of time to fill the position, AD Pat Hobbs is spending his time wisely: reaching out to all the key constituencies that this pivotal upcoming hire will touch.
Some groups always get a say in a head football coaching hire -- the president and board of regents, the big-money donors -- but one group with the power to make or break a hire is often shut out: high school coaches.
According to NJ.com, Hobbs has quietly polled a number of high school coaches from around New Jersey. While opinions on individual coaches will vary, the coaches are in unanimous agreement on two factors:
-- the new coach has to be an established name that will resonate to players and coaches across the state
-- the new coach has to prioritize all New Jersey high schools, not just the top of the food chain
“Rutgers is 15 minutes away and it’s been seven, eight years since a Rutgers coach walked into my building,” Bernards head coach Jon Simoneau told the site. “When Greg was there, I got that coach. A coach came in. I told coaches I didn’t have anybody, and they just said, ‘Let me shake your hand, say hi. You got anyone in town? Maybe an eighth-grader’s name? Anyone you saw?’”
While the coaches reached by NJ.com didn't come out and say Rutgers should re-hire Greg Schiano, they did pretty much imply the next coach, Schiano or not, should imitate everything he did while in scarlet.
“Honestly, I think it’s one of the most crucial hires they’ve had in the history of the school," St. Joseph's coach Augie Hoffmann said. “There are the obvious names that are floating around, and for me, the common denominator is Jersey guys. I think that’s very important. The formula that they had when they had success has not worked since Greg left.”