Rutgers football’s 150th anniversary week may be highlighted by the biggest homecoming in program history.

A meeting between Rutgers officials and Greg Schiano is imminent, several high-level donors told NJ Advance Media on Sunday night, and there is a belief that barring a snag in the process, the Scarlet Knights’ coaching search is trending toward a return for the former head coach.

Schiano’s hire could potentially come by Wednesday’s sesquicentennial date marking the first-ever college football game between Rutgers and Princeton. It is a reunion that would thrill many of the program’s former players and diehard fans while providing the athletic department with a much-needed change in narrative following a difficult week.

The news was first reported on Rutgers Sports Insider.

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Here is what is known as of Sunday evening, according to multiple persons who spoke with NJ Advance Media on the condition of anonymity:

Schiano and Rutgers officials, including athletics director Pat Hobbs, have not met formally for an interview. It is believed that the two sides have spoken regularly through back channels since former head coach Chris Ash was fired

While Schiano has not given a clear signal publicly whether he wants the job or not, dozens of prominent boosters, former players and New Jersey high school coaches have reached out to Hobbs express support for his candidacy.

Rutgers’ interview with former Tennessee coach Butch Jones last Friday in Chicago went well, according to two persons with knowledge of both camps. Jones remains in the mix and could be the fallback option if Rutgers and Schiano cannot agree to a reunion.

There is a strong sense, according to top-level boosters, Rutgers would like to capitalize on the historic commemoration and national attention that will come with the 150th anniversary , as well as the fact the team has an open date.

Schiano, 53, built the Rutgers football program into a perennial bowl participant before leaving for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011 following an 11-year run. He spent three seasons as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator and then had a brief stint in the same role with the New England Patriots earlier this year before electing to take the season off.

The Scarlet Knights haven’t been to a bowl game since 2014, and Schiano is the heavy favorite among fans polled by NJ Advance Media on the search in recent weeks. From 2005 through 2011, Schiano led the Scarlet Knights to bowl games in six of seven seasons and compiled a 56-33 (.629) record during that span while producing dozens of NFL players.

Hobbs and a contingent of Rutgers officials met with Jones previously in what was believed to be the first interview with a candidate since Ash was fired on Sept. 28.

Like Schiano, Jones, 51, has Rutgers ties. He served as a graduate assistant for the Scarlet Knights under Doug Graber in the early 1990s. Jones, who currently serves as an offensive analyst for national power Alabama, was the head coach at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Tennessee, compiling an 84-54 (.609) record and winning four of the six bowl games he coached in from 2007-17.

Schiano declined to address the Rutgers vacancy in a recent interview with NJ Advance Media prior to introducing longtime Star-Ledger columnist Jerry Izenberg in a New Jersey Hall of Fame induction speech.

“Well, tonight is all about Jerry," Schiano said when asked if he is interested in the job. "That’s why I’m here, and I’m going to stick to that. It’s great to be back to back in New Jersey. I haven’t been back in Asbury Park for 15 years. It’s cool to see what’s going on here. It’s going to be a great night.”

(NJ Advance Media’s Todderick Hunt contributed to this report.)

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James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.