Ever since Greg Schiano took over the Rutgers football program, only one name has leaked for the vacant offensive coordinator position. The candidate is Oklahoma State offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, Sean Gleeson.

After the Cowboy's 24-21 Texas Bowl loss to Texas A&M on Friday, Gleeson was asked to comment on the rumor that he is a candidate for the Rutgers job. Scott Wright of the Oklahoman published Gleeson’s reply.

“If the amount of time that I spent in that locker room with the kids is any indication, you know I’m with these guys right now,” Gleeson said. “I want to reward these seniors for all the hard work that they've provided this program and talk about the promise of this team going into the future. It’s not really something where I want to talk about me right now. It’s not about me, I don’t want to take away anything from these kids.”

The response did nothing to stop fan speculation on the Scarlet Nation Round Table forum and elsewhere that he is indeed a candidate for the Rutgers offensive coordinator position.

This afternoon’s game concluded Gleeson’s first season as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator. According to Wright, the team averaged 32.5 points and 435.9 yards per game. The yards were spread nicely, with 2,985 coming on the ground and 2,916 in the air.

Gleeson came to Oklahoma State via Princeton, where he served in the same capacities for the Tigers during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Gleeson’s Princeton squad went undefeated in 2018. According to his Oklahoma State bio, his 2018 Princeton offense led the FCS in scoring with 47 points per game. The Tigers also ranked in the top 10 nationally in total offense (#2 with 536.8 yards per game), rushing offense (#6 with 295.5 yards per game), third down conversion percentage (#2 at 53.4%) and pass efficiency (#7 at 161.26). Princeton set an Ivy League record with 470 total points scored.

Don’t sleep on Ivy League Offensive Schemes!



Princeton running a Bash QB Buck Sweep to the Boundary Nub TE



?? Bash (Back Away) to the Trips Side



?? Buck Sweep back to the Nub TE Side pic.twitter.com/LIrrvcyfYu — Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 2, 2018

With some glaring holes in its offense, Rutgers needs an offensive coordinator that can adjust to its personnel. Gleeson was able to do that at Princeton, as evidenced by his use of the quarterback position during his two-year stint as coordinator. In 2017, pro-style quarterback Chad Kanoff earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year honors by setting the Ivy League single-season record of 3,474 passing yards. A year later, dual threat quarterback John Lovett was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 203.7 yards and rushing for 99.3 yards per game. He ranked second in the league in both categories.

When hired by Oklahoma State last year, 247Sports.com affiliate GoPokes analyzed Gleeson’s body of work at Princeton and concluded the following:

“When you watch video of the Princeton offense coordinated by Oklahoma State's new offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson, you see plenty of zone concepts, inside and outside zone and zone read with the quarterback option. You see powers, sweeps, counters, and in short, the passing game has elements of what Oklahoma State has done, like his predecessor Mike Yurcich, Gleeson likes the quick game and he adds a certain element to it that looks like a mix of former Pitt and LSU offensive coordinator Matt Canada and Yurcich with quick game off the jet motion. He has his quarterback throw verticals and counters the multiple receiver side sometimes with shallow cross from the single receiver.”

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Heading into the 2019 season, Gleeson gave Oklahoma State fans a little preview of what they could expect from his offense.

"The three things that our guys are going to be nauseous hearing from me every single day is that we want to be fast, physical and hungry,” said Gleeson in an interview with the media. “I think you will see that come out as it relates to the no huddle, the way that we compete. And I still think that football is about moving people against their will, so there should be a physicality - an east coast physicality - to what we are doing. And then the motivational stuff - having some hunger - is really important to me in this game. So I hope those three things come out - fast, physical and hungry.”

Greg Schiano currently has three coaches on staff: Nunzio Campanile, Fran Brown and Jim Panagos. The trio were able to help Schiano salvage the 2020 recruiting class, improving the Scarlet Knights’ ranking from a low in the 120’s to its current position of #60. With the second signing period opening on February 5, there is still time - and room on the roster - for improvement.

The end of bowl season should signal the next round of staff hiring for college programs across the country. That’s good news for Rutgers fans, who are eagerly anticipating the completion of Schiano’s staff.