A Thanksgiving miracle might be possible for Rutgers.

There is a growing hope that Greg Schiano’s return as head football coach can be salvaged, several individuals with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday.

The news was first reported on NJ.com’s Rutgers Sports Insider.

Call it an RU-turn: Schiano is willing to return to the negotiating table and still has interest in the position, those close to him say. And top Rutgers officials are entertaining the possibility of re-engaging Schiano while under immense pressure from boosters, fans and politicians, according to the individuals – all of whom were granted anonymity to speak freely.

If Rutgers and Schiano renew talks, it will mark the latest turn in what has been a wild four days following the collapse Sunday of a deal many believed was a done deal.

Since then, Rutgers athletics director Pat Hobbs, university president Robert Barchi, athletics committee chairman Greg Brown and the 14-person Board of Governors have become the targets of exasperated fans.

Prominent boosters publicly have called for Hobbs’ firing. Other top donors have threatened to withhold planned and future pledges. Many season-ticket holders and rank-and-file fans also have called for Hobbs’ firing and Schiano’s return. To all of them, Hobbs is seen as the villain who didn’t want Schiano in the first place, had to be convinced to interview him and them sabotaged the negotiations by painting Schiano as greedy.

The failed courtship has sparked intense interest in Trenton, with Gov. Phil Murphy’s intervening while two former governors, Chris Christie and Richard Codey, publicly spar over Schiano.

What a deal between Rutgers and Schiano would look like is unclear. Talks collapsed when Hobbs balked at a counteroffer by Schiano for an eight-year, $32-million fully guaranteed contract that included unlimited use of a private jet for all university business, and a facilities guarantee that would allow Schiano to leave Rutgers without a buyout penalty if the school does not meet certain deadlines for a new football-only structure.

Hobbs never brought the counteroffer to the BOG or counseled top donors on it, according to several people with knowledge of the negotiations. Since talks broke down, several top donors have indicated they would be willing to privately finance Schiano’s travel needs, as they have done in the past for former football coach Chris Ash and current men’s basketball coach Steve Pikiell.

Schiano acquiesced on several requests before talks fractured, according to sources, but it is unclear whether the escape clause linked to the new facilities was one of them.

Ray Lesniak, a former state senator from Union who left office last year, has been an influential figure in Rutgers’ recent facility upgrades. A season-ticket holder for Rutgers games for nearly two decades, Lesniak attended the Rutgers men’s basketball game Tuesday night and said he realized the gravity of the situation.

“Everybody’s hope was built up and then (Schiano) was jilted, which really lost the fan base and the big-money donor base,’’ Lesniak said. “The only way to get them back is to bring Schiano back to the negotiating table and get this done. That would be a great thing. Everybody checks their egos at the door. And let’s jumpstart this program.’’

Lesniak said he’s been in contact with “key players that can make this happen’’ but stopped short of saying he believes the Rutgers-Schiano deal will get done.

“I’m not ready to be optimistic yet, but I do not believe it’s over," Lesniak said. “It can get done."

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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.

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