By Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Roughly five hours after he received official word that Greg Schiano was relinquishing his Rutgers football head-coaching post to accept the same position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tim Pernetti stood before dozens of media members to discuss how it all went down.

"This thing moved a lot faster than a lot quicker than people expected it to,'' the former Rutgers Athletics Director said on Jan. 26, 2012. "I think it moved very, very quickly. In my mind, it was absolutely handled the right way by Coach (Schiano) and the people he was working with.''

Don't Edit

The Star-Ledger file photo

A day later, Schiano offered his explanation for why he left Rutgers for the NFL.

"I can tell you when all those other opportunities came up, it didn’t feel right. This felt right,'' said Schiano, who had previously stiff-armed overtures to leave his home state to take over Miami and Michigan. "You know I’m a man of prayer. I prayed about it. I thought about it. I did everything I could within myself and this felt right.''

Don't Edit

It's not an overstatement to say Schiano's abrupt departure from Rutgers changed the program's trajectory. After morphing from a perennial Big East doormat into a program that had won bowl games in five of his final six seasons, Rutgers would win a share of the conference title the following season under Kyle Flood thanks to a veteran-laden squad that included a half-dozen NFL Draft picks.

But two losing campaigns in three years and numerous off-field issues that would eventually result in a series of sanctions and a two-year probation from the NCAA cost Flood his job following the 2015 season.

Don't Edit

The Scarlet Knights are now in their second season under Chris Ash, who faces an uphill climb as he tries to get Rutgers back to respectability. One year after finishing 2-10 in Ash's first season, Rutgers is 1-3 heading into a clash with No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday (7:30 p.m., BTN) at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Schiano, who took over for Ash as Ohio State's defensive coordinator after getting fired by Tampa Bay after just two seasons, will be back at Rutgers for the first time since relinquishing his post following an 11-year run on the banks of the Raritan.

“My family and I loved my time at Rutgers and owe so many people, who sacrificed so much so we could build that program,'' Schiano told NJ Advance Media on Thursday evening.

"I think that’s probably the thing you miss the most, is the people and the fans. We had great fans that I think grew up with the program. We went from being 12,000 people at a game to packing it out and really being a program that nationally people said, ‘Man, what a cool place to play.’ That to me was something that was a dream of mine.''

In addition to speaking to Schiano for a rare interview on his decision to leave Rutgers, NJ Advance Media spoke to nearly a dozen people who helped shape a day unlike any other in school history.

"I look at is all the stuff that he has done — I think this was the worst program in college football (when Schiano took over),'' Pernetti, who declined to be interviewed for this story, said at the Jan. 26, 2012, press conference. "We are at the point where this is a high-profile, attractive job in the No. 1 media market in the country. That has a lot to do with all the work that he has done. I believe those championships are down the road. I've never been more certain of that.''

This is the inside story recapping the day that Schiano had left:

Don't Edit

Rutgers should honor Greg Schiano by kicking his you-know-what

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Typically, Schiano would arrive at the Hale Center — Rutgers' team headquarters — between 6 and 7 a.m. But with National Signing Day six days away, it was believed that Schiano was on the road recruiting. The expectation among many Rutgers officials was Schiano would be headed to central Pennsylvania to attend the funeral services for former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, an influential figure on his way up the coaching ladder, later that day. Unbeknownst to anyone at Rutgers except Pernetti and one other official, talks were heating up between the Buccaneers and Schiano's agent as Schiano checked in for the daily injury report. The timeline picks up around 7 a.m.:

David McCune, Rutgers team trainer: ""We usually went over the injury report pretty early and I remember going through it and he was not paying attention to stuff. Usually he was very direct and questioning everything just to make sure we were on our game (as a training staff). He was distant. I thought something was wrong at home or something, but I just knew he wasn't with it.''

Don't Edit

Schiano was scheduled to be at Don Bosco Prep at 8 a.m., giving his final pitch to Darius Hamilton, New Jersey's top-rated prospect, who was deciding between Rutgers, Florida and Miami. Five Rutgers assistant coaches were in the Ramsey school's gym, waiting for their boss to arrive. He was late. This was the first sign that something was up because the ever-punctual Schiano wasn't picking up his phone.

Greg Toal, who was Don Bosco Prep's head coach at the time: "I had gotten to know the Rutgers coaches from their time coming up here to see our players and we had a good relationship. We thought it was just another recruiting trip.''

Don't Edit

Kevin MacConnell, Rutgers' deputy AD at the time, was one of Schiano's closest confidants and eventually followed him to Tampa Bay. But on the day Schiano left, the man affectionately known as "K-Mac'' was as surprised as anyone. "The night before,'' he says, "Greg was on the road recruiting so we were on the phone hammering out the Signing Day event, who was going, and it was business as usual. There was no inkling whatsoever that something was about to happen.'' Around 9:30 a.m., MacConnell joined the other assistant ADs in a senior staff meeting at the administrative offices in the Rutgers Athletic Center.

MacConnell: "I'm sitting across a table from (media relations/football administrator) Jason Baum and next to Tim Pernetti and they're texting back and forth. And I'm thinking, 'That's weird. Why can't they talk?' Tim is running the meeting, and clearly preoccupied on whatever they're texting about. So finally Tim gets up and says, 'Meeting is over, Mac, come with me to my office with J-Baum.' ''

Jason Baum: "So I think the night before it was reported that Chip Kelly was going to take the Tampa job. And I texted Tim that night, 'Operation Glazer (the Bucs owner) looks like it's not going to go through.' So I was all excited. I knew Greg was interviewing in Tampa and Tim told me to keep an eye on everything. So when I saw it looked like they were hiring Chip Kelly, I said, 'Great, looks like we'll have Greg back.' And then the next morning when it blew up (with Kelly) I was like, 'Oh boy.' I betcha Greg is going to be in play here.' ''

Don't Edit

Rutgers' Greg Schiano finalist for Bucs job @Dareksharp w/620 WDAE reports then confirmed by NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora — Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 26, 2012

Around 9:30 a.m., Darek Sharp, a reporter for WDAE 620-AM in Tampa, first reported that Schiano was a candidate for the Bucs job.

Sharp: "The Bucs really wanted Chip Kelly which, looking back, who knows if that would have been any better. He said no, stayed at Oregon and (the Bucs) were in scramble mode. They wanted someone who was all about discipline, coming off of Raheem Morris, who was way too buddy-buddy with the players. So Schiano fit the bill. I lucked into the scoop. A friend of mine said Schiano was supposed to be at (Don Bosco) for a recruiting visit but no-showed and, according to my friend/source, Schiano was headed to Tampa Bay.''

Baum: "So we're in the senior staff meeting that morning and I got a text from (radio host) Dan Sileo and he says, 'Hey man, I'm hearing Greg's going to be the next coach of the Bucs.' I knew when someone in Tampa media knew that it was done. I told Tim that probably around 9:30, before it broke. And Tim literally called the meeting to an end at that point.''

MacConnell: "We go in Tim's office and he points to the TV and there's Adam Schefter on ESPN, saying Greg is going to be the next head coach in Tampa Bay. And I'm like, 'Oh my God.' ''

Baum: "We went into Tim's office and tried to get (Schiano) people on the phone. People weren't picking up and that's when you knew.''

Don't Edit

Rutgers football memorabilia: A call for you to share your best

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Noah K. Murray | The Star-Ledger file photo

Nearly two hours had elapsed on their recruiting trip at Don Bosco Prep when the Rutgers coaches found out Schiano was reportedly leaving.

Darius Hamilton: "We all found out the same way.''

Toal: "I remember seeing the look on everybody's faces — everyone was kind of shocked. Those guys had wives, kids, so it was a tough time for them. Looking back on it, for the coaches, they were out recruiting and all of a sudden they find out they didn't have a job. That's what makes coaching a difficult situation. Because you could be all set one day and the next day you're gone. It was a trying time for the coaches.''

Don't Edit

Back Rutgers' Hale Center, the majority of the players were either in the locker room preparing for a workout, in the training room, or in the gym for offseason condition.

Gary Nova, then Rutgers' rising sophomore quarterback: "We had just finished a workout actually. I remember one of our receivers, Miles Shuler, was on the treadmill running and I guess it popped up on his TV, 'Greg Schiano in talks for the Tampa Bay job.' So he comes running off, let's everyone know.''

Miles Shuler: "We couldn't believe our eyes. I remember our strength coach, Jay Butler, he was just standing there in shock and was like, 'Guys, I had no clue this was going to happen.' ''

Nova: "The strength staff was panicking, too, because they don't know what the hell is going on. A bunch of people went looking for Coach Schiano, trying to get some answers.''

Scott Vallone, Rutgers' senior defensive tackle: "We were in the locker room getting ready to lift and I remember one of my good friends, 'Beau Bachety, was in the training room and it popped on ESPN. He came in and said, 'Guys, I don't know if you realize this but they're saying Coach is going to Tampa Bay.' And I'm like, 'No way!' There was some buzz in there, and we went to the lift and I saw Jay Butler and asked, 'What the hell is going on?' And he just started laughing because he had no idea either.''

Don't Edit

McCune: I saw in the training room just like everyone else did when they broke in on ESPN. The trainers were like, 'What?' And the players were like, 'No!' Really it was disbelief. People were coming in, 'No way. It can't be happening.' ''

Vallone: "Everyone was completely thrown off guard because, when you look at it, he built it. You never could've imagined Rutgers without Coach Schiano at the time. Because he built the entire program into what it was. You just figured that Coach would want to be the face of the program forever, and I really thought he wanted to be the Joe Paterno of Rutgers, to be there long term. I just remember everyone was really confused, (assistant) coaches included.''

Don't Edit

Khaseem Greene was near McCune when the news broke. The reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year opted not to leave early for the NFL Draft and return for his senior campaign, in part, because he had suffered a serious ankle injury in the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl win.

Greene: "I was in the training room and I remember it coming on the ticker on ESPN. And I was like, 'What the hell? I know it didn't just say Greg Schiano. That ain't real. That can't be real.' It came out of nowhere, man. There were no rumors. We had no idea it was even a potential. I was a little startled because that was my junior going to senior year. And Schiano basically got me to want to come back to school. He got my mother and uncle convinced not to leave for the NFL Draft, telling me, 'You have to come back to school.' So it was kind of startling because he didn't tell us anything.''

Don't Edit

Rutgers vs. Ohio State picks: Is there any formula for an upset?

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Schiano had become a father figure to Eric LeGrand, who leaned on his former coach for support while rehabilitating from a paralyzing injury in a 2010 football game. Fifteen months later, LeGrand was home in Avenel, watching ESPN when the news broke.

LeGrand: "I saw it on SportsCenter that morning. I turned on my TV and it said, "Greg Schiano's going to Tampa and I yelled to my mom and she was like, 'ARRGGHH, screaming!' I was trying to get in contact with him, but we were just in shock.''

Don't Edit

One of LeGrand's partners on Rutgers Football Radio is Chris Carlin, who served as a studio anchor for SNY-TV in New York at the time.

Carlin: "I was sitting at home, just getting ready for the day and our assignment editor from SNY, Lane Feinstein, called me and he said, 'Is it true?' And I didn't know what he was talking about. I asked what was going on, and he said, 'Schiano's going to Tampa Bay?' And I didn't know anything about it, so I turned on ESPN and couldn't believe it.

"So I think my first phone call was to Tim. He didn’t pick up. And then I just called one or two other (Rutgers) people and basically the sense I got was nobody was really saying anything, but they were saying something without saying it. Basically it was ‘you probably should get down there.’ ''

Don't Edit

MacConnell: "I knew Greg was swamped so I texted, 'Let's catch up when you can.' I talked to him probably later that afternoon. I'll never forget my wife called and asked, 'Is Greg leaving.' And I was like, 'Hon, yeah, I haven't spoken with him but it looks like it.' And she goes, 'Well, can we go with him?' And I'm like ... let's slow down.''

Nova: "Maybe an hour later it popped up that he took the job officially. And then everyone was like, ‘Man, let’s get the hell out of here.’ So everyone left the Hale Center. We went to our dorm rooms. Everyone was pretty much saying they were going to transfer and they didn’t want anything to do with this program because Coach Schiano promised he’d never leave. Pretty much it was just chaos. No one knew what was going on. Then I remember the ops guy sent a text saying there was going to be a team meeting.''

McCune: "Everyone was talking about transferring and, of course, that didn't really happen. You know how kids can be, their response is always over-the-edge.''

Don't Edit

Vallone: "We felt good going into that year because obviously we were talented. We blundered ourselves at the end (of 2011) but we felt good about what we had coming back. We had a lot of good seniors. So we were like, 'Let's go to work and whatever happens, happens.' That's how the older guys felt at least. Now there were some younger players that were frustrated because they felt like they had made a leap of faith and I remember some tweets. That was a gut reaction.

"With Coach Schiano, it wasn’t just roses and peachy when you went out to practice. It was tough. You invested your body, your time, your ego, you invested everything you had in that program just to survive. I think some of the younger guys felt they did all that, they bought in and now there was just frustration in the fact that he left and no one had any idea it was going to happen.

"As time went on I think people understood. The guy had an opportunity to coach at the highest level of football and I know financially he did well. I think people came around to that fact, but gut reaction was like, 'We did all this and he left.' I think that was the reaction among the younger players. I don’t think the older players took it as hard. The younger guys definitely did.''

Don't Edit

Big Ten Week 5 picks

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

The Star-Ledger file photo

Shuler: "In the next two hours it was crazy because we just couldn't believe it. We didn't know which direction we were going to go. Coach Schiano was a coach who believed in me as a player. I remember he went as far as to compare me to Santana Moss. I just loved Coach Schiano. He was the main reason why I went to Rutgers. Because I trusted in him, I trusted in his plan, and we did great things with Coach Schiano. He was the foundation for creating a great team, a great defense, a great staff. When he left everything changed — as you guys can see.''

Don't Edit

Greene: "I stayed in the training room, doing treatment, looking at the TV. It threw me off because even though I was injured I had a legit case to shoot for the NFL while I was hot. Me and (Mohamed) Sanu (who left early for the NFL earlier that month), our families talked a lot about leaving or coming back. Schiano convinced my mom and my uncle to convince me to stay in school and get my degree and finish where I started. I ended up doing it and I was like, 'Dang, as soon as I agreed to do that, he jumped ship.' I was upset, man. I was really, really upset.''

Don't Edit

Nova: "That pretty much told me it's strictly a business and you can't take anybody's word at the college level. We had him say he was going to be there for the next 10 years and his kids were growing up there, and that was pretty much the reason why I went to Rutgers. Because my recruiting process, once (Dave) Wannstedt got fired (at Pitt) out of nowhere, what (Schiano) told me in recruiting was he planning to be there for a long time. So when he left it was a shock to pretty much everyone in that recruiting class.''

Don't Edit

Schiano was in the late stages of assembling arguably the best recruiting class in program history. One of the gems of the class was Chris Muller, a four-star offensive lineman from Pennsylvania, who was in his fourth-period high school class when a UConn assistant coach called him.

Muller: "He just told me the news and I didn't believe him. I went on the computer and started researching. I called (Rutgers assistant) Brian Angelicho. I got confirmation from him and they knew just as little as us. It was kind of like, 'Everybody figure it out for themselves.' ''

Don't Edit

Did Rutgers, not Ohio State, start helmet stickers in college football?

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Steve Mitchell | AP Photo

A former Rutgers assistant on staff, who requested anonymity because he's a coach currently with a rival program, put the mood of the recruiting class like this: "Pissed. (Recruits) are calling, texting and it got to the point where I stopped picking up my phone. I never do that. Someone calls and I get right back, but what could I say? I didn't know either.''

Muller: "I called (Schiano) like 50 times. I was an arrogant little kid. I was like, 'Alright, I'm just going to keep calling him until he picks up.' ''

Don't Edit

Schiano pulled up to the Hale Center, parking his red SUV in the parking spot reserved for Rutgers Head Coach shortly before 3 p.m. A few minutes later, the players gathered for a team meeting.

Greene: "I remember that team meeting, it was half-morgue. You saw people who were upset, mad. It was crazy.''

Vallone: "I actually remember him saying, 'I'm sorry it got out like this.' I wanted to be the one to be able to tell you.' I didn't think Coach was full of crap on that. He was a straight shooter. When he said that, I think he truly believed it. Now, whether or not it was realistic or not is a different story. But I do think he wanted to be able to break the news to us. And for it to stay under wraps for as long as it did, that probably proves it.

"He just thanked us for buying in, and it was a very positive meeting. He just left because I don’t think he wanted to get emotional in front of us. He said his peace and he walked out the door. Which was a little strange but I think it was an emotional thing for him just because he had invested so much.''

Don't Edit

Shuler: "It was brief. It was emotional. Coach Schiano had expressed that he loves Rutgers, everyone of us, but he felt it was time for him to go, venture off and create a new legacy. Coach Schiano leaving definitely affected a lot of people, and it affected me a tremendous amount. You can't be mad at him. Did it hurt us? Yeah, it did. Especially our sophomore class.''

Nova: "Coach Schiano came in, said his five-minute speech, cried and left and then I saw him when we played South Florida (in 2012) and I never seen and spoken to him since then.''

Don't Edit

Schiano didn't deny it was an emotional meeting when pressed on his recollections of the day Thursday night:

Schiano: "It was the hardest thing that I probably had to do because I loved those kids. I would've never been able to go to another school from Rutgers. But I think our players understood because it's where they were aspiring to get to as well.''

Don't Edit

Ohio State at a glance

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

The Star-Ledger file photo

Three hours after multiple media outlets confirmed Schiano's departure, a press conference with Pernetti was scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Carlin: "It was cold and rainy and just a crummy day and by the time I got down there I had spoken to Tim, who said it was happening, (Schiano's) going. The story had been out there that he had taken the job at that point. So I just went on the air and confirmed it was happening. It was just a very weird vibe. I was in the lobby in the Hale Center. Nobody could get upstairs and nobody was saying anything. Everybody was sitting around all day waiting to see if Greg was going to come out to speak.''

Don't Edit

Inside the Rutgers team-meeting room, Pernetti was the only Rutgers official to address the media. The Rutgers AD insisted he wasn't blindsided, telling the media that he knew the potential was there for Schiano to leave "for about a week.''

Pernetti (at the press conference): "It is rare that I am asleep before 11 o'clock at night, but Coach (Schiano) did leave a message last night. We did have regular dialogue about this throughout. I know that he was out recruiting late last night. (I got the message) after 11 o'clock. I was asleep. We spoke this morning at about 9: 30 (a.m.) and we continued to speak throughout the morning. He informed me before 12 noon that he was going to take the job. We met over here (at the Hale Center) about an hour later and started to talk about a variety of different things. We were going to meet with the team, meet with the coaching staff, the administrators that support football, academic and otherwise. ... It was a chaotic day. Needless to say, I think some of this stuff got out through channels of media in Tampa and it started to spiral out of control. The goal was to be able to sit down with the team and talk with the team before anything made it out. Unfortunately, it didn't play out that way. We worked with it as best we could.''

Don't Edit

After going dark for much of the day, Schiano turned his cell phone on after the team meeting.

Muller: "He finally picked up and I talked to him and I just wished him luck. He didn't have to explain anything.''

LeGrand: "I reached out to him and I believe he got back to me later that day. No question I was upset to see him leave. But after talking to him I understood. He got a job to coach in the NFL, and only 32 people can say that. I understood him wanting to take a chance and grow in his career and try the NFL out.''

MacConnell: "I didn't know. And when I talked to him he was like, "Mac, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was just crazy the way it all went down.' I was like, 'Greg, you have nothing to apologize about.''

Don't Edit

Following Schiano's address to the team, Rutgers' team captains called for a players-only meeting.

Shuler: "Everybody was talking about how we gotta stick together and no one is going to leave. We have to stick together because we have a special team.''

Greene: "It was a simple but needed meeting. It was basically just using banding together, walking the younger guys through it and telling them it's definitely a business. This type of stuff happens. It doesn't matter who's coaching us. We're brothers no matter what. We're on the field together as brothers. All the coaches, they guide us and try to put us in the best positions to win but at the end of the day it's all about us anyway. It was a good and productive meeting.''

Don't Edit

Big Ten recruiting rankings

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Pernetti tapped Kyle Flood, a longtime offensive line coach under Schiano, as Rutgers' interim head coach. He also assured the Rutgers fan base and recruits that he hoped to have a new coach in place before Signing Day in six days. "Any AD worth whatever his university pays,'' Pernetti said, "has a list in his pocket at all times.'' After the presser, Pernetti did a few one-on-one interviews with the media. I pressed for a shortlist, showing him my notepad with six names, including then-FIU coach Mario Cristobal and then-Temple coach Steve Addazio. Pernetti took my notepad, scratched one name off and said, "Good list.''

MacConnell: "Tim just got the ball rolling immediately. Obviously Mario was one of them. We ended up visiting with Mario Cristobal down in Florida.''

Industry source: "I don't want to be quoted on this but when the university gave Pernetti the salary range, I knew Rutgers was in trouble. Greg was north of $2 million and they went in at $1.4. Where Greg was at, we weren't coming close to that. The university had a big issue with a coach making $2 million and they were sensitive to it, which is a shame. There was good interest from coaches, not at Greg's level, but it wouldn't have been a dramatic step down if they continued paying $2 million.''

Don't Edit

Because Rutgers had a veteran-laden team that was built to contend for a Big East title in 2012, Pernetti leaned on the seniors for counsel.

Greene: "Tim Pernetti was very hands on with us, asking what we thought. He told us that they were in the process to get a coach as fast as they could. They were really in-tuned with us, made us feel good and it helped us convince some of the younger guys who were ready to transfer.''

Vallone: "I did call Coach Pernetti — and a lot of guys did — in support of Coach Flood. I think the reason why we wanted Coach Flood in — and it was selfish — it wasn't for the benefit of the program; it was the benefit for the team that was there, knowing all the seniors that we had, knowing all the talent that we had, we were built to win now. And to be able to minimize the turnover and the amount of transition I thought the best opportunity was for us to have Coach Flood as the coach. That was the overwhelming consensus.''

Greene: "I know for me, personally, there was no doubt in my mind. I had personal conversations with Tim and I'm sure other guys told him, too. 'We want to play for somebody who's been here already, who knows the program, knows the system, knows our characteristics and what we're about.' We didn't want a new guy to come in and change everything. It might've been easier on the younger guys, but the older guys in that class we knew this was our last go-around so we really felt the need to have someone who knew the program inside and out. We all believed in Coach Flood.''

Don't Edit

Nova: "I remember Tim Pernetti put Coach Flood in charge (as interim coach), and there was a divide in the team. Because (offensive coordinator) Coach (Frank) Cignetti wanted to be the head coach, and he was calling me, trying to get me to vouch for him and get guys to put in a word with Tim Pernetti. Because he knew Tim Pernetti was kind of leaning on the senior class for who they wanted.

"So (Cignetti) was trying to get me to talk to Khaseem Greene, and Tim Wright and all the older guys, get him in his corner. It was just a weird time. You had a coach calling me, “How’s the feel of the team?’ Are you guys fond of me?’ And I’m just like, ‘Man, I don’t know. I think everyone likes you but I don’t know what’s going on.’ ''

Derrick Nelson, a former Rutgers center who was a recruit at the time: "I was just hoping that Coach Flood got the head coaching job because I believed in what he was going to do for the program and he'd keep it on the same path.''

Vallone: "I remember Pernetti asking, 'Well, what's the drawback of Flood being the head coach? And I said, 'Well, he's never been a head coach before.' He was like, 'Exactly. We have a decision to make but I appreciate you calling and caring and once we know, we'll let you know.' ''

Nova: "I always say this: Huge credit to Tim Pernetti because I think he handled it the best way he could've handled it. He constantly kept communications with the team, he was constantly updating the seniors and taking their word. And in the end he hired a guy in Coach Flood who everyone was comfortable with. He pretty much made it a seamless transition through all the madness that happened.''

Don't Edit

Before serving as Rutgers AD, Pernetti was a radio partner with Carlin for Scarlet Knights football games. The two remain close friends to this day.

Carlin: "I had a lot of faith in Tim because he seemed to have a good plan right away. He seemed to know what he was doing and Mario was one of them certainly. I did know that Kyle certainly wasn't first on the list. But he blew Tim away in the interview.''

Don't Edit

Ohio State's Urban Meyer on Rutgers: 'Most improved defense I've seen'

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After dealing with the media, Rutgers' most decorated defensive player was among the last Rutgers players to leave the Hale Center.

Greene: "I left evening time and the funny thing was I called my family, wondering if there was a way I could leave. But then I thought, 'I really loved Rutgers, the school, the professors I knew, my classmates, my brothers in football. Everything about college was great for me. So it was hard for me to leave. I was a little confused, still in shock. It was an unclear moment for what would come in the future.''

Don't Edit

Carlin left the Hale Center admittedly was ticked off that Schiano didn't address the media in the press conference. But, more than anything, he was reflective on the impact Schiano made on the Rutgers program.

Carlin: "I remember leaving thinking, as a guy that had been around it for the 11 years that Greg had been there, being bummed out but also thinking, 'Geez, think about the fact that this guy turned down Miami, Michigan, Tennessee when he was there. And it took an NFL job for him to leave Rutgers. Greg had elevated that job. He had taken Rutgers from a stepping-stone job to something else altogether. Nobody is ever going to blame you if you leave for an NFL head-coaching job. Just the fact that he had stayed really spoke volumes.''

Don't Edit

Reporters staked out the Hale Center late that evening, waiting by Schiano's SUV. The architect of Rutgers' rise from the dregs of college football left the building, walking past a pair of reporters and straight into a media trailer set in the back of the parking lot. Looking weary and admittedly emotional because he couldn't pay the Paterno family his respects at the funeral, Schiano sat down on a black leather sofa. He offered a brief statement, but this was anything but a formal press conference. It was more conversational.

Schiano (that night): "I've had several opportunities over the years — some of them you know about, some of them you don't know about — and none of them felt right. This time, this one felt right.''

Don't Edit

Schiano left the media trailer and walked back to the Hale Center just before 8 p.m. Steve Politi, The Star-Ledger columnist, painted the picture beautifully in his column.

Politi: "It was raining and cold, and in 17 hours, he had to be in Tampa to begin his new life as an NFL head coach with the Buccaneers. But there, resting in a puddle, was a piece of trash. Schiano couldn't let it stay there, even now, even on this day. He bent over and picked it up, taking it with him inside to throw away.''

Don't Edit

RU-Ohio State: 7 things to know

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

I left the Hale Center after filing my fourth story of the day for the Gannett New Jersey newspaper group around 11 p.m. The next day I was at Newark Airport at 5 a.m., checking in for an early-morning flight to Tampa. Politi — a competitor at the time — greeted me at the gate. We flew to Tampa, ate at a Denny's and then went to 1 Buc Place for a 2 p.m. Schiano press conference. Twenty minutes into a 22-minute press conference, I asked Schiano about his unfinished business at Rutgers. From the podium, Schiano greeted me with a "Hey Sarge'' salute.

Schiano: "Unfinished business? I wish we could have won the National Championship at Rutgers, no doubt. But they will. I'm confident. Tim will hire the right guy. We have great players in that program right now. More importantly, great people. I said to Tim before I left: 'I can't wait to see Rutgers win a National Championship and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl. That'll make me as happy as any man walking.''

Don't Edit

Ironically, Schiano returned to Rutgers with his family a day after the press conference in Tampa.

Schiano (Thursday night): "After I told the team I was no longer the coach at Rutgers, I was no longer the coach. So it was weird for me, going in and getting all my stuff, getting the office cleaned out. That was hard.

"The biggest thing for me was my kids and my players. My kids, all they knew was Rutgers. That’s where they grew up.

"It wasn’t a no-brainer by any means.''

Don't Edit

Video by Matthew Hladik | YouTube.com

Don't Edit

ABC Action News | YouTube.com

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

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