The push to bring Greg Schiano back to Rutgers now includes the state’s top elected official.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently spoke to the former Scarlet Knights coach, NJ Advance Media has learned, amidst Rutgers’ effort to clear what is believed to be the last remaining hurdle between a reunion with Schiano and agree on a plan to update the football program’s facilities.

A person familiar with Murphy’s actions said the governor discussed the opening with Schiano in recent days. A Murphy spokesman declined comment on the call. News of the call and the state of the search was first reported on Rutgers Sports Insider.

Dialogue between Murphy and Schiano is noteworthy considering Rutgers, a state university that derives about 22% of its operating budget from state appropriations, will presumably need support from Trenton in order to begin its next phase of facility upgrades — the final issue that needs to be ironed out in order to finalize Schiano’s return, according to several people with knowledge of the process.

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Schiano and the university are on the same page when it comes to his contract and other facets of a deal, according to the persons. But the two sides are still hammering out infrastructure details Schiano has laid out as a requirement for him to sign on for a second stint at the helm of the Scarlet Knights. Schiano is seeking a written commitment from Rutgers to construct a new football-only facility, which would replace the team’s current Hale Center headquarters, as well as an indoor practice facility to replace the current practice bubble. Rutgers is receptive to Schiano’s wish list but has not yet finalized its commitment.

Rutgers’ $100 million Big Ten Build campaign was kickstarted by legislation — introduced by former state Sen. Raymond Lesniak and signed into law by former Gov. Chris Christie in January 2016 — that provided $25 million in tax credits for the recently opened RWJ Barnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, a $115 million practice facility that houses the wrestling, gymnastics and men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Talks remain underway between Rutgers and Schiano. It is possible an agreement could be reached sometime this week. But a formal announcement prior to Saturday’s home game against No. 2-ranked Ohio State is unlikely at this point, according to the persons.

Once Rutgers and Schiano reach an agreement, the Board of Governors’ athletics committee will need to recommend his hire to the full board. The BOG will then need to call an emergency meeting to approve the contract. The BOG must provide 48 hours public notice before convening such a meeting. The athletics committee met last week, but it is not clear if it has formally recommended Schiano’s hire yet. Since it is a consulting committee, its meetings are not open to the public.

Schiano met with Rutgers athletics director Pat Hobbs and athletics committee chairman Greg Brown on Nov. 5 in Columbus, Ohio. The summit represented the first formal contact between Rutgers and its former coach since it fired Chris Ash in late September.

Schiano, 53, built the Rutgers football program into a frequent bowl participant before leaving for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in early 2012 following an 11-year run from 2001-11. 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.

Rutgers went 68-67 under Schiano, but that record is deceiving. The Ramapo High product inherited arguably the nation’s worst program when he was hired. The Scarlet Knights had four straight losing seasons to begin his tenure but broke through to appear in the program’s second-ever bowl game in 2005, his fifth year.

Rutgers then had a breakthrough 2006, going 11-2 and finishing the year ranked No. 12 in the nation after an iconic home upset of Louisville during the regular season and the school’s first-ever postseason win in the Texas Bowl.

Schiano took Rutgers to six bowl games in his final seven seasons, winning five of them, with a record of 56-33 during that span.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson 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.