As the whirl of activity buzzed around him at a recent Ohio State practice, Greg Schiano paced through the noise with a preternatural calm. Glasses propped professorially at the bridge of his nose and flecks of grey hair peeking past his temples, Schiano cuts the mold of a veteran coach comfortable amid all the noise. Entering his second year in Urban Meyer’s operation in Columbus and with a breadth of experience that includes resuscitating Rutgers from a century of irrelevancy and two seasons as an NFL head coach, Schiano ranks as the most overqualified assistant coach in the country.

Schiano, 51, enters his first season as the sole defensive coordinator at Ohio State after co-coordinator Luke Fickell left for the head job at Cincinnati last spring. Schiano has made the transition back to being an assistant seamlessly, earning raves from Meyer as one of the best coaches he’s been around.

It’s appropriate that news of Schiano turning down two significant coaching offers came from Meyer at Big Ten media days, long after the coaching carousel stopped spinning. Schiano himself has max protection from media attention since arriving in Columbus. (He declined comment for this article.) With Schiano’s twin sons set to finish high school, expect Schiano to be more active in the coaching market after the 2017 season.

Schiano presents an interesting coaching case, as he’s seen just about everything. He worked as an assistant at Penn State for Joe Paterno and coached elite defensive players at Miami under Butch Davis. He went 1-11 at Rutgers in 2002 and then 11-2 in 2006, sweeping all of the major national coach of the year trophies. In Tampa, he went 7-9 during his promising debut season before flaming out with a 4-12 clunker that included complaints of an autocratic style. Along the way, he’s become a confidant of Bill Belichick, spending a lot of time in New England studying his operation. (Belichick’s son, Stephen Belichick, played for Schiano at Rutgers, and New England’s roster has been flush with former Scarlet Knights over the years).

Glance around the country at potential coaching candidates, and the pool lacks a plethora of obvious choices. There’s clearly no college assistant with a better résumé than Schiano. In his two years off in 2014 and 2015, Schiano did a good job networking with potential suitors. “I think going to work for Urban was a very smart step for him,” said a veteran athletic director familiar with Schiano. “I think he’s done a good job of re-branding who he is. The exposure most of us have had with him, he’s coming from a humble approach and a genuine recognition of where his strengths were that allowed him success. But he also recognizes areas he could improve. His perceived shortcomings will be stronger in the future.”

Meyer has been beyond effusive in his praise for Schiano. Meyer and Schiano’s friendship goes back to Nike coaching trips, where they and their wives gravitated to each other. Since arriving in Columbus, he’s embraced the role of chief lieutenant, recruiting with the fervor of a recently promoted graduate assistant and blending with a staff full of successful veteran coaches. Since arriving in Columbus, the results have been there, as the Buckeyes finished No. 10 in forced turnovers forced last year, a leap from No. 59 in 2015. Ohio State’s three first-round NFL picks in the secondary last year were the most since Miami in 2002. Ohio State boasts a defensive line flush with talent this year, as three defensive ends and a tackle could end up as first-round NFL picks. “I thought he was one of the best I’ve ever been around,” Meyer said at Big Ten media days. “He’s a little better than that. That’s how good of a coach he is.”

View photos Greg Schiano has been around plenty of great defensive lines — but the one he has at Ohio State may be his most talented yet. (Getty) More

The question about Schiano’s next move is a tricky one. His years in college and time in the NFL taught him the importance of alignment, which will be paramount in his next stop. Expect Schiano to go after a job only at a program capable of winning the national title, similar to programs like Southern California and Miami that he’s been involved with the past few seasons. That standard could limit his options this year, as the high-end job market projects to be slow. The NFL could also be an option. Recent NFL head coaching hires – Anthony Lynn, Sean McVay, Sean McDermott – have shown that there’s not exactly boundless high-end candidates available in that league. There’s also a possibility he could go to the league as a high-end assistant, as he’s turned down similar opportunities in the past. (The NFL assistant coaching market has evolved to the point where top coordinators make $2 million per year.)

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