Greg Schiano has the type of resume that would lead one to believe that he can be a head coach again sometime in the future, whether or not that's in college football or in the NFL.
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Schiano, who's 51 years old, was the head coach at Rutgers from 2001-2011 where he amassed a 68-67 overall record. As average as that looks, keep in mind that he did go 5-1 in bowl games. Schiano went from Rutgers straight to the NFL, where he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 and 2013 NFL seasons. He went 11-21 in two seasons with Tampa Bay before being fired for not living up to the organization's expectations.
For many coaches that would seem like a low point and potentially a turning point in a career, and perhaps for Schiano, it was. He took two seasons off from coaching after his failed NFL stint before joining Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
But all of a sudden he's back on track.
Schiano joined the Buckeyes as defensive coordinator and associate head coach, but it was his defense that made noise in 2016. That unit was one of the best in the country last season. OSU finished No. 6 nationally in total defense, No. 7 in passing defense and No. 3 in scoring defense, with 22 touchdowns scored as a unit.
The Buckeyes were turnover machines — in a good way — stealing 21 interceptions for seven touchdowns and notching six fumbles recovered.
OSU's defense was so good, in fact, that it got Schiano back on the head coaching hot list. According to Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, Schiano has actually turned down some opportunities. Here's what he said, per NJ.com:
"He was offered two head coaching jobs — two significant head coaching jobs — and he made a decision to come back," Meyer said when asked by NJ Advance Media. "I've known Greg for a long time — and he's a head coach. He will be a head coach (again)."
That's a huge vote of confidence from Schiano because more than likely Meyer will end up going down as an all-time great college coach. He certainly knows what he's talking about, and at this point of his career, he's likely good enough at finding talent in coaches as he is in finding talent on the recruiting trail.
It says a lot about Schiano that he got a few head coaching looks just a year into his latest career revival, but it also says a lot about Ohio State that he was willing to stay on as an assistant — even a high powered one. He obviously feels that he's a season or two away from winning a national championship at Ohio State, and that's hard to argue.
It's also hard to argue what a title win would do to his already red hot resume.
(H/T Eleven Warriors)
