Greg Schiano was attending a Big Ten meeting in mid-May when the long-awaited decision came down.
Rutgers had concluded a months-long search for its next president by poaching William Tate from LSU, choosing him to succeed outgoing president Jonathan Holloway at the start of July.
In the midst of a chaotic month filled with wins on the recruiting trail, Schiano has not been able to connect with Tate in person. But the two have touched base on the phone, and the Scarlet Knights’ football coach is anxious to “work together” with the university’s new leader.
“I think he can be a huge assistance moving forward in a lot of different ways,” Schiano said Monday ahead of his annual charity golf outing at Fiddler’s Elbow.
Schiano said it is “very encouraging” that Tate — who SEC kingmaker Paul Finebaum called “the most dynamic president" he has ever spoken to — was heavily involved with athletics during his time with the Tigers.
“Not just that he comes from the SEC, but if you look at his whole career, he’s a sports enthusiast, he’s led great universities,” Schiano said. “But again, I think Rutgers is trending in the right direction in a lot of different ways.”
Schiano believes that Tate will help Rutgers “continue on that trajectory,” both on the field and in the classroom.
“We’re trying to strive to be a top university in the country, and we’re getting there,” Schiano said. “I don’t know how much rankings mean, but all I see is Rutgers’ ranking going up and up and up. That’s a great thing. I always talk about it to all the families and all the recruits: The Big Ten to me is the intersection of elite academics and elite football.”
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.