highest-paid coach in the Big East. In December 2007, the Star-Ledger reported that Schiano spoke with University of Michigan athletic director Bill Martin "for quite a while" on December 5 about the head-coaching vacancy at the school. Two days later, he withdrew his name from consideration and remained Rutgers' head coach. In 2008, after a bad start, his Knights ended up 8–5 with their fourth straight bowl bid. Schiano's name once again came up in general speculation about the Miami head coaching position in 2010, after the firing of Randy Shannon. The Schiano Proposal In 2011, after Eric LeGrand was paralyzed during a kickoff, Schiano came up with an idea for eliminating kickoffs from football, replacing them with a punt, which is less likely to cause serious injury to the players. Under his proposal, the team would start from their own 30 (or 35) yard line and have the choice of either punting the ball or, in lieu of an onside kick, face the equivalent of a 4th down and 15. As of 2020, neither the NFL nor NCAA has seriously considered this proposal. Sportswriter Jon Bois has been an advocate for the proposal, saying "it's simple, obvious, less dangerous, and more fun". Head coaching record College *Rutgers received a Gator Bowl invite due to Texas A&M’s COVID opt out, despite their losing record in 2021. NFL References External links Rutgers profile 1966 births Living people American football linebackers Bucknell Bison football players Chicago Bears coaches Miami Hurricanes football coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches Rutgers Scarlet Knights football coaches Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaches High school football coaches in New Jersey Ramapo High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Wyckoff, New Jersey Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey Coaches of American football from New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey