Not much of a secret, was it?

Thanks to an intrepid poster on the NJO forums…

SPORTSPlan: Boost in salary covered by boosters MATTHEW FUTTERMANSTAR-LEDGER STAFF743 words5 December 2006The Star-LedgerFINAL59English(c) 2006 The Star-Ledger. All rights reserved.

Here come the boosters.

The minute state Senate President Richard Codey got off the phone with Rutgers’ head football coach last Friday, he knew what was going to happen.

Greg Schiano was going to stay at Rutgers instead of jumping to the University of Miami. and Rutgers was going to give him more money.

State and university officials were going to have to start hitting up private sources to cover the raise.

“I don’t know numbers, but I’m thrilled he’s staying,” Codey said yesterday after Schiano announced he would remain. “The university has to make the decision for what is best and how much success they can accomplish. They came within an inch of the Orange Bowl and maybe another $10 million when you consider the intangibles. Are those intangibles worth it? I think they are.”

Perhaps, but as Rutgers continues its struggle through a budget crisis that includes cutting six varsity sports after this year, the university will have to enter new territory by seeking private funding to give Schiano his due as one of the country’s top young football coaches. Rutgers has used public money to pay Schiano $250,000 and $625,000 from “Nelligan Corporate Sponsorship moneys” according to his contract. That provision refers to Nelligan Sports Marketing, the Little Falls company that sells advertising for the university’s athletic program.

The guaranteed money rises to $675,000 from 2007 through 2010 and to $750,000 in 2011 and 2012. Now Rutgers will follow the formula of several other major public universities, which often turn to local alumni and businesses to pay a substantial chunk of their football coach’s salary.

Seton Hall did it in the 1980s when it wanted to keep basketball coach P.J. Carlesimo and asked its well-known supporters, including Robert Brennan, Frank Walsh and Dennis Kozlowski, to donate money for the specific purpose of giving the coach more. In exchange, boosters get prime seats and entertainment at games, and access to the coaches, who come speak to their companies or local teams for free.

It’s a step that has burned football programs in the past, when boosters have gotten too close to the team and handed no-show jobs to players, but college sports experts say if the proper controls are put in place, everyone can win.

“To compete at the highest level, you have to have involvement from private dollars and alumni,” said T.J. Nelligan, principal at Nelligan Sports Marketing, which serves as Rutgers’ link to the corporate community. “Greg Schiano did the best job of any college coach in any sport in the country. He put the school on the map. He deserves to be paid with the top people in his industry.”

Coaches including the University of Southern California’s Pete Carroll, Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis, and Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, receive about $2 million to $3 million each year.

Schiano likely would receive about half that, which would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the Big East Conference.

George Zoffinger, chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the chairman of the Rutgers board of governors audit committee, said raising a half-million dollars from local alumni and business interests for Schiano was the right move if it means saving the six sports the university wants to cut.

“You have a lot of people in these (Olympic) sports that have been cut resentful of the football program,” Zoffinger said. “If we could do both things – save the other sports and keep Schiano for the long term – it could work because the success of the program is generating excess funds to do that.”

With Schiano staying, Rutgers also is likely to want to expand the stadium and add luxury suites and club seating, which could cost tens of millions of dollars, Zoffinger said. Ron Giaconia, chairman of the intercollegiate athletics committee for the university’s board of governors said turning to private sources to enhance athletics spending would be nothing new for Rutgers.

“The Scarlet R already raises $6 million a year,” Giaconia said of the athletic department’s fundraising arm. “The president and the athletic director have a good idea of what they have to do, and they have already received enough instruction.”

 

That’s the end of that chapter

While College Football Live lazily cites a poorly-written story in the New York Post, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach is actually engaging in real journalism.

A Big East official told me Monday the league has no plans to add Army or Navy as members.

The New York Post reported Monday the Big East explored the possibility of adding the Black Knights and Midshipmen as pseudo-members, in which the service academies would play four current league schools in rotating seasons. Army and Navy both play college football as independents.

The Big East official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the league “had discussions with Army and Navy several months ago, but there are currently no plans to move forward.”

• I played 18 holes with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano at Newport National Golf Club on Monday. It was only Schiano’s second round of the year. Scarlet Knights fans must be happy to know their coach isn’t spending all of his time on the golf course. Schiano said the first round was played in Mexico during the spring.
• During a Nike junket for coaches, Schiano learned that Fresno State was looking for an opponent this coming season because Kansas State pulled out of a game. The Scarlet Knights were still searching for an opponent and it couldn’t be a Division I-AA school. During the golf tournament, Schiano and Fresno State’s Pat Hill agreed to play a Sept. 1 game at Rutgers Stadium. Schiano called this year’s Fresno State team “its best team in 15 years.”
• Schiano said running back Kordell Young, who missed the 2007 season with a knee injury, is on pace to be ready for the start of next week’s preseason camp. Schiano raved about freshman running back Jourdan Brooks, a 6-foot-1, 255-pounder. Schiano said he envisions Young and Mason Robinson carrying most of Ray Rice’s load until Brooks becomes comfortable in the Rutgers offense. Schiano said he might use as many as three running backs to replace Ray Rice’s 2,000-plus yards from a year ago.

Rutgers was picked to finish fourth in the preseason media poll.

Rank Team Pts.
1. West Virginia (22) 189
2. South Florida (1) 149
3. Pittsburgh (1) 128
4. Rutgers 110
5. Cincinnati 98
6. Connecticut 97
7. Louisville 69
8. Syracuse 24 

Meanwhile, Governor Corzine is vowing to keep his promise.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine is not backing down from his pledge to help raise $30 million as part of the $102 million project to expand Rutgers Stadium’s capacity to 55,000, his spokesperson says.

A series of articles in the Star-Ledger of Newark about costs related to the Rutgers’ football program concluded with a report that the governor’s campaign “has all but collapsed.”

“It’s only seven months (since the commitment was made Dec. 5). These things take time. People need to relax,” said Deborah Howlett, the governor’s communications’ director.

And as far as Rutgers is concerned, the $30 million is still somewhere in the pipeline.

“The university has not received any formal notice retracting the governor’s written commitment to raise $30 million for the stadium expansion,” said university spokesman E.J. Miranda.

Miranda also said the Star-Ledger did not accurately reflect the opinion of the Rev. M. William Howard, chairman of Rutgers’ board of governors. The newspaper reported that Howard “acknowledged the university may need to take on most of the cost itself because the fundraising campaign is falling short.”

With ethics rules preventing Corzine from opening his legendary rolodex, I’m very curious as to what he ultimately has planned to fix this debacle.

If you want BE-day minutae, you’re in luck.

Mike Teel, Tiquan Underwood, Courtney Greene and Kevin Malast are here along with coach Greg Schiano, and they’ll talk to reporters tomorrow along with representatives from the seven other teams in the Big East. Last night the conference kicked off the festivities with a clam bake in Fort Adams State Park, on property that was once owned by President Dwight Eisenhower. Ike, apparently, had some pretty nice summer dibs: a big but not mansion-sized house on a hill overlooking the Rhode Island Sound.

Earlier in the day, the conference held a golf scramble, and Greg Schiano was in the winning group, earning him a free set of irons.

Lenn Robbins, writing in the Post, makes the case for each BE program.

Ronnie Girault was released by the Chiefs.

Rumblings and grumblings

Keith Sargent checks in on the precarious RB situation

Talk to recruiting gurus in the aftermath of Rutgers’ whirlwind summer and they’re unanimous in the belief that Greg Schiano and Co. are headed for the program’s first Top 25 national class. Rivals.com’s Mike Farrell and SuperPrep’s Allen Wallace — two of the best national recruiting experts, in my opinion — both told me just that, so it’s hard to criticize anything about Rutgers’ 18-and-counting ‘09 class to date.

Still, there is one area of need Schiano will need to address between now and the Feb. 6 national letter of intent signing day: A game-breaking tailback. While it appeared that Rutgers’ coaching staff had already done that, Desmond Scott, the highly-touted rising senior from Durham, N.C., reneged on a commitment last week and plans on attending Duke instead.

Scott’s decommitment, coupled with the news that Rashad White, the promising tailback who rushed for 3,800 yards and 42 TDs the past two years at Teaneck High, won’t be reporting when camp opens next week, makes Rutgers’ future at the running back spot that much more precarious.

More scrutiny is on the way

The state comptroller’s office today opened an inquiry into fiscal practices at Rutgers University, according to two state officials with direct knowledge of the review.

The review is focused on the financial management of the university’s athletics department and was triggered by Star-Ledger reports last week that detailed hidden side deals with head football coach Greg Schiano.

Rutgers was notified of the inquiry in a letter to the state university’s central administration in New Brunswick. The comptroller requested a list of documents going back two years to be turned over by Aug. 11, according to the state officials, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss it with the press.

Pete McAleer, spokesman for comptroller Matthew Boxer, declined to comment.

Rutgers spokesman E.J. Miranda said he did not have an immediate response.

Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) , who asked state officials to dig in to Rutgers financial administration, said the comptroller briefed her personally on the inquiry.

“He is seeking information to determine whether he’s going to do an audit,” said Weinberg . “I am pleased that he is looking into it. The whole thing needs a little bit of sunshine on it.”

N.J. State Comptroller Matthew Boxer will investigate fiscal practices at Rutgers University.

Someone is finally taking our side, that someone being influential state senator Ray Lesniak. “Right moves the wrong way” concisely sums up RU’s well-meaning but bungling and completely inept administration.

Syracuse beatwriter Donnie Webb checks in from Newport, with news of AD Daryl Gross’s fir…extension?!?!?!?

ESPN’s Mark Schlabech reports on the curious appeal of Newport, RI:

When your editor calls and asks you attend the Big East media days in Newport, R.I., you don’t complain.

It’s like when you’re invited to play Augusta National Golf Club, which is an invitation I’m still waiting for. The Big East stages its preseason news conferences better than any other league in the country. There’s the Atlantic Ocean. There’s golf. There’s lobster. There’s great access to the league’s coaches and players.

Eric Foster could see more opportunities in Indy. They’re playing it very cautious with Freeney’s health; starting tackle Raheem Brock is moving back to end. It doesn’t hurt that Quinn Pitcock supposedly has not reported.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman, who always has a kind word to say about Greg Schiano and the Rutgers program, mentioned the competition to replace Ray Rice as one of 10 intriguing positional battles entering the fall (ESPN Insider sub req’d).

One Raymell Rice is opening eyes in Baltimore.

The two most impressive performances during the AM session on Saturday were those of Ray Rice and Derrick Martin.  During what is sometimes described as the 4 minute drill (one that assumes the offense has a comfortable lead and their job is simply to kill the clock) Ray Rice regularly made positive yardage despite the entire defense committed to stopping the run.  Tom Zbikowski knifed through regularly during the drill as a run blitzing linebacker.  He was more comfortable with the assignment as practice continued.  Initially he showed some hesitancy. 

 

But back to Rice, he makes the most of limited real estate and has a knack for getting small and moving forward.  On one play during the 4 minute drill, Rice converted a third and 4 with a 6 yard run between Ben Grubbs and Jason Brown.  Besides his success during this drill, Rice demonstrates solid open field awareness on screens, is sure-handed and follows his blockers well.  He’s an obvious student of the game judging from his sound fundamentals.

Is prostitution becoming a viable option?

Maybe. A girl’s gotta eat, after all.

As much as I loathe this story, and want to bury my head in the sand until it goes away; in the interests of non-homerism I am bound to providing all sides of the story. Here’s a rare Sunday entry at this blog, as I hope to spend the rest of the coming week on football-related stories.

A highly publicized fundraising effort to bridge a $30 million deficit in the financing of Rutgers Stadium has all but collapsed, and university officials are now struggling to find ways to close the gap.

In a confidential cost analysis obtained by The Star-Ledger, university officials outlined an alternate plan that considers hikes in ticket prices and the diversion of millions in football stadium revenues to help pay for the controversial project, with the university looking to borrow nearly the entire cost of the $102 million expansion.

Ten days ago, senior university officials, including athletic director Robert Mulcahy, briefed the Rutgers governing board behind closed doors on the status of the troubled fundraising campaign, laying out a blueprint that assumes private gifts totaling no more than $2 million, according to board members who were there.

Rutgers board member John Russo said the clock is running out because the university has a self-imposed deadline of Aug. 1 to determine whether it is feasible to go ahead with the full construction project or wait until Rutgers has more money available. The first phase, which will add 1,000 premium seats in the mezzanine, is already under way. The second — and more expensive — phase is supposed to add another 13,000 seats and is scheduled to be ready in time for the 2009 season.

First, gut reaction? This is big time football. If Rutgers fans want a good football team, they’re going to have to pay more than $40 a game for one. We deservedly should bear more of the burden on this project.

Rutgers in the NFL

As NFL training camps start getting under way around the country, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at each Rutgers alumnus trying to crack a roster this fall.

RB Ray Rice

A second-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 draft, each story about him seems to parrot the same meme. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, late of San Diego, likes to platoon running backs. Rice is expected to be the Michael Turner to Willis McGahee’s LaDainian Tomlinson. Another frequent comparison is Maurice-Jones Drew of the Jaguars, who, uncoincidentally, spells starter Fred Taylor. These are very favorable comparisons that portend a major role for Rice this fall.

A quick numbers comparison

2007 – Tomlinson 315 ATT/1474 yards, Turner 71 ATT/316 yards – Taylor 223 ATT/1202 yards, Jones-Drew 167 ATT, 768 yards

2006 – Tomlinson 348 ATT/1815 yards, Turner 80 ATT/502 yards – Taylor 231 ATT/1146 yards, Jones-Drew 166 ATT, 941 yards

2005 – Tomlinson 339 ATT/1462 yards, Turner 57 ATT/335 yards

Perhaps some happy medium between San Diego’s clear preference for Turner and Rice’s obvious physical comparison to Jones-Drew can be reached. McGahee’s pedestrian 4.1 YPC last year left something to be deserved, and looking at his game log, he did appear to tire down the stretch, which is one area where the ultra-durable Rice can definitely help.

That’s not the only place where Rice can contribute.

I haven’t seen rookie running back Ray Rice return a punt in live action yet, but I already feel just as comfortable with him handling the ball as I did last year with receiver Yamon Figurs.

FB Brian Leonard

A second round pick in 2007, Leonard is currently in line to start at fullback for the Rams. Steven Jackson holding out might increase his camp reps.

Around the Big East

Cincinnati is still awaiting word from the NCAA on Ben Mauk.

Randy Edsall is still selling UConn football.

Former Louisville (and Miami) player Willie Williams has found a new home.

Pitt added to its 2009 class with Bronx lineman Fernando Diaz.

Will USF’s Matt Grothe break out this season?

Deandre Preaster will not be attending Syracuse. Or, maybe he will.

Entering 2008, West Virginia’s offensive line is seen as a strength.

See you next week, with coverage and analysis of Big East media day.

SNY betting big on Big East, Rutgers

The cat is finally out of the bag.

As part of a conference-wide agreement between the Big East and cable outlet SNY, the Scarlet Knights will finally have an exclusive television home beginning this season. The deal, which was announced Wednesday at SNY’s studios in Manhattan, includes full coverage of Rutgers football, as well as head coach Greg Schiano’s show “Inside Rutgers Football.”

“With the development of our (football) program, we’ve been on TV the last couple of years,” Schiano said. “But now, Rutgers football has an exclusive TV home in New York City. No one else has that. And when I say ‘No one else,’ I mean no one else. That’s pretty special.”

In addition to carrying Rutgers football, the network will become the official television home for Big East football and college basketball. In all, it will feature more than 800 hours of conference programming, including a Big East “Game of the Week.”

For college basketball season, SNY will air a men’s and women’s “Game of the Week” and will partner with Rutgers, Seton Hall and St. John’s to feature games.

“What we had before was a hodgepodge of games,” Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “But now, you can’t get any better than this in New York.”

For Rutgers football, it seems to be a win/win situation. Previously, the Scarlet Knights had been scattered in their non-national television coverage. The past two seasons, games that did not air on the ESPN family of networks, were spread across stations like MSG and CSTV. This deal centralizes the team’s place in the New York market. In addition, the deal means that all of SNY’s Rutgers programming will air in the Philadelphia/South Jersey market on its sister station, Comcast SportsNet.

“This is huge for the Big East Conference and it’s also very important for our football program,” Schiano said.

Secrets and Lies

Vote for Pedro

Even though training camp opens on Saturday the Dolphins front office hasn’t stopped working to improve the roster.

On Tuesday the Dolphins worked out former Rutgers tackle Pedro Sosa, who started 38 games for the Scarlet Knights, and was a two-time second-team All-Big East selection.

The Dolphins, which were the first of six teams to show interest in Sosa, will likely wait for the results of a physical before determining whether or not to sign the versatile lineman.

Sosa, who is 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, entered his senior season projected as an early second-day draft pick, but he tore the patella tendon in his left knee during the season.

He finished out Rutgers’ season playing with the injury but re-injured it during practices for the East/West Shrine game. The knee was surgically repaired in January and according to Sosa’s agent, Harold Lewis, Sosa’s doctors say “the knee is at 100 percent.”

The Dolphins have five tackles on the roster. But beyond Vernon Carey, who is projected to start along with rookie Jake Long, there is little NFL experience, which makes depth questionable.

That’s far less definitive than the MSG report from Fooch. I think Miami is a good situation for Sosa though (which I will talk about in my upcoming Rutgers in the NFL preview), and it sounds like maybe possibly this could happen if he passes his physical. That might be easier said than done though coming off knee surgery.

Media day is coming sooner than you think

Something mysterious is afoot in BE-land

SNY sent out a media advisory saying that Wednesday it will be making a “major programming partnership” announcement. Hmm.

And that Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano will be on hand. Hmm.

OK, people, I’m going to go out on a huge limb here and using my powers of deductive reasoning and vast network of industry informants jump to this conclusion:

The autumn-and-winter-sports-challenged network likely will be showing more Big East football and basketball after the supply of Mets game runs out.

I was under the impression that the RU AD had recently re-upped with MSG, but that article doesn’t specify anything beyond the 2007 season. Obviously, you have to wonder what influence Chris Carlin had on this move. While he’s someone who will go to bat for Rutgers athletics, most of their other non-baseball persoanlities can be described as hostile at best. MSG wasn’t ideal, but Rutgers does have a strong friend there in Fooch, and it would be disappointing to see that relationship halted.

My 100% pure speculation is that SNY will be taking the BE Football GotW and BE Basketball packages from MSG. One question is whether they will become the flagship station for Rutgers sports – replays, the coaches’ show, et al. Don’t they already do something like that for Syracuse?

SNY has been desperate to add winter programming to their network beyond a loose affiliation with the NFL’s Jets. During the baseball offseason, they’re mostly limited to that and BE runover/lower-tier basketball. This would be a blow to MSG, who would not only lose the valuable basketball package (and its tie-ins to Madison Square Garden, the basketball mecca of the Big East and arguably the world), but a Rutgers football asset that had finally started to become valuable.

The presence of Schiano at the press conference is another indication that RU’s turnaround has done very good things for the BE conference and its overall profile. A strong Rutgers captivating the attention of the NYC media market is vital to the conference’s continued future viability.

edit: Looks like the Daily News has more details:

SportsNet New York will forge a programming alliance with the Big East, making the network the home of the majority of the league’s football and basketball packages.

Sources said Madison Square Garden Network, which has carried the majority of Big East product, will retain a smaller schedule of Big East basketball games.

The partnership between SNY and the Big East will likely be announced Wednesday at a press conference. SNY boss Steve Raab, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano are scheduled to attend.

SNY, sources said, is also expected to announce it will produce its own Big East programs, including pregame, postgame and halftime shows.

While the deal will put a priority on Big East games in the fall and winter, this will not be SNY’s first foray into college sports.

In 2007, SNY aired 100 men’s and women’s college basketball games, including some Big East matchups. The network also televised 26 college football games and 14 college hockey tilts.

It’s still not entirely clear what will happen to the Rutgers-specific programming. In order to maintain maximum exposure, I’d still prefer it if that stays on MSG. I

This probably indicates that the Big East is putting the kibosh on starting its own network for the time being, even though it’s important to point out that Comcast is a major partner in SNY. Expect to read more, not less, about media-themed stories in the next few years as the overall conference landscape reshuffles, and the Big East contemplates a potential split.

Recruiting updates

Keep an eye on 2010 Florida RB Waymon Bowden. Our recent success is starting to pay dividends:

Bowden ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at a national underclassmen combine following his freshman year. He has been getting letters from many Division I-A college football programs and lists the University of South Florida, Rutgers, Wake Forrest and North Carolina as his favorites.

Rutgers is high on his list because of the way it used Ray Rice, the Scarlet Knights’ All-American and Big East Conference rushing leader, who was selected in the second round of this year’s NFL draft by Baltimore.

“I like Rutgers because Ray Rice is one of my favorite runners. His running style resembles mine and I like the way Rutgers used him. I like their offensive style,” Bowden said.

Rice’s success also helped seal the deal with 2009 RB Desmond Scott.

One 2010 name to keep an eye on is Wayne WR Shakim Phillips.

This summer he has taken a couple of trips and has come away with verbal offers.

“I went to Syracuse for an unofficial visit and I got offered,” Phillips recalled. “They can’t extend actual papers until September 1. Connecticut said the same thing. I only went to those two. Other than that I’ve just been working out. I like those two.”

We’ve made the top two for Florida CB Rishard Anderson. I think we’d be in good shape here, but I’m not sure how many ships we have left to give.

DB Rishard Anderson (6-0 180) from Plantation is getting more interest from USC than Clemson. “I talked to coach Gillespie, coach Spurrier and coach Johnson,” Anderson said. “I liked the campus and the environment, and the academic program. I want to major in business. Coach Gillespie said he’s trying to get me an offer but he has to talk to the coaches. They said they like me.” Anderson has offers from Wake Forest, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Northern Illinois, Central Michigan and Western Kentucky. He’s also getting interest from Boston College and Virginia. Among his offers he favors Wake Forest and Rutgers. Last season Anderson had 60 tackles and knocked down 20 passes.

Maryland lineman Raynard Randolph gave a video interview last week to the Washington Post.

This week’s Recruiting Spotlight features Gwynn Park’s Raynard Randolph — a 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman with offers from Rutgers, Tennessee, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, West Virginia, Michigan State, Illinois and Maryland.

A 17-year-old with a passion for pass-blocking, Randolph has been a team captain at Gwynn Park since his sophomore season and seen the Prince George’s powerhouse through some of its best and worst times. Following a 10-2 finish in 2006, the Yellow Jackets suffered through an 0-10 season last fall, forfeitting six games for the use of an ineligible player; however, Randolph has remained an attractive prospect and Coach Danny Hayes says Randolph’s growing relationship with Terrapins Coach Ralph Friedgen’s wife Gloria could sway the rising senior’s decision.