After weeks of reports that all but had Greg Schiano on his way back to Piscataway riding his white horse to the rescue, talks between the coach and Rutgers broke down, likely permanently, over demands that would make a rock star’s concert rider blush. With the coaching search now shifting focus, the football program could still have an eye on its Schiano-connected past.
According to nj.com, and citing several individuals with knowledge of the process, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley “has emerged as one of the names atop the Scarlet Knights’ list as their coaching search begins anew.” Hafley is in his first season at OSU and, along with Greg Mattison, replaced Schiano as the Buckeyes’ coordinator.
Hafley, a New Jersey native, spent one season (2011) on Schiano’s RU staff as secondary coach before moving on when the head coach took the same job at Tampa Bay. Hafley was with Schiano for both seasons with the Buccaneers, in 2012 as assistant secondary coach and 2013 as secondary coach. Prior to his move to the Buckeyes, Hafley had spent seven seasons in the NFL.
The 40-year-old Hafley has never been a head coach at any level of football, which could go against him in RU’s search.
The Scarlet Knights are looking to replace Chris Ash, who was fired earlier this season after less than four full years on the job. Ash spent two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator at OSU before taking over at RU.