FILE PHOTO: Nov 17, 2018; College Park, MD, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Greg Schiano stands on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano, most recently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, likely will wind up on the coaching staff of the New England Patriots, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport said Schiano would take the spot of Brian Flores, the acting defensive coordinator who reportedly will become head coach of the Miami Dolphins after the Super Bowl.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Schiano never have worked together, but the two are believed to have a close relationship. Belichick’s son, Steve, played for Schiano when he was the head coach at Rutgers, and Belichick drafted several players from his program.
Last year, when Schiano was set to become the head coach at Tennessee, he came under fire for his time on Joe Paterno’s staff at Penn State during the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Belichick vouched for Schiano.
“I have great respect and I think he’s a great football coach,” Belichick said. “I’m not really involved in any other situations, but speaking about him as a coach and a person, the utmost respect and zero reservations. Zero.”
Schiano, 52, coached at Rutgers from 2001-11 and led the team to a 68-67 record and a 5-1 record in bowl games. He won three national Coach of the Year awards in 2006 when Rutgers finished 11-2. In his two seasons with the Buccaneers (2012-13), the team was 11-21.
He joined Ohio State in 2016 and left earlier this month after Ryan Day took over as head coach.
—Field Level Media