While it's only Week 3 of the college football season, plenty of schools are already looking to move on to the offseason. Coming into Saturday, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights had a 0-2 record, and with the USC Trojans coming to town, they appear to be trending toward starting the season 0-3. With the way Rutgers has played to start the season, this team isn't going to win many games, and it may be time to move on.
There was a ton of hope that Greg Schiano would bring Rutgers back to a competitive brand of football, but he hasn't been able to show much to be excited about. The Scarlet Knights would only owe Schiano $17.3 million if they fired their head coach which is managable compared to most buyouts.
Brian Kelly emerging as a candidate for Rutgers is great news for LSU
While Rutgers hasn't fired Greg Schiano yet, there's already a growing list of potential candidates for the job. One of the emerging names to potentially take the Rutgers job is former LSU head coach Brian Kelly, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman.
Jimbo Fisher back to FSU? More on why that could be a very viable option for the Noles, Plus, why ex-Notre Dame & LSU coach Brian Kelly may be next up at Rutgers:
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 19, 2026
Gift link: https://t.co/oeEWoYz4rB pic.twitter.com/GY7927pBTg
There are plenty of reasons why Brian Kelly would make sense as their next head coach, but it would require the school actually firing Greg Schiano. Brian Kelly is a native of the Northeast so moving to New Jersey would bring him closer to home.
The biggest reason everyone has pointed to Brian Kelly as a potential fit is because of the ties with the Scarlet Knights' leadership. Rutgers President William Tate and Athletic Director Keli Zinn both worked with Brian Kelly at LSU, so the two decision makers would know what they're getting if they hire Kelly.
While it's hard to root for Brian Kelly, every LSU fan should be hoping that he lands a head coaching gig this offseason. While LSU's buyout with Kelly was $54 million, the contract had a mitigation clause meaning that any coaching or media gigs would knock money off the buyout figure. Kelly is working with CBS this offseason, but a coaching job would significantly lower what LSU owes him.
It won't be fully clear how real Rutgers' interest in Brian Kelly is until they make a decision on their current head coach. For now, every LSU fan should be keeping a close eye on the Scarlet Knights, and root for losses, as it could help the school in the long run as the money could be used elsewhere.
Add us as a preferred source on Google