Rutgers coach Greg Schiano met with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin earlier this week to talk about the Wolverines’ coaching vacancy, according to newspaper reports Thursday night.
Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy told The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., for a story posted on its Web site late Thursday night, that Schiano’s agent, Bryan Harlin, “asked for permission to meet” with Michigan.
“I have not heard anything formally from Michigan – yet,” Mulcahy told the paper.
Mulcahy told The Home News Tribune of East Brunswick, N.J., he was aware of a meeting between Schiano and Martin.
Both papers cited unidentified sources saying the meeting took place Tuesday night in New York during the College Football Hall of Fame banquet at a midtown Manhattan hotel. Though Michigan has made no official offer to Schiano, both papers reported one could be coming soon.
Schiano, a New Jersey native, has orchestrated one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football during his seven seasons at Rutgers. When he took over in Piscataway, N.J., the program was one of the worst in the Division I-A.
The Scarlet Knights have had three straight winning seasons and will be making their third consecutive postseason appearance at the International Bowl against Ball State on Jan. 6. They went 7-5 this season, a disappointment after starting the season ranked No. 16 in the nation.
A year ago, Schiano turned down a chance to become coach at Miami, where was defensive coordinator before coming to Rutgers. Schiano signed a four-year extension through 2016 that will pay him $1.7 million annually after pulling out of contention for the Miami job.
The deal contains a buyout of $750,000 if Schiano were to leave Rutgers between the end of the 2007 regular season and the beginning of the 2008 campaign.
Schiano was asked Monday during his weekly news conference about speculation linking him to Michigan and said, “We’re not going to start this stuff again.”
“I haven’t spoken to anybody about any job,” he said, “and that’s where I’m going to leave it.”
Michigan is looking for a replacement for Lloyd Carr, who is retiring after 13 seasons.
Martin had received permission to speak with LSU coach Les Miles after the Tigers played Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday, but that meeting never took place, Miles signed a contract extension to stay at LSU on Thursday.
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