Rutgers Works Hard to be Part of Mainstream New York Media

© Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com-USA TODAY NETWORK

There is football buzz right now in New Brunswick, N.J. Yes, let that sink in. Rutgers football has been revived under coach Greg Schiano, who came back in 2020. Schiano brought Rutgers to the airwaves in the new-age sports media back in the late 2000s. Getting mentioned on a sports talk show in New York is no small feat. 

Rutgers Gets on WFAN

Rutgers has to put together a winner. That's especially the case when trying to grab the attention of a mainstream New York sports talk show in early September. Especially when they’re gearing up for the New York Giants and Jets NFL seasons. Of course, the New York Mets and Yankees seasons could be coming to an end or going into postseason play.

Saying Rutgers has struggled since joining the Big Ten Conference would be the biggest understatement in college football. However, things seem to be on the rise in the Big Ten. Rutgers has had just one winning season before 2023's 7-6 campaign. The other came in their first year in the Big Ten, when they went 8-5 and won the Quick Lane Bowl. 

Back in 2007, when the YouTube clip above occurred, Rutgers was enjoying some of its best days as a member of the now-defunct Big East Conference. Legendary New York radio voice Mike Francesa, known as “The Sports Pope,” said, “Around here (the N.Y. area), college football matters when it is special.” This was a year after Rutgers won the 2006 Texas Bowl against Kansas State.

© Mark Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Back to the Mainstream

Rutgers’ recruiting has been turning heads this summer. The Scarlet Knights have gotten commitments from 3 out of the top 10 players in New Jersey. They include wide receiver Michael Thomas (Barnegat, N.J.), linebacker DJ McLary (Jersey City, N.J.), and linebacker Kamar Archie (Trenton, N.J.). Flipping commitment McLary from Penn State is a big deal for Schiano’s staff. Keeping in-state recruits has to be at the top of Schiano's list. 

How Schiano expects to accomplish that feat is to use the strong NIL plan Rutgers has put together. New Brunswick is not far from the New York metropolitan area, a potential gold mine for recruiting because of the strong market. After all, the Big Ten wanted Rutgers for their conference due to being near New York City's strong television market. Using that, Rutgers needs to set a precedent for recruiting and give their players the NIL advertisements needed to build a strong program.