Rutgers University football coach Greg Schiano recognized former athletic director Pat Hobbs’ contributions to the university and wished him well in his first comments since Hobbs’ sudden resignation due to health reasons became public Friday afternoon.
Schiano spoke with Hobbs after his resignation but declined to elaborate on the “personal” nature of the conversation. He added that the two worked well together during their four years together and that the relationships Schiano built during his first tenure at Rutgers carried over into many areas of the athletic department.
“I think the combination of my relationships and the new relationships Pat has made has been good,” Schiano said after Saturday’s team practice game at SHI Stadium. “It’s been good for football, it’s been good for the athletic department. We’re going to continue in that direction.”
Several messages left for Hobbs by NJ Advance Media were not returned.
When asked about the search for a new athletic director and the ideal qualities he would like to see, Schiano responded by saying he is focused on his team’s season opener. The Scarlet Knights begin their season at home against Howard on August 29.
“I’m not going to get into that right now,” Schiano said. “I want to coach this team. I want to get ready for that game in (12) days. You always want someone you can work with and be vertically aligned with. Our institution is vertically aligned, so we’re going to get someone who wants to join in and just make it better.”
Following Hobbs’ resignation, President Jonathan Holloway appointed Ryan Pisarri as the school’s interim athletic director. Pisarri, a former University of Pennsylvania football player, has held leadership roles in the athletic department for the past 11 years.
“He’s a football guy, a track guy, a Rutgers guy, a New Jersey guy,” Schiano said. “He’s going to work his butt off to keep us on track. The entire leadership team in the athletic department is going to work very hard to make sure there’s no cause for concern and things move forward.”
Last month, Schiano noted during his speech at the Big Ten Media Day in Indianapolis that Rutgers has never been more “vertically aligned” from an athletic perspective, and he reiterated that sentiment with the sudden change in leadership.
“It starts with our board of directors,” Schiano said. “We have a great new chair in Amy Towers. She just took over. We’ve had great leadership there and everyone is on the same page about what the role of athletics is at Rutgers and how we’re going to execute. And then there’s President Holloway, he’s phenomenal. He’s a huge supporter of everything Rutgers. The old saying goes that all boats rise with the tide. Everything at Rutgers gets better, including the athletic department. So Pat won’t be with us anymore, but he’s contributed a lot. Wherever it goes. Whoever becomes the next athletic director will continue that mission because I know our administration, our leadership, our board will make great hires in due course.”
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You can reach Patrick Lanni at [email protected].
