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Greg Schiano will return to Rutgers as the head football coach, multiple outlets reported late Saturday night, after the sides resuscitated a deal that appeared to fall apart less than a week ago.

Schiano, 53, was Rutgers’ head coach from 2001-11 and is a native of Wyckoff, N.J.

On Nov. 24, multiple outlets reported that negotiations between the sides collapsed, with the parties differing on preferred contract length — among other disagreements, including desired upgrades to the athletic facilities — in a deal expected to average $4 million annually.

The school issued a statement that evening, not acknowledging Schiano but saying a new coach would be named shortly after the season.

In the days since, many prominent boosters criticized athletic director Pat Hobbs, with some calling for his firing. The pressure, and Schiano’s desire to return to his former gig, reportedly spurred the renewal of negotiations.

Schiano went 68-67 in 11 seasons as Rutgers’ head coach, including 56-33 over his final seven campaigns, with the Scarlet Knights reaching six bowl games (winning five) in that span. He was named Big East Coach of the Year in 2006, when Rutgers went 11-2 and climbed as high as No. 7 in the AP Top 25.

After Saturday’s loss to Penn State, Rutgers is 13-47 over the last five years, including three-plus seasons under Chris Ash, who was fired in September after a 1-3 start. The team finished 1-7 under interim coach Nunzio Campanile.

Schiano left Rutgers in January of 2012 to be the head coach of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he went 11-21 in two seasons before being fired.

After spending time at the high-school level, Schiano joined Ohio State as defensive coordinator in 2016. He left this February and reportedly joined the New England Patriots as their defensive coordinator, only to resign in March while citing a desire to focus on “faith and family.”

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)