Here is where each head coach at Rutgers stands entering Keli Zinn's first season as the athletic director.
Amid the myriad tasks on Keli Zinn’s agenda as she settles in as the new athletic director at Rutgers, assessing where each of the 22 programs she is now overseeing is likely near the top of the list.
In that same vein, every Scarlet Knights head coach will want to make a positive first impression on their new boss.
To set the stage ahead of Zinn’s first season at the helm, here is where each coach stands heading into the 2025-26 academic year (contracts were obtained via open public records requests):
COOL SEAT
Greg Schiano (Football)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2029 season, was signed on December 11, 2023.
Remaining Salary:
2025: $6,500,000
2026: $6,750,000
2027: $7,250,000
2028: $7,500,000
2029: $7,750,000
Buyout (by coach):
Prior to December 1, 2025: $5,000,000
Prior to December 1, 2026: $4,000,000
Prior to December 1, 2027:$3,000,000
Prior to December 1, 2028: $2,000,000
Prior to December 1, 2029: $1,000,000.
Buyout (by school): 76.875% of Schiano’s total remaining annual base salary, including scheduled increases, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe him $22,485,938 if it terminated his contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Schiano has taken Rutgers to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since he last led the program. He is the only person in a half-century to turn the Scarlet Knights into a respectable program.
Schiano has one of the coolest seats in college football.
Scott Goodale (Wrestling)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2030-31 season, was signed on July 12, 2022.
Remaining Salary:
2025-2026: $280,000
2026-2027: $287,500
Buyout (by coach): $40,000.
Buyout (by school): The remaining compensation for the balance of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Goodale $287,500 if it terminated his contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Goodale turned a dying program into one of the most successful at the school. He convinced two of the greatest high school wrestlers to ever come out of New Jersey to join the program, then helped them each win a national title with a scarlet singlet.
While Goodale has not broken through the top-10 ceiling nationally, he has kept Rutgers a perennial top-20 program — a floor that many other teams in the department would kill for.
Michael O’Neill (Women’s Soccer)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2026 season, was signed on October 19, 2021.
Remaining Salary:
2025-2026: $215,000
2026-2027: $222,500
Buyout (by coach): None.
Buyout (by school): Rutgers would owe the then-current salary through the remainder of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe O’Neill $215,000 if it terminated his contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: O’Neill’s program has been the most consistent at Rutgers since the school joined the Big Ten, winning 60.3% of their conference games, earning a regular season championship, reaching three Big Ten Tournament title games and two College Cups in 11 years.
O’Neill’s program is the gold standard of the department.
Meredith Civico (Field Hockey)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on Oct. 24, 2024.
Remaining Salary:
2025: $200,000
2026: $205,000
2027: $210,000
Buyout (by coach): If she leaves between January 1 and July 1 of any given year, she would owe 100% of her then-current total annual salary.
If she leaves between July 2 and December 31 of any given year, she would owe 50% of her then-current total annual salary.
Buyout (by school): Rutgers would owe the then-current salary through the remainder of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Civico $400,000 if it terminated her contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Civico’s program became the first at Rutgers to win a Big Ten Tournament title in 2021, then came up just short of a regular season title two years later. The Scarlet Knights are competitive in the toughest conference in their sport, regularly upsetting ranked teams.
This is one of the more stable situations Rutgers has.
Anastasia Candia (Gymnastics)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2029 season, was signed on April 22, 2025.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $145,000
2026-27: $150,000
2027-28: $155,000
2028-29: $160,000
Buyout (by coach): If she leaves between January 1 and April 30 of any given year, she would owe 100% of her then-current total annual salary.
If she leaves between May 1 and December 31 of any given year, she would owe 50% of her then-current total annual salary..
Buyout (by school): Rutgers would owe the then-current salary through the remainder of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Candia $435,000 if it terminated her contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Candia took over the program on an interim basis in January when former head coach Umme Salim-Beasley was placed on leave amid an investigation. When Salim-Beasley was fired in April, Candia was named her permanent replacement.
After leading her alma mater to its best season since she was a gymnast a decade prior, Candia should get plenty of time to build her program.
TRENDING DOWN AND NEED TO TURN THINGS AROUND
Steve Pikiell (Men’s Basketball)
Contract details:
His latest deal runs through the 2030-31 season and was signed on February 2, 2023.
Remaining Salary:
2025-2026: $3,750,000
2026-2027: $3,850,000
2027-2028: $3,950,000
2028-2029: $4,050,000
2029-2030: $4,150,000
2030-2031: $4,250,000
Remaining Retention Bonuses:
July 1, 2027: $300,000
July 1, 2029: $300,000
Buyout (by coach):
BetweenApril 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026: $5,500,000
BetweenApril 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027: $4,500,000
BetweenApril 1, 2027 and March 31, 2028:$3,500,000
BetweenApril 1, 2028 and March 31, 2029: $2,500,000
BetweenApril 1, 2029 and March 31, 2030: $1,500,000.
BetweenApril 1, 2030 and March 31, 2031: $500,000
Buyout (by school): The remaining compensation for the balance of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Pikiell $20,850,000 if it terminated his contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Pikiell established himself as the best coach in modern program history by leading Rutgers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, snapping a 30-year NCAA Tournament drought along the way. But he has lost much of the good will he garnered with two straight losing seasons, including an embarrassing 15-17 campaign with Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey — two five-star recruits who went on to become top-five NBA Draft picks — on the same roster.
Still, even if the slide continues into this winter, Pikiell is protected by the massive contracts that former athletic director Patrick Hobbs, who hired him in Piscataway, gifted him and associate head coach Brandin Knight before his scandalous resignation.
Rutgers is not in position to pay the $23,350,000 it would owe Pikiell and Knight if it fires them after this winter (or the $18,750,000 if it did so after the 2026-27 season), so the duo will likely have at least two more seasons to turn things around.
Coquese Washington (Women’s Basketball)
Contract details:
She remains on her original deal, which was signed on May 23, 2022, and runs through the 2027-28 season.
Remaining Salary:
2025-2026: $800,000
2026-2027: $825,000
2027-2028: $850,000
Buyout (by coach):
BetweenApril 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026: $750,000
BetweenApril 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027: $500,000.
Buyout (by school): The remaining compensation for the balance of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Washington $1,675,000 if it terminated her contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Washington was tasked with replacing C. Vivian Stringer, and so far, she’s having trouble filling the massive shoes left by the coaching legend. The program was declining before Washington’s arrival, but her 33-64 record through three seasons shows she hasn’t straightened things out quite yet.
She does not have a lot of time or money left on her contract, so she will be under pressure to perform a major turnaround this winter.
Steve Owens (Baseball)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2028 season, was signed on June 14, 2022.
Remaining Salary:
2025-2026: $360,000
2026-2027: $370,000
2027-2028: $380,000
Remaining Retention Bonus: $30,000 on July 1, 2027.
Buyout (by coach): $75,000 before July 1, 2026; No buyout after that date.
Buyout (by school): Rutgers would owe the then-current salary through the remainder of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Owens $720,000 if it terminated his contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Owens nearly took Rutgers to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007 during his third season, leading the Scarlet Knights to the Big Ten Tournament title game and setting a program record for wins in a season (44) in the 2022 campaign.
But the Scarlet Knights were snubbed, and they seemingly have not recovered from it, going a combined 57-53 over the past two seasons, including a 21-24 record in Big Ten play.
Brian Brecht (Men’s Lacrosse)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2026 season, was signed on September 23, 2021.
Remaining Salary:
2025-2026: $267,000
Situation: Brecht led the Scarlet Knights to their first Final Four in 2022 and brought them to the Big Ten Tournament title game twice during his first 14 years at the helm.
But around those high points and aside from last season’s historic upset of Maryland, there have been periods of struggle against the upper-echelon teams in the elite Big Ten. Case in point: Rutgers went a combined 4-11 in league play over the past three seasons, missing the NCAA Tournament throughout that stretch.
Still: it seems unlikely that this spring is Brecht’s last on the banks. Look for him to extend his expiring deal ahead of the season.
Jim McElderry (Men’s Soccer)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on Feb. 15, 2023.
Remaining Salary:
2025: $220,000
2026: $227,500
2027: $235,000
Buyout (by coach): None.
Buyout (by school): The remaining compensation for the balance of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe McElderry $462,500 if it terminated his contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Rutgers reached its highest moment as a Big Ten member under McElderry in 2022, winning their first conference tournament title in nearly three decades. But the Scarlet Knights have struggled since that memorable run, failing well short of the NCAA Tournament in the past two seasons and going a combined 6-10-2 in Big Ten play during that stretch.
Caitlin Schweihofer (Volleyball)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on Oct. 15, 2024.
Remaining Salary:
2025: $285,000
2026: $295,000
2027: $305,000
Buyout (by coach): If she leaves between May 1 and October 31 of any given year, she would owe 100% of her then-current total annual salary.
If she leaves between Nov. 1 and April 30 of any given year, she would owe 50% of her then-current total annual salary.
Buyout (by school): The remaining compensation for the balance of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Schweihofer $600,000 if it terminated her contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Schweihofer took over a program that lost 99 of its first 100 Big Ten matches and, aside from moving home games to the RAC, has been unable to change much. The Scarlet Knights are 38-104 in her first five seasons, including an 11-79 record against Big Ten competition.
Considering she extended her contract just last year, Schweihofer will likely get a couple more years to turn things around.
Melissa Lehman (Women’s Lacrosse)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on June 10, 2022.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $237,500
2026-27: $245,000
Buyout (by coach): Lehman would owe Rutgers $40,000 if she terminates her contract.
Buyout (by school): The remaining compensation for the balance of the term, subject to offset by any salary he earns through subsequent employment. In practice, Rutgers would owe Lehman $245,000 if it terminated her contract following the 2025-26 season.
Situation: Lehman burst onto the scene in Piscataway, leading Rutgers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in her first two full seasons, earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after the second. But the Scarlet Knights have struggled since, missing the NCAA Tournament in the past three years while going 4-16 against Big Ten opponents in that span.
Kristen Butler (Softball)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on September 10, 2024.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $210,000
2026-27: $220,000
Situation: Butler’s tenure began with controversy, but she eventually found success on the field, leading Rutgers to back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2023 and 2024, the latter being the Scarlet Knights’ best campaign in the Big Ten (14-9 in league play). The program took a step back in 2025, however, finishing 20-36 overall and 3-19 in Big Ten.
FLYING UNDER THE RADAR
Robert Shutte (Men’s Golf)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on Oct. 31, 2024.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $170,000
2026-27: $175,000
Situation: Entering his 14th season at the helm, Shutte has twice been named the Division I Northeast Coach of the Year by Golfweek (2020, 2023) and mentored Chris Gotterup — the most successful golfer in program history — for four years.
Kari Williams (Women’s Golf)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on Nov. 11, 2024.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $170,000
2026-27: $175,000
Situation: Entering her 12th season at the helm, Williams is the only coach the program has known in the Big Ten era. She led the Scarlet Knights to their most successful season ever in 2023-24, when they won the second annual National Golf Invitational Championship.
Robert Farrell (Cross Country, Track and Field)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2026 season, was signed on September 6, 2024, by Gower.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $163,000
Situation: Through his first five seasons as the director of the track programs, Farrell saw a Scarlet Knights win a national championship for the first time in four decades (pole vaulter Chloe Timberg) along with dozens of NCAA qualifiers and multiple program records set.
Justin Price (Rowing)
Contract details:
His latest deal, which runs through the 2026 season, was signed on September 22, 2021.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $180,000
Situation: Since taking over in 2018, Price led the Scarlet Knights to six NCAA Tournament appearances and three third-place finishes at the Big Ten Tournament. He has been one of the most successful coaches on campus during the Big Ten era.
Hilary Ritchie (Women’s Tennis)
Contract details:
Her latest deal, which runs through the 2027 season, was signed on September 18, 2024.
Remaining Salary:
2025-26: $130,000
2026-27: $135,000
Situation: Ritchie is entering her 10th season as the program’s head coach.
Jonathan Maccoll (Swimming and Diving)
Contract details:
His latest deal expired on April 30, 2025, but he remains in the school’s public directory and was at the Werblin Recreation Center this week, a person with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media.
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at [email protected].
Category: General Sports
