Greg Schiano's buyout amount looms large after Rutgers' shocking loss to UMass

It is only Week 1 of the college football season, but we already have a hot-seat alert. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights entered Thursday as a 29.5-point favorite over the UMass Minutemen, who finished the 2025 campaign without a single win. 

UMass hadn't won a game since the 2024 season, and it had been 677 days since that time. Yet, it was UMass that escaped with a 37-21 shocker in New Jersey. Suddenly, the seat is red-hot for Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. 

Schiano began his 18th season as the Rutgers head coach with one of the worst losses in recent memory. However, he still has a lot of money owed to him. 

How much is Greg Schiano's buyout? 

After the loss, Pete Nakos of On3 mentioned that Schiano's buyout amount is "roughly $18.5 million." 

"He is owed 76.85% of his remaining salary as a buyout. Under the contract, Schiano would be paid biweekly with Rutgers’ regular payroll for the remainder of the contract term. If fired, Rutgers can pay the buyout as an offset to any future jobs that Schiano takes, according to his contract obtained by On3. His contract includes a $500,000 raise after the 2026 season," Nakos wrote.