Keli Zinn speaks on goals, future of facilities, plan for success
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That is a very well-written article that is non-paywalled. Worthy of a read. Much more worthy than the drivel from NJ.com, but I digress. Very enthused about the new hire, detailed in the article, particularly this quote:
"Once I recognized here that a real deficiency that existed for us was surrounding the corporate sponsorship side of things and our ability to work through that — not just for brand advancement, but for name, image and likeness opportunities for our student athletes — and what that type of revenue's going to mean in the new collegiate landscape, it was a no-brainer that he was the number one phone call for me to make and target in order to be here."
After yesterday’s stellar performance by 2 programs at RU I’m thinking Keli needs to go move more quickly then even she anticipated. Both men’s and women’s basketball coaches need to go and Goody needs to either step down or bring in another stud coach to elevate the on mat performance.
No one is safe there isn’t a single sport at RU that is performing at the level of expectations. May be time for scorched earth level of change.
No one is safe there isn’t a single sport at RU that is performing at the level of expectations. May be time for scorched earth level of change.
been calling for this for a while
Not a single person tied to the athletic dept would have a job and every face would be new save for the contract considerations like Ash 2.0
She has a very tough job as these coaches are truly brining nothing to the table to elevate these programs. Great we can talk about NIL all we want and the extreme talent gap versus other teams but I watched a Marylan team last night competing with Michigan with the same gap in talent. We can't even be competitive!!
She is really handcuffed with the big two sports long term contracts. I guarantee if they had year to year contracts they wouldn't have even gotten this year. She may have to choose to put all the eggs in either football or bball to at least get one to respectability. Pike failed with the big NIL guys so maybe buy Schiano a big time qb and some 4-star OL's and tell the OC to modernize the offense.
Start with Football.
That drives the money stream for all Rutgers Athletics.
A change is needed .
There is not one sport that has been funded to succeed since NIL started 4 years ago at Rutgers
Football loses far more money than any other sport. Combined.
Show your work. Take into account that football is mostly responsible for the media rights money that is paid out to B1G members.
it's really not about the dollars right now, it's about perception of the program. very few football programs turn a profit save some funny accounting
And a strong football program drives up enrolment and overall interest in the school
It always about dollars. The o ly question is how much will the real decision makers allow to be spent on what is really just marketing for a school.
I suspect there will be a fair chance for Keli but if her next hires dont work out in football and basketball and substantial investment continues, I can see some real screws being put to the dept as a whole.
Football had enough to be 8-4 last year and possibly the same this year.
Agree, more can’t hurt…but what would actually help is those getting paid: be it NIL, stipend or salary do a little better on their ROI.
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This.
The annual $46 million in Media Rights paid to Rutgers from the B1G ( from 2 fiscal years ago) is for Football. The payment has been increasing steadily.
Football drives the Athletic Department and needs top priority for correction.
no, here is one case where the dollars truly don't matter because if we don't change the entire approach to things, we WILL be tailgating for Uconn, Umass and the like
We need new coaches, new marketing, new outreach to media and a total war approach to everything Rutgers football. There really is no other athletics discussion more important.
I'm hoping the school kills a ton of sports, get's lean and focused
I'm reticent to say this here but I did hear some things out of Chicago that are not good. We really need to get our shyyt together and we need to upgrade every facet of the view of Rutgers.
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amen but that comes back to the player/personnel assessment and of course, Saturday decisions. That means 2/3rds of the equation is not succeeding but we know the reason
In NJ’s hyper sensitive political climate? Not gonna happen. Most of those cuts would be female squads…never happening…the media would crucify the school.
They'll crucify the school no matter what they do.
Another interesting thread almost immediately off the rails and down into the same gulch.
It would be surprising if there were any coach firings at this point. She'll raise the money. Schiano and Pikell will get just enough rope. I'm sure she's making a list of possible replacements.
some perspective on basketball--just that- perspective:
I don't disagree but again, the school doesn't market itself properly so it's an easy target. I say damn the torpedoes and kill a ton.
agree most would be women but you could axe numerous mens' programs as well.
I don’t understand why so many people blame Pikiell for not having NIL. Coaching and fundraising are both full-time jobs that require different skill sets. Schiano is an exception and I hope Zinn is able to reward him for all the work he did, but I don’t think most coaches would be able to raise the money he did with the complete lack of resources that Rutgers provided. Most coaches would have quit. This isn’t Michigan or Ohio State with lists of big time donors to call. Pikiell could have done a bit more but ultimately this is on Pat Hobbs and other Rutgers administrators.
I'm with you. He was hawking outside of a liquor store FFS. Greg did yeoman's work, but he had a deep rolodex (dated!) of contacts from being around Rutgers for years.
Agreed. The head coaches responsibility should be to show up and shake hands once the AD and department goes out and raises the money. If the coaches have some contacts that want to donate, fabulous. But this is on Hobbs for being asleep at the switch.
Agree on cutting some sports. NJ is such a political place no AD has had the guts do to it. I know for a fact Pat had one of the Big 4 firms do a study that could have been used for political cover to do so. The B1G wouldn't love either though. The Big Ten loves their sports. All of them. See women's VB as an example. Would be an obvious choice to cut at Rutgers but the league would probably take issue. Even still.
We should only field the number of sports we can fund at championship levels, have the recruiting grounds to win at championship levels, while obviously maintaining NCAA D1 eligibility. That's it. If some big whale wants to come in and start a program to fund it thereafter, great. I think that the NCAA minimum number is 16 but don't quote me on that.
Making? That woman came in with a list of replacements. She's on top of it.
Any sports worth cutting are probably in the noise, financially speaking.
Also, you make it sound like the B1G is threatening to kick us out if we don't step up.
I'm sure every new AD has a list of potential people they would like to hire. But, how realistic are they? How good are they? How is she going to find money for buyouts plus new contracts?
That’s what she’s working on now. I’m sure it’s the hardest part of her job. Raising funds, and what to do with those funds, juxtaposed against making coaching changes, while considering the risk of doing such and not doing such. It’s got to be complicated.
My gut feeling is she going to get one crack at football and basketball. Smart money would say continue paying lip service while getting as much dry powder as possible over the next year. Then make a splash. More money and less in buyouts. Going to be another rough year in 26 for rev sports so buckle up. This **** sandwich is no fault of hers but she’s the one who has to clean it up. I’m certain none of this is a surprise to her. She seems very diligent and knowledgeable. No doubt she knew all the challenges with both performance and contracts prior to taking the job. Patience is a virtue and that is what will be needed.
She's facing an uphill battle w/the Big 5
Football - Have a lack of funds or GS's errors held us back?
Men's BBall - Missing the tourney w/2 top 5 picks and the changing landscape has derailed Pike. This is the most surprising as he was building a Michigan State, junkyard dog type program with Ron, Geo, Caleb, etc. only to see us regress to the point of seemingly no return
Women's bball - Complete trainwreck and has been for the past decade plus. CVS held us hostage, and Conquise isn't the answer. A complete reboot is needed, and it's a shame b/c that was the shining light program for years
Wrestling - It's time. Thank you Goody for all you've done, but the program is beyond stale. You've taken the program as far as you can, and for that, we're extremely grateful. Be it Hahn, Burroghs, Donny/SeaBass, etc. - new blood is sorely needed. Attendance is taking a dip, and the team looks flat as can be. New year, same script.
Lax - This is the one I hold out the most hope for. Brian showed he can get us to the top of the mountain (or near the top) in 2022. Now it comes down to funding. He's made a change on O, and the lax only stadium is, I would assume, on Zinn's radar. Again, it's a $$ game here - hoping for the best
Football - Have a lack of funds or GS's errors held us back?
Men's BBall - Missing the tourney w/2 top 5 picks and the changing landscape has derailed Pike. This is the most surprising as he was building a Michigan State, junkyard dog type program with Ron, Geo, Caleb, etc. only to see us regress to the point of seemingly no return
Women's bball - Complete trainwreck and has been for the past decade plus. CVS held us hostage, and Conquise isn't the answer. A complete reboot is needed, and it's a shame b/c that was the shining light program for years
Wrestling - It's time. Thank you Goody for all you've done, but the program is beyond stale. You've taken the program as far as you can, and for that, we're extremely grateful. Be it Hahn, Burroghs, Donny/SeaBass, etc. - new blood is sorely needed. Attendance is taking a dip, and the team looks flat as can be. New year, same script.
Lax - This is the one I hold out the most hope for. Brian showed he can get us to the top of the mountain (or near the top) in 2022. Now it comes down to funding. He's made a change on O, and the lax only stadium is, I would assume, on Zinn's radar. Again, it's a $$ game here - hoping for the best
LAX is a relatively small investment game and has the biggest bang opportunity. NJ is now fertile grounds, and we have a solid history. A stadium and of course more funding is needed. Like other sports we are at the bottom in funding in the conference. 3 of our peers are at the top end of the money game in all of college lacrosse and the fourth team is Maryland. It’s extremely competitive in our conference. But, we have a great staff now, and Brian has shown he can do more with less. I know Keli sees this opportunity and is doing what she can.
Lacrosse and soccer are our best chances to win championships imo. I think we can compete at a high level in some others but winning that big in football and basketball is going to require incredible amounts of good fortune and luck.
I forgot about soccer, NJ is rich w/talent and the program has had historical success
Nice post.
Keli's athletic department is encumbered by four major contracts.
I am not sure Keli read them before taking the job though. Tate hired Keli days after taking the job at 4x Keli's LSU compensation. Rutgers coach contracts are buried deep in the Rutgers website and the Rutgers venue naming rights contracts require OPRA requests. Most people would jump at quadrupling their comp even if they didn't have time to do due diligence.
1) Greg - Contract ends February 28, 2030. If Greg is terminated today, Greg is owed $24.3 million.
2) Pike - Contract ends March 31, 2031. If Pike is terminated today, Pike is owned $21.7 million.
3) Jersey Mike's Arena - Rutgers or JM can terminate the agreement on July 1, 2036. JM can terminate the.agreement on July 1, 2029 if Rutgers hasn't completed a full renovation of the RAC or built a new arena by July 1, 2028. Otherwise, the deal runs to June 30, 2041. Total value of deal for full 2021-2041 term = $28.1 million. In addition, the deal gives JM, now owned by Blackstone, development rights of the 3-acre plaza in front of the arena.
4) SHI Stadium - Deal ends on July 1, 2029, however SHI has option to renew the deal for two one-year terms. Total value of deal for 2019-2031 term = $20.5 million.
Keli doesn't have a lot of levers to pull. Doubtful Keli can raise tens of millions from donors or the Rutgers treasury to get rid of Greg and Pike. Keli and the fanbase might want to replace the coaches, but the reality is firing them is an uphill battle financially.
I expect Blackstone to let the JM naming rights deal run through at least 2036. I shared my views on September 27, 2025, in post 13 here. Nothing Keli can do about it unless she wants to reopen the deal with Blackstone, a negotiation the Rutgers athletic department won't win.
Who knows what SHI will be thinking. The.tech multinational is headquartered 5 miles from the stadium and Rutgers is its #1 source of talent, SHI's CEO said when the deal was signed. If SHI sees the naming rights as a recruiting expense, then the company's hiring plans could drive the future of the deal.
Here is the view I expressed on January 28, 2024.
I just don’t see the Jersey Mike’s being a big deal one way or the other. It is $1.4M a year, and even if we lost that deal, we could find a new company to cover some of the lost revenue. It would not be the deciding factor on whether to invest tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate or replace.
I agree!
Jersey Mike's spends more than $200 million per year on marketing and has directed a ton of this marketing spending to sports. The company was purchased owned by mega investor Blackstone, and BX might have a different view than seller Peter Cancro on marketing spending and RAC naming rights.
* Edit - Corrected Peter Cancro’s first name
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I think you mean Pete Cancro, there is not a Jerry in Pete's family. If you think that President Tate & Keli Zinn did not know the terms of the naming rights deals that RU signed before Keli was hired then you are very naive.
We can cut sports. Not all the B1G plays all sports. See Lacrosse, Soccer, Baseball.