Andy Benoit

By Josh Katzowitz

The hiring of Rutgers coach Greg Schiano to fill the vacant Buccaneers job moved at light speed Thursday morning, and now according to CBSSports.com’s Brett McMurphy, the deal is done and Schiano has accepted the job.

Bucs general manager Mark Dominik told the Associated Press that Schiano has agreed yo a five-year contract, and Schiano will be introduced at a press conference on Friday.

"Coach Schiano is a bright, meticulous teacher who knows how to get the most out of his players," Dominik said. "He built and ran a pro-style program at Rutgers, and he's a defensive-minded coach whose teams have always been characterized by toughness and a physical style of play."

Schiano's ability to build -- or rebuild -- a program played a part in Tampa Bay's choice, according to Bucs chairmain Joel Glazer.

"During our thorough search, we met with numerous impressive candidates, but coach Schiano surely distinguished himself," Glazer said. "From his leadership skills to his considerable track record, he is, simply put, the right man for the job."

Schiano, who was an assistant with the Bears from 1996-98, took Rutgers from a bottom-feeding program to a team that had a winning record in six of his last seven years in New Jersey.

The hiring of Schiano is a big surprise, considering his name wasn’t mentioned among the 11 other candidates who the Buccaneers supposedly chased (including Oregon’s Chip Kelly, who accepted the job before changing his mind, and Mike Sherman and Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who were offered second interviews).

Bucs hire Schiano

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But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides met twice without any word leaking to the media, including Wednesday. Apparently, Bill Rees -- who’s in charge of Tampa Bay’s college scouting -- stayed in touch with Schiano throughout the hiring process.

So, it appears the Buccaneers had Schiano -- who will replace Raheem Morris after his 4-12 season -- in mind the entire time.

Schiano has long been rumored as a potential replacement for recently deceased Penn State coach Joe Paterno, but his name was never really mentioned after the Jerry Sandusky scandal resulted in Paterno being removed from his position as head coach.

The former Rutgers coach drew plenty of interest from other schools, though -- both Michigan and Miami have recently courted Schiano.

Schiano, who went 68-67 during his tenure, was the FWAA coach of the year in 2006 and led the Scarlet Knights to four straight bowl victories (before Schiano came aboard, Rutgers had made just one bowl in its 135-year history).

But if the Buccaneers wanted to hire an exciting coach to replace a fan base disillusioned by Morris’ final year, this probably isn’t the way to do it. Chip Kelly probably would have created enthusiasm and excitement. While Schiano’s schemes are probably more suited to the NFL, his buzz factor is quite a bit lower.

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