Before he was hired by the Buccaneers, Schiano was a relative unknown to Bucs fans. When he was hired, many asked, “Who is this guy?” and wanted a bigger name. The ones who were familiar with Schiano knew about how he turned around Rutgers football and revamped the Scarlet Knights recruiting power. You see, that’s one of the marks of a great coach in college football; the great ones drive recruits. Don’t believe me? Look at all the quarterbacks who want to play for the Kansas Jayhawks ever since Charlie Weis became the head man in Lawrence; people want to play for good coaches.

May 4, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano during rookie mini camp at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Therefore, the more informed fans who were well-versed in Schiano’s motivational power, solid player evaluation, and sound schematic knowledge were excited by a hire. Greg Schiano represents the best of both worlds. He’s a young, energetic coach with plenty of fresh ideas, but he’s also wise in his decision making and doesn’t tolerate head cases. But he sure knows how to deal with them. After all, it is far easier to find enigmatic players on a college team than it is to find them in the NFL.

But for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, past success in the college world doesn’t mean much. It isn’t just that “talk is cheap”, but it also has to do with the disparity between the NFL and college football. The NFL is for the big coaches, and only the best college football coaches succeed in the NFL. Despite not coaching a major program, it was apparent that Schiano was one of the best coaches in college football. At the very least, it was apparent that he was one of the best to the Bucs.

At first, Tampa tried to hire Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly, who is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. He’s built a powerhouse out west, and the Ducks are a perennial title contender under Chip. He stayed to focus on the Ducks, and one great, young coaching mind yielded way for another.

It’s easy to say that Chip Kelly is the better coach than Greg Schiano based on how their college teams produced, but there were concerns associated with Chip. Although he knows how to motivate a team and knows the offensive side of the ball extremely well, many were skeptical about his ability to manage a defense. It is a reasonable concern, but it was also a little bit overblown.

Even though Kelly is the better-known coach, Schiano fits the Bucs better. The team needed a coach who knows how to turn a team around and has a great working knowledge of defensive schemes. Schiano fits that description, and the “loud” coach has invigorated new life into this Bucs team. He’s also been classy in his first 100 days on the team, and this culminated in the signing of paralyzed former Rutger Eric LeGrand.

More importantly, Schiano has been getting results. He helped orchestrate a grade A draft that yielded three quality, starting-caliber players. The Buccaneers now have a new safety in the cerebral Mark Barron, who will be a solid player at the position for quite some time. Former Cornhuskers standout linebacker Lavonte David has been praised by Derrick Brooks and was a steal in the late second round. Former Boise State running back Doug Martin is an underrated, great all-around back who has a chance to start.

The Bucs also made some great pick-ups in the latter rounds, including versatile defensive back Keith Tandy who starred for the West Virginia Mountaineers in college. Another late-rounder to watch for is running back Michael Smith, who adds a new dimension of speed to this team and was an absolute steal for the Bucs.

The future looks bright in Tampa Bay with a new coaching staff in place, a great draft class, and Greg Schiano leading this ship into the future. He’s a better coach than Raheem Morris could have ever been, and it’s showing in the new aura surrounding this team. He’s the right man to turn around this football squad, and he is showing it. The signings of Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks are huge, as the two elite players have massively upgraded this offer.

As for Schiano’s grade, it’s difficult for me not to get ahead of myself and give him a resounding “A+” for his work so far this offseason. It may be premature and the regular season results are more important, but Schiano has exceeded expectations in Tampa. He’s done an excellent job and deserves all the high praise that he has received.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Oct 21, 2011; Syracuse NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers long snapper Cody Nutter (87) warms up before the game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated West Virginia 49-23. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Following the Mountaineers theme, the Bucs have given West Virginia long snapper Cody Nutter a tryout. The senior will report to rookie camp on Thursday and is looking to impress coach Greg Schiano and the rest of the coaching staff. Schiano is familiar with Nutter and the other WVU players, as he coached those Big East foes while at Rutgers.

Nutter is viewed as a quality long snapper and someone who was a sure-fire signing after the draft, and he spent three seasons as a starter for West Virginia. A great long snapper, Nutter was also a depth tight end as a redshirt freshman and is known as a great teammate.

“I am leaving here on Thursday, flying out of Pittsburgh and will take part in Tampa Bay’s rookie mini-camp until Sunday,” Nutter said. “Basically, the competition will be between me and one other guy for the long snapping job. The winner will get to sign his contract.”

We’ll see how the battle ends up for the two-time Big East Academic All-Star, who actually majored in physical education teaching (I thought that was a bit interesting). Nutter has the ability to get the job and the roster spot, and it’s time to see if he can perform well enough on Thursday to obtain it.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Dec 22, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore (left) and receiver Tyler Shoemaker (89) embrace after the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sam Boyd Stadium. Boise State defeated Arizona State 56-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

1. WR Luther Ambrose, Louisiana-Monroe- 65 catches for 752 yards and six touchdowns in 2010

2. QB Zach Collaros, Cincinnati- A star for the Bearcats and their leaders, team was devastated after his injury. Career average of eight yards per attempt, fifth highest career passer efficiency rating in Big East since 2000.

3. S Tramain Thomas, Arkansas- Intriguing defensive back on SEC powerhouse and finished with 91 tackles, five picks, and 11 passes defended last year. Top five in picks and top ten in tips.

4. T Bradley Sowell, Ole Miss

5. C Chaz Hine, USF- Leader and quality starter for Bulls. Versatile enough to play at either guard spot but best off at center.

6. DT Donte’e Nicholls, Tennessee State

7. G Michael VanDerMeulen, Toledo

8. T Desmond Wynn, Rutgers- Quality starter for Rutgers and has the Schiano connection. Underrated, will most likely kick inside and play guard.

9. CB Quenton Washington, USF- Ninth in Big East with nine passes defended.

10. TE Tyler Urban, West Virginia- 37 career catches

11. FB Cody Johnson, Texas- 36 career touchdowns and average of 4.2 yards per carry. Was second in Big 12 in rushing touchdowns in 2009 and has 25th most career touchdowns in Big 12 dating back to 2000.

12. LB Ryan Baker, LSU- Had seven sacks in 2010, finished with 64 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss in 2011.

13. CB Leonard Johnson, Iowa State- Averaged 26.4 yards per return on 40 kick-off returns as a freshman. 64 tackles in sophomore and junior seasons, had a career-high 72 tackles last year. Six career interceptions and was eighth in nation in 2008 in kick-off return yards.

14. WR Tyler Shoemaker, Boise State- A key contributor in one of the best offenses in college football, Shoemaker hauled in 62 passes for 994 yards and 16 touchdowns (16 yards per catch) last year. He was fourth in the nation in touchdowns receptions and has a good shot at making the roster with teammate and star back Martin.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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