Schiano met with the team today and told the Scarlet Knights of his decision, Rutgers spokesman Jason Baum said.

It marked the second time in less than a week that Michigan has been rebuffed in its efforts to find a successor to Lloyd Carr. Les Miles decided to remain at LSU last Saturday.

Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and Schiano met for several hours in New York City on Tuesday.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Schiano tentatively accepted the job on Wednesday, but that he had a change of heart yesterday.

A New Jersey native, Schiano orchestrated one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football during his seven seasons at Rutgers. When he took over in Piscataway, N.J., the program was one of the worst in the Division I-A.

The Scarlet Knights have enjoyed three straight winning seasons and will be making their third consecutive postseason appearance at the International Bowl against Ball State on Jan. 6. They went 7-5 this season, a disappointment after starting the season ranked No. 16 in the nation.

Schiano turned down a chance to return to Miami last year. He was the Hurricanes defensive coordinator before coming to Rutgers. After pulling out of contention for the Miami job, Schiano signed a four-year extension through 2016 that will pay him $1.7 million annually.

The deal contains a buyout of $750,000 if Schiano were to leave Rutgers between the end of the 2007 regular season and the beginning of the 2008 campaign.