The Rutgers Scarlet Knights officially have a new athletic director. On Wednesday, Rutgers introduced Keli Zinn as the new atletic director. She became the highest-paid AD in program history, earning a base salary of $1.35 million. Many around the university are excited about the hire and that includes Rutgers Football head coach Greg Schiano.

Rutgers news conference to introduce the Scarlet Knights’ new athletic director, Keli Zinn, Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at the Gary and Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers President William F. Tate IV today appointed Keli Zinn, a collegiate athletics leader with 20 years of power conference experience and a proven track record of transforming championship-level programs, as director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Rutgers-New Brunswick.