Either former Rutgers University football coach Kyle Flood lived in a vacuum or interpreted no news as good news concerning his job security.
Whatever he believed, the four-year coach found out he was dismissed along with athletic director Julie Hermann Nov. 29, the day after the Scarlet Knights lost to the University of Maryland, 46-41, at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Both decisions were made by Rutgers President Robert Barchi, which he outlined in a letter addressed to the Rutgers community. The letter also included the announcement that Patrick Hobbs, a dean emeritus of the Seton Hall University School of Law, was hired as the university’s permanent athletic director.
Barchi had finalized his decision on letting Flood and Hermann go earlier in the week and then initiated the process for finding a new AD. Hobbs was officially offered the job Nov. 27, which he immediately accepted. The letter also emphasized the search for Flood’s replacement would begin immediately and that the process would be led by Hobbs.
At the former head coach’s press conference after the Maryland game, Flood insisted he had heard nothing about his status as coach and was almost defiant when asked to comment on reports he would be let go.
“Nobody’s given me any indication I wouldn’t be the football coach,” he said. “I get those questions and I think the shame of those types of questions is they lead other people to believe that there’s some question about it. To my knowledge, there’s no question about [remaining as coach].”
Flood then rattled off the Scarlet Knights’ accomplishments under his fouryear watch, which included a 27-24 record, including a 2-1 record in bowl appearances, a 2012 Big East title and the 2014 Lambert Trophy, an antiquated award presented to the East’s top football team.
It was only last year, Rutgers’ first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference, that the Knights finished 8-5, including a 40-21 victory over the University of North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl. Flood’s record the year before when Rutgers was a one-year member of the American Athletic Conference was 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the league. In 2012, the year he took over for Greg Schiano, who became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach, the Knights finished 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big East conference.
Still, Flood’s overall record could not save him from being axed after Rutgers finished this season 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the Big Ten. That, coupled with the turmoil surrounding Flood’s suspension for three games by Barchi for violating NCAA rules by communicating with a faculty member in an attempt to help a player improve his grade in a course, sealed the coach’s doom.
Hermann arrived at Rutgers two-and-ahalf years ago when she replaced Tim Pernetti, who was also let go by Barchi.
As Barchi stated in his letter, his expectations are for the process of hiring a new coach to not take long. He didn’t specify a specific timeframe; however, with openings occurring almost daily across the major college landscape, including Maryland, hiring a new coach has become Hobbs’ immediate priority.
Schiano is mentioned in media reports as a possible candidate to return to his former position, as is Al Golden, who was fired as the University of Miami coach after arriving there two years ago from a successful stint as Temple University’s coach. Both Schiano and Golden are New Jersey natives and have strong ties with high school coaches in the Garden State.
Outside the locker room following Rutgers’ final game, senior running back Paul James was asked what his response would be if a prospective player wanted to know why he should come to Rutgers.
“I would say come to Rutgers to be part of the family,” he said. “The relationships you build with people who become your best friends for the rest of your life, that’s what I’ll be taking from this program. We don’t just talk family — we live it. And the closeness that develops between us enables us to overcome any type of adversity.”
The Rutgers football program will now have the opportunity to live up to what James believes.