Open The Flood Gates of a New Era
– via ESPN –
Rutgers assistant Kyle Flood has accepted an offer to become the team’s head coach, according to a source.
Earlier Monday, Florida International football coach Mario Cristobal decided not to join Rutgers after receiving an offer.
Rutgers plans to introduce Flood on Tuesday afternoon, once his contract is finalized, according to a source. The 41-year-old Flood, who was promoted to interim coach after Greg Schiano departed last week to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, interviewed for the job over the weekend.
With Cristobal out of the picture, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti quickly turned to Flood, who should provide stability after Schiano’s exit left the school scrambling for a replacement less than a week before national signing day, which is Wednesday.
Flood has been a member of Schiano’s staff since 2005, working his way up to assistant head coach in 2008.
“I’ve been working 19 years for this day,” Flood told reporters Saturday after meeting with recruits on campus. “I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.”
Before Schiano’s departure, Rutgers was working on a highly rated recruiting class. Flood and the rest of the staff, along with Pernetti, worked frantically through the weekend to hold on to the players who had verbally committed to Rutgers.
With Flood taking over, the chances are good Rutgers can hold on to many of its top recruits.
Flood worked for three seasons at Delaware as offensive line coach and was part of a team that won an FCS national championship in 2003 before coming to Rutgers.
He went to high school in New York, played football at Iona College in New Rochelle, just north of the city, and began his college coaching career at Long Island University-C.W. Post in 1995.
*on a personal note, if this report is true, I’d like to say Good Luck to Coach Flood! Here’s to MANY SUCCESSFUL BCS Bowl Series Games/Wins for our program!
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