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Kyle Flood earned his shot at the B1G, as AD Julie Hermann gave Flood a vote of confidence Sunday. You have to believe that he was coaching for his job against USF, and that if he lost to the Bulls that Hermann would have pulled the plug right then and there.
Several factors may have contributed to Flood getting to keep his job:
- The money issue. Rutgers is not financially stable in terms of the athletic department right now, with B1G money yet to come. The price tag of the buyout may have been too much for Hermann to swallow.
- Lack of good replacement options out there. There are decent candidates in Bob Diaco and Pat Narduzzi, but those assistants are not a lock to come to Jersey. Pete Lembo is an up-and-comer, but he is far from a lock, as a MAC guy could just turn into another Brady Hoke.
- Kyle Flood's ability to run a good, clean program. He is one of the few coaches who still believes in the scholar-athlete, and he generally is the farthest thing from a scandal coach.
In any case, Julie Hermann decided to roll the dice on Flood for one of the most important transitions in Rutgers football history. Regardless of what you believe, we'll be stuck with him it seems for at least one more season. You always hope that things improve, and its possible that it can if Flood can get some decent assistants. Dave Cohen (defensive coordinator), Damian Wroblewski (offensive line), and Rob Spence (QB) were all fired, and for good reason. All of those areas were problem units, some more than others at times this year. We'll who he can get. Generally, the guy at the top limits the type of assistants you can get, and the best assistants make almost as much as Flood makes. In any case, let's wish him all the best as we prepare for a real football conference.
What do you think? Are you happy, sad, or neutral about the decision? Leave a comment below.