Rutgers has turned to assistant Kyle Flood to replace Greg Schiano as the team’s head coach, hours after Florida International’s Mario Cristobal passed on a chance to take over the Scarlet Knights.
A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday that Flood had accepted an offer to become Rutgers’ next coach. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract details were still being completed.
Flood is expected to be introduced Tuesday at a news conference on the Rutgers campus in Piscataway, N.J.
Cristobal, a former Rutgers assistant who has been with FIU for five seasons, appeared to be Rutgers’ first choice. The school tried to work out a deal with him earlier Monday. When he decided to stay in Miami, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti quickly went to Flood, who should provide stability.
Schiano left Rutgers last week to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, leaving the school scrambling for a replacement less than a week before national signing day.
The 41-year-old Flood was promoted to interim coach and interviewed for the job over the weekend. He has been a member of Schiano’s staff since 2005, coaching tight ends and offensive linemen while working his way up to assistant head coach in 2008.
During Schiano’s time at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights went from major college football laughing stock to consistent winners in the Big East. Flood’s first season with Rutgers was the program’s first winning season since 1992. The Scarlet Knights have had only one losing season since 2005, going 5-1 in bowl games during the past seven years.
Rutgers finished 9-4 last season and returns most of the key players from that team.
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 Long Island University-C.W. Post in 1995.
____
Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
Please read our comment policy before commenting.