AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas offensive coordinator/line coach Kyle Flood has his sights on figuring out how to score on Arizona State's defense in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, but if his name comes up in head coach vacancy discussions, he won't mind it.
Speaking on Saturday as part of a Peach Bowl press conference with Texas and Arizona State offensive coordinators and players, Flood said he's "flattered" when his name is floated as a potential head coaching candidate during the offseason carousel.
When asked if he was interested in being a head coach again, Flood said, "Right now, I'm interested in winning the Peach Bowl."
"I appreciate that question. I think those kinds of questions are always a function of success," he continued, "and generally when you're an assistant coach if you get an opportunity to be ahead coach, it's because you were really good at the job you were doing."
Flood was the head coach for Rutgers from 2012-2015 after joining the Scarlet Knights' program in 2005 as the offensive line coach. He took over for Greg Schiano following his departure to the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching position. He was fired along with athletic director Julie Hermann in 2015 after a 4-8 season and controversy regarding his conduct with a professor about a player's academics. He was suspended three games and fined $50,000 after an investigation and the NCAA issued a 1-year "show-cause" penalty against him, making him ineligible to coach at the collegiate level for the next season.
Flood had a 27-24 overall record with Rutgers and was 1-2 in bowl games, winning the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl. He was named the Big East coach of the year in 2012 after leading the Scarlet Knights to a 9-4 record.
The Atlanta Falcons hired him in 2017 as an assistant offensive line coach, the same year Sarkisian was hired as the team's offensive coordinator. The duo worked for two seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama before Sarkisian took the head coaching job at Texas and brought Flood with him.
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Flood's name was kicked around for the Boston College opening after last season that eventually went to former NFL head coach Bill O'Brien, and while there haven't been rumblings involving him lately, there's always a possibility that another school could call.
"We'll entertain those things down the road if and when they come," he said. "I don't have to put my mind there because right now we have got enough of a challenge trying to play really well against a good Arizona State team."
