Rutgers University president Robert Barchi officially announced the firings of head football coach Kyle Flood and athletics director Julie Hermann on Sunday in a letter to the university community.
In the letter — published by NJ.com — Barchi offered praise for both but said it was time to make a change.
"Kyle Flood has been a loyal and dedicated member of our community for more than a decade and our head football coach for four seasons, during which his teams won 26 games and played in three bowl games," Barchi wrote. "However, our continued struggles on the field combined with several off-the-field issues have convinced me that we need new leadership of our football program. I want to thank Kyle for his service to Rutgers and I also wish him and his family well in his next endeavor.
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"Julie came to Rutgers in 2013, at a time when the program was in turmoil, with a vision at where she could take our athletics program," Barchi wrote. "I believe, however, at this point, when major changes are being made in our football program, we need a fresh start. Having reached that conclusion this past week, it would not have been fair to Julie, to Rutgers and our student athletes, or to potential football coaching candidates, for her to continue in her role. She is a capable administrator whose dedication and passion for Rutgers never waned, and I wish her and her family all the best in the next step in her journey."
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Barchi also used the letter to announce Hermann's replacement, Patrick Hobbs. Hobbs is the dean of the law school at Seton Hall University and previously served as interim athletics director there.
Interestingly, Barchi described the process of bringing Hobbs aboard, explaining that he reached out to him to be the interim athletics director at Rutgers before deciding that he should serve in a permanent capacity. That decision, per Barchi, came Friday, a day before Flood's final game at Rutgers and two days before Hermann was actually fired.
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Hobbs will lead the search for the next head football coach.
"The search for a new head football coach will begin immediately and will be led by Pat Hobbs, with input from Greg Brown, Ken Schmidt and me," Barchi wrote. "We all believe that Rutgers football can be competitive in the Big Ten Conference, and we will find the right coach who can get us to that place. In the coming days and weeks, you may read and hear rumors, speculation, opinions and concerns, regarding the football search. I ask for your patience and trust, as the leaders of your university help write a new chapter in our history."
Flood was fired after four seasons, posting a 27-24 record and just completing his first sub-.500 regular season at 4-8. He led the Knights to three bowl games, but his team was plagued by off-field headlines this season, including multiple players getting arrested and an academic scandal involving Flood knowingly violating university rules in attempting to influence a player's grade, something that earned the coach a three-game suspension.
Hermann's tenure didn't even last three years and was dominated by repeated public-relations blunders. She didn't hire either Flood or men's basketball coach Eddie Jordan.