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Character remains Flood’s calling card

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For R.J. Dill, it started with a phone call on a December night. The Rutgers football team’s fifth-year senior right tackle was not yet on the team, and Kyle Flood had no idea he would be a head coach in nearly a month.

Dill, a Maryland transfer, earned an opportunity with the Scarlet Knights after admitting he would be OK if his career ended, his undergraduate eligibility exhausted. But Flood, who recruited Dill in high school, was one of the first coaches to pick up the phone.

“He knew who I was as a person,” Dill said yesterday. “He understood how I felt. Getting recruited as a 21-year-old man is a lot different than getting recruited as a 16-year-old boy. He was very upfront with me. He treated me like a man.”

It is one of the qualities Athletic Director Tim Pernetti saw in Flood, the Knights’ 29th head coach in Rutgers history, when he hired the career assistant Jan. 30 to replace Greg Schiano.

The longtime offensive line coach boasted local recruiting ties, a résumé that included producing several NFL players and offensive coordinator duties at other coaching stops.

But his character made Flood an attractive commodity.

“He was a positive person, someone I could definitely see myself playing for,” said sophomore center Betim Bujari. “I love the guy.”

Flood recruited Bujari in 2009 from Secaucus High School (N.J.), where Bujari seldom strayed from offensive tackle. But after two years under Flood, Bujari became one of the youngest Knights in recent memory to start at center.

Despite Schiano’s abrupt departure, Flood’s relationships with several incoming offensive linemen helped keep the recruiting class — considered the best in program history — intact.

One of them, guard J.J. Denman, withdrew a commitment to Wisconsin in favor of Rutgers.

“He’s a really good coach at treating you how you deserve to be treated,” Dill said. “That’s part of the reason people play so hard for him.”

It also made Flood a suitor for assistants.

He brought on board Dave Brock, who he coached with previously at Hofstra, as his offensive coordinator. He added offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski and linebackers coach Dave Cohen, whom he worked with at Delaware and Hofstra, respectively.

And he made maintaining Robb Smith, now the team’s defensive coordinator and only other returning coach, a priority.

“We are conscious of the big picture,” Flood said of his staff.

The picture began Saturday, when Flood earned his first victory as a head coach. But, Flood said in postgame, the show goes on.

He has more responsibility now. His pregame rituals and responsibilities are broader. But Flood still vows to maintain his relationships, Dill said.

“He went out of his way to say hello to my family in the lobby on Friday night,” Dill said. “He didn’t have to do that. Part of all that stuff is what makes him a great head coach and a great person.”

It is all part of Flood’s operative to keep things in perspective. The Knights’ offensive line, Flood’s former brainchild, paved the way for 151 rushing yards against Tulane and did not allow a sack.

Rutgers gave up a combined 101 sacks from 2009-2010 and surrendered 30 last season. It totaled a Big East-low 1,271 yards on the ground a year ago and averaged a conference-worst 2.8 yards per carry.

“I think it’s a good start,” Flood said. “I want to see the body of work. I try not to make too many decisions based on just one game or one series. They have a performance that they can build on as a unit, and I think that’s a positive.”

When Flood earned Pernetti’s vote of confidence in late January, several former Knights — many in the NFL — issued seals of approval. The majority of them lauded his character, which stemmed from Flood’s days at St. Francis Preparatory High School (N.Y.), his alma mater and first coaching opportunity.

“You’re getting the principle values,” said high school teammate and friend, Marco Battaglia, on Jan. 30 of St. Francis. “You look at all these guys in the coaching field — these are all character guys.”

Even with his new job title, Flood still finds time to wander toward offensive line drills during practice and in warm-ups, offering an extra pair of eyes to Wroblewski. Despite the praise and endorsements, even Flood cannot escape human nature.

“But that’s what he’s done for 19 years,” Dill said, “and that’d be expected.”


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