5 landing spots for ex-Rutgers football coach Kyle Flood

PISCATAWAY - Kyle Flood is due $1.4 million from Rutgers, but that doesn't mean that the football coach is going to kick his feet up and relax.

Whether it is the family-oriented Flood's plan to take a year off or jump right back into working is unknown at this point because his only public comments since his firing Sunday were in the form of an appreciative tweet.

If Flood is looking for employment, here are five landing spots that make sense — all of them giving him a chance to distance himself from the on- and off-field ugliness of his final year in an otherwise successful 11-year run at Rutgers.

1. Cable TV analyst: You may have grown tired of hearing “We’re just focused on being 1-0” and “Chris Laviano is our starting quarterback,” but Flood always handled himself well in front of the cameras — and he faced no shortage of tough questions this year.

With conferences developing their own broadcast networks, more and more on-air talent is needed, especially former head coaches who can come off as likeable instead of gruff.

Flood’s dedication to charities such as Special Olympics and Embrace Kids speaks to his character.

Plus, a television gig would allow Flood to stay put at his new $1.2 million house in Middlesex.

2. Lower-tier head coach: It could be a steal for an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school to get its hands on a former Power Five head coach with a career winning record (27-24).

The native New Yorker has spent his whole career in the Northeast, as a player at Iona and an assistant coach at C.W. Post, Hofstra and Delaware before joining Rutgers' staff as offensive line coach in 2005.

There are three FCS programs in Connecticut, two in Delaware, two in New Jersey and eight in New York.

Flood certainly would have to answer for his publicized actions leading to a suspension for impermissible contact with a faculty member, but otherwise he was a good ambassador for Rutgers University.

New Jersey has five Division III NJAC programs, too, if location is a priority for the father of three children ages 13 and younger.

3. Assistant coach at Army or Navy: Outside of past and present staff members at those two schools, it’s difficult to imagine a coach with more respect for the military football programs.

Supporting military veterans is a cause close to Flood’s heart; his father and grandfather are veterans, and he forged a relationship between Rutgers football and the First Battalion, 114th Infantry out of Fort Dix and the on-campus ROTC.

Flood’s players at Rutgers ran into discipline problems, but at Army or Navy he presumably would be handed ready-made disciplined players.

As a head coach, Flood was 2-0 against Army and 1-0 against Navy, embracing the history and pageantry of both campuses.

4. Assistant coach with Atlanta Falcons: Flood is good friends with Falcons coach Dan Quinn from their time together coaching opposite sides of the line of scrimmage at Hofstra.

When Quinn was defensive coordinator for the Seahawks in 2014, he arranged for Rutgers to practice at the team’s facility prior to a game in Seattle against Washington State.

Coaches typically look out for coaches they’ve worked with before, so Quinn could help Flood get back on his feet. After all, NFL staffs are big enough that there are assistant position coaches.

Flood also is tight with Delaware coach Dave Brock, who served as the first offensive coordinator of Flood’s head coaching tenure at Rutgers. Flood was part of the staff when the Blue Hens won the 2003 national title.

5. Assistant coach for Greg Schiano at … not Rutgers: Obviously, Schiano can’t hire Flood as an assistant coach if he ends up replacing him at the helm in Piscataway.

The Schiano-Rutgers reunion feels like a long shot right now, though it may gain a second wind after Miami went with Mark Richt over Schiano to fill its vacancy. Maryland also is off the board after D.J. Durkin’s hiring.

Virginia is still available and makes sense for Schiano, who brought Flood to Rutgers, kept him on staff for seven seasons and then gave him a positive recommendation on his way out the door.

Flood never removed some of the Schiano-isms — like F.A.M.I.L.Y. — from Rutgers. As of last week, he was still driving his predecessor’s old car.

Staff Writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleavy@gannettnj.com