In a perfect world, KSU's new coach will be familiar with the Mid-American Conference and Northeast Ohio.
Kent State Athletic Director Joel Nielsen says the replacement for outgoing football coach Doug Martin will not need to be a head coach with another program.KENT, Ohio -- The search for Kent State's next head football coach is already under way, according to athletic director Joel Nielsen.
Nielsen said the person who lands the job will have the "character and integrity" of current coach Doug Martin, who resigned over the weekend and will coach his last game at the school Friday against Ohio.
But in a perfect world, the new man also will be familiar with the Mid-American Conference and Northeast Ohio. "They have to understand they will be walking into a heck of a challenge," Nielsen added Monday in a meeting with the media.
Nielsen said he has already called on prominent current and former coaches who have KSU ties -- Alabama's Nick Saban, Missouri's Gary Pinkel, ESPN analyst Lou Holtz and the retired Don James among them -- for advice and direction. Nielsen, in his seventh month as AD, also said the next coach could come from any level on the college coaching spectrum and could be a current head coach, or not.
Nielsen also recognized that finding the right fit, particularly on offense, is a delicate process, and even though there is returning talent on the roster, the reality of taking two steps backward to go forward is a possibility. "There is no fool-proof method," Nielsen said.
This was expected to be a breakout season for Kent behind an offense that returned its starting quarterback and had proven depth both at tailback and wide receiver. It just never happened.
On Monday, the emotional fallout of Martin's decision was still evident within the program. A pair of seniors, receiver Leneric Muldrow and safety Brian Lainhart, said while the news of Martin's departure was no surprise, it was still felt deeply.
"Not many men can say they took a chance on Leneric Muldrow," said the receiver who, like Lainhart, is among many Flashes who received just one Division I scholarship offer, and it was from Martin and Kent State. "That's why this hurts so much."
The players said the fault for this season's rests with them, not Martin.
"I blame me and the rest of the guys," Lainhart said. "We made the plays."
Muldrew added: "We don't want to let him down, and unfortunately we did."
Both players said the challenge for the team now is to send Martin out with a victory in Friday's 11 a.m. home game against OU. Then all will look toward finding the next head coach for Kent State football. And Muldrew knows what that coach should look like.
"I want to see another Doug Martin that will get us over the hump," he said.