Why Kyle Flood chose Texas, and what tasks remain for the O-line in camp

For the first 22 years of his football coaching career, Texas offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood held jobs at schools above the Mason-Dixon Line. Born in Queens and a graduate of Iona, Flood worked at a handful of schools in New York and Delaware before joining Greg Schiano’s staff at Rutgers in 2005.

Flood eventually became head coach of the Scarlet Knights, a post he was forced to leave after the 2015 season. He took a year off before he found a role as an assistant offensive line coach with the Atlanta Falcons prior to the 2017 season. There, at the then-southernmost stop of his career, he met Steve Sarkisian, who was offensive coordinator at the time. Flood went from Atlanta westward to Tuscaloosa with Sark, then westward again to Austin in early 2021.

Flood’s on-field synergy and off-field compatibility with Sarkisian, the opportunity to hold the offensive coordinator title, and a chance to continue to coach high-level college players made Texas all the more alluring for the son of an Italian mother who spent most of his life in the northeast.

“When he took the job at Alabama, I had kind of made a decision in my mind that if I was going to come back to college football, I wanted to be at a place where I knew we could compete at the highest level every year, and I would have a chance to coach elite players,” Flood said Wednesday. “I wanted to do that if I came back, and certainly at (Alabama) you had that opportunity, for sure. Similarly, when Sark took this job at Texas and he gave me the opportunity to come, I felt the same way.”

Flood praised Sarkisian as “the best play-caller in football.” He mentioned their strong relationship going back to their days with the Falcons and the two’s similar visions and expectations for the offensive line, whether it be in the run game, RPOs, or just general offensive line play.

Their successes working together at Alabama are known around the country. They are also known within the Texas offensive line room. Flood is the third offensive line coach in five years for a handful of Longhorns. Much of what Flood’s current line studies in order to better understand his preferred style of play includes plenty of Crimson Tide highlights.

“We studied that a lot, studied that a whole lot,” tackle Christian Jones said Thursday. “Bringing up teach tape from them, drills, gameplay, and it’s been good. I’ve been looking at (Alex) Leatherwood, I’ve been looking at Jed Wills, Landon Dickerson. Honestly the whole O-line from Bama, we’ve all been looking at them to see how they played and how we could take that into our own interpretation.”

Three years ago, Jones learned on his very first day of practice how to get into a pass set, something he never had to do from a four-point stance playing option football for Cypress Woods. Now, he’s who Flood will likely trust to protect the blindside of the quarterback at left tackle.

Likely to join him on the line, from left to right, is guard Denzel Okafor, center Jake Majors, guard Junior Angilau, and tackle Derek Kerstetter.

“They’ve played in a competitive environment,” Flood said about the bunch. “They’ve had good off-seasons. They’re working hard this training camp to kind of learn what I want them to do, which isn’t exactly like what they’ve done in the past.”

He saved the loftiest praise for Kerstetter, saying the fifth-year senior’s versatility helps him answer questions about the rest of the line.

“He can really play all five spots up front, which it is great for me to know that because as we try to fit the pieces together and figure out, okay, who are going to be the top five guys?” Flood asked. “And then after that, okay, who’s the sixth guy? Who’s the seventh guy? Who’s the eighth guy?”

Answering those questions will give Flood a better understanding of the depth he has along the line. Through camp thus far, three players came to mind for the Texas O-line coach in guard Tope Imade, tackle Andrej Karic, and utilityman Hayden Conner. Those three are ready to step in should one of the starting five be knocked out.

The next task for both Flood and Sarkisian is to find others to join them as game-ready players.

“Go beyond that, that’s where we’ve got to figure out what is the next best scenario for us to get into,” Sarkisian said Saturday. “Whether you’re talking a Logan Parr, an Isaiah Hookfin, a Tyler Johnson, a lot of different options that we can fill in with.”

No matter who Flood decides to march out for the first series to protect the winner of the quarterback competition and clear paths for Bijan Robinson, he needs them to believe in what he asks them to do. For players on their second or even third O-line coach, that often is a difficult task.

So far, so good according to Flood. He believes that will help him find success during his first season at a school the farthest he’s ever been from his New York roots.

“The fact that they’re working and buying in, that tells me we should continue to get better,” Flood said. “I will tell you that any of the really good offensive lines that I’ve had the opportunity to coach, and I’ve been fortunate to have a couple, they always get better as the year goes on. They continue to get better. I expect this group to do the same.”

Cover photo by Will Gallagher for Inside Texas