The sigh of relief blowing from Florida International has subsided today with the news that head coach Mario Cristobal would not be taking the head coaching job at Rutgers, despite previous reports to the contrary.
Rutgers has since announced the hiring of offensive line coach Kyle Flood.
Now that Cristobal will for sure be the head coach of the Golden Panthers tomorrow, National Signing Day, it’s a good thing he issued the following statement talking up the FIU program:
“It is a tremendous privilege to be the head coach at FIU. We have a great thing going here and I am excited about the future of the program. Over the past five seasons we have been building something special. Our success has gone beyond the field, as our student-athletes have also excelled academically on their way to earning a very valuable diploma. I am also proud of our team’s continued involvement in the community. My goal is to see this program continue to develop and grow into a major football power. I want our fans to know that I am dedicated to this goal.”
According to a report from yesterday, the only thing that needed to be ironed out between Rutgers and Cristobal were details of his contract. Cristobal was also linked to the Pitt job before it went to Paul Chryst, so take everything for what it’s worth.
Pete Garcia, FIU’s executive director of sports and entertainment, also issued the following statement:
We are extremely pleased that Mario Cristobal has chosen to remain the head coach at FIU. What Mario has accomplished over the past five seasons is exceptional. It has always been my goal to have the very best coaches here at FIU. Mario continues to shine as one of the brightest young coaches in the nation. Our football team continues to gain momentum on the national scene as a result of Coach Cristobal’s tireless work ethic and passion for this athletic department and university.
“With the support of our chairman of the board, board of trustees, president and the entire university, we will continue to build the athletic department and all of FIU to the highest levels attainable in higher education.”