GFR Reflection: Time is up on Kent GRIT

Any hopes the Kent State football team had to “salvage” their season Tuesday night against their rivals down the road went away quickly in an embarrassing, national television loss to the Zips 38-17 in a game that didn’t appear that close. That was a 2-8 Akron team. But anyone that had been paying attention this season could see their progress at times, as opposed to the Golden Flashes. It was Kent State’s nation leading 20th consecutive loss, dropping the Flashes to 1-22 in the Kent GRIT era, as the Flashes appear destined for an 0-12 season. They haven’t had a winless season since 1998. Ouch.

Speaking of the Kent GRIT era and Head Coach Kenni Burns, it’s time to move on, and quickly. On the field it’s been disastrous. Injuries and youth notwithstanding, the results have been rough. The progress hasn’t been made. I could argue the product has regressed. If last year was Year Zero, what the hell was this year? In this day and age of the portal, teams can get competitive. I’m not looking for a “quick fix”, but I am looking for progress, and for it to eventually be fixed. And with all of the youth, you got to win enough games and show enough progress in the meantime to justify being around for the fix. The theme this year was to be “all in.” The coordinators were new, the staff was revamped, and the guys that came back chose to come back. I don’t need to expand on the on-field product. People can see it and form their own opinion.

Off the field. Burns’ name appeared in the Portage County Court records, being sued by Hometown Bank for owing them close to $25,000. There are rumors of gambling attached to his name. Message board posters, social media accounts and other internet warriors are popping up daily. There are other things being thrown out and discussed where Burns’ name is attached, and none of it is positive. I am not an investigative reporter, and I am not Carl Monday of the Fox 8 I-Team. All I know is if any and every part of this if true, it should lead to a quick dismissal.

If Kent State’s leadership is “too proud” to admit their mistake and move on, then we need to have a serious conversation about if those in place should remain in place to make those decisions moving forward. If there are any financial barriers to making this move, then Kent State needs to evaluate if Division I-FBS football is in their future.

Josh Cribbs’ created an internet buzz when he appeared on TV this month and said he was interested in the job, and that he was forming a staff. Without any coaching experience, a Cribbs rise to head coach seems far-fetched and illogical. I would be open to his presence in some way on a new staff. Perhaps Cribbs and a bunch of former successful Kent Stater’s can form some type of committee, to help raise funds, brand awareness and be a resource to the program in some way.

We can get into a discussion about the next coach if and when that time arises.

My first Kent State-Akron game was in the fall of 2004 when Cribbs faced off with Akron quarterback Charlie Frye in a packed Thursday game at Dix Stadium. A much younger LeBron James was on the sideline. Akron won that one in Doug Martin’s first year. Martin consistently got the Flashes to a 5-7, 4-4 type of season, but couldn’t get over the hump. Some kid from California named Edelman helped him with the rebuild in culture. Martin ran a good program. What I would do for a 5-7, 4-4 season from the Flashes these days.

Culture. What is culture? In one of the best books on leadership and culture, “Above the Line”, Urban Meyer defines culture as “what we believe, how we behave, and the experience that our behavior produces for each other”. When discussing breakdowns on the field, Burns often describes it as “a guy here or a guy there.” In this case, he’s the guy. He sets the tone for the program, and he is the leader. Are his actions matching and modeling the behaviors he wants in his young men? Only he can answer that.  

Just a couple years ago, Sean Lewis had Dix Stadium packed, with a competitive team on the field. The first bowl win in school history and a berth in the MAC Championship game. If you build it, they will come. Like a shooting star, or a moment in time, he left, and KSU fans were left scratching their head on the Flash FAST era they just witnessed.

Which brings me back to Burns and the current mess that is Kent State football. Burns said this week that his mentor PJ Fleck told him “You don’t get to choose when the flip happens” in a rebuild. One day it clicks, you beat someone you’re not supposed to beat, and the light turns on. For Kent State, they get to choose now what the future will be for the program.