Drew Mehringer had his doubts when he first flew to New Jersey to interview for the vacant Rutgers offensive coordinator position. And why wouldn’t he?
Mehringer would be risking a career setback on a first-time head coach and first-time athletic director both trying to reroute a team and department with serious public perception problems while battling in one of college football’s toughest divisions. He would be leaving a good situation as Houston’s wide receivers coach and his mentor Tom Herman, the hottest up-and-coming star in the profession. There was no need for the 28-year-old who had previously served one year as a coordinator at the FCS level to rush into a bad spot for a better job title.