Rutgers has hired a replacement for departing offensive line coach Pat Flaherty.
Rutgers has hired Jim Turner, who coached at multiple NFL teams and in the SEC, as its next offensive line coach, a person with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media.
Turner will replace Pat Flaherty, a two-time Super Bowl champion assistant with the New York Giants who spent the past three seasons with the Scarlet Knights. Flaherty’s contract was not renewed this offseason.
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Turner is the first assistant coaching hire made by head coach Greg Schiano this offseason. He remains in pursuit of a defensive coordinator after firing co-coordinators Robb Smith and Zach Sparber, as well as a defensive line coach after not renewing Colin Ferrell’s contract.
Turner, who previously coached with Rutgers offensive line coach Kirk Ciarrocca at Delaware, spent the past four season coaching in the United States Football League (USFL). He was most recently with Memphis Showboats, where he served as the offensive line coach for two years (2023-24) before serving as the interim head coach this past spring. Turner also coached the offensive line of the New Orleans Breakers in the 2022 season.
Turner has NFL experience, coaching the offensive line for the Cincinnati Bengals (2019-20) and Miami Dolphins (2012-13), as well as college football experience. He coached at Texas A&M across two separate stints, from 2008-11 and then 2016-19, though his last coaching gig was at Texas State during the 2021 season.
Turner was involved in controversy at both the NFL and SEC:
— Turner was a prominent part of the Wells report, which detailed a series of bullying incidents within the Dolphins when he worked there. He not only was aware of the bullying of former NFL lineman Jonathan Martin and other players, but also participated in it, per ESPN.
Turner sued Tim Wells, the lawyer who filed the report, for defamation. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
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— In 2016, he was suspended for two weeks by Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin for his role in creating a slideshow that Sumlin said he considered offensive and degrading toward women, per ESPN. The slideshow was shown to about 700 attendees during an event intended to educate female fans on the game.
A Boston native, Turner played at fullback at Boston College, where he was a captain.
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Category: General Sports
