KENT, Ohio — It's been a whirlwind few months for Cleveland native Mark Carney, but as he continues leading the Kent State Football program into what they hope will be a successful turnaround, he gets to do it without an asterisk on his title. Carney is no longer the interim head coach of the Golden Flashes. He's simply: Head Coach.

Carney, a graduate of St. Edward High School, joined the Golden Flashes back in 2023 as a tight ends coach. He was quickly promoted to offensive coordinator and was prepared to continue that role this season. However, in April, Kent State University fired then-head coach Kenni Burns for numerous contract violations.

The move left a void just before spring workouts were to begin. The timing might not have been great, but Carney said in August that he dove righ

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