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 right into the opportunity that the program presented to him to serve as the interim head coach for the 2025-26 season.
"When opportunity knocks, you've got to be ready to take advantage. Obviously, the timing was different, not ideal, but you make the most of the opportunity, and there was work in front of us to be done," Carney said a few months back.
The Golden Flashes entered this season after a year full of disappointment. The season ended winless for Kent State, going 0-12 in 2024. While he was only serving as the interim head coach, Carney still set high expectations for himself and the guys on the team. They wanted to be better, and he put them to work.
Eight games into the 2025-26 season and the Golden Flashes have already seen substantial improvement. Carney has helped lead the team to their current 3-5 record, which has seen them go 3-1 at home.
An evident turnaround from the year prior prompted Kent State University's athletic director, Randale L. Richmond, to call Carney into his office this week.
"Randale called me and said, 'I want to meet with you,' and it was like, 'Holy cow...now the AD wants to meet with me, what did I do wrong?" Carnsey said. "And then four minutes later it was a big deep breath and gratitude."
That's because the phone call was to let Carney know they didn't want him to be the interim head coach anymore.
The school wanted to sign Carney to be their 24th head football coach. No "interim" tag needed, just the title.
"Getting the opportunity to lead a football program again in your backyard in Northeast Ohio, a place you grew up, is really, really special," Carney said.
Obviously grateful for the opportunity to serve as head coach of the team he's been with the past three years, it's not what Carney ultimately wants to achieve as Kent State's football head coach. First and foremost, he wants continued growth on the field.
"I told the guys this this morning, 'Listen, this is awesome, this is unbelievable for me and my family and us all together, right? This is awesome—but this was not the mission. This was not the goal. This is not where we all of a sudden get to take a deep breath...there's so much more to accomplish," Carney said. "The goal will be growth to the grave. You just keep growing."
And while he puts the work in with the Golden Flashes in hopes of turning the program around long-term, Carney is also grateful for the opportunity to really plant his family's roots back where his own began.
"My personal goal at the beginning of this, when this opportunity presented itself, was [that] I wanted to create an avenue where my two sons can experience the high school experience that I had. I want to send my two sons to St. Eds. I love that community of people. I love the people there. I wanted that life for my kids and more than any win or loss, that's what I wanted to create.
"My old man worked his tail off to make a better life for me, and I want to do that same thing for my kids. I got that opportunity. I want to be better for my children. The most important job I've ever had is being a dad," Carney said, fighting back tears.
