On August 28, 2017, the school announced that head coach Paul Haynes would be taking a medical leave of absence and miss the first two to three weeks of the season.[2] Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell was named interim head coach.[3] Haynes returned to the Flashes after missing two games due to prostate cancer treatments.[4]
On November 22, one day after the Flashes' final game of the season against Akron, the school fired Paul Haynes after five losing seasons.[5][6] On December 19, the school hired Sean Lewis as head coach.[7][8]
^Staff Directory - Jeff BurrowArchived 2017-07-10 at the Wayback Machine. Kent State University Athletics. Retrieved April 29, 2017. "Entering his seventh season, Jeff Burrow has served as Kent State’s safeties coach since March of 2011 and was promoted co-defensive coordinator in 2017."