According to multiple reports, Ohio State Co-Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash will be named head coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program, pending the school’s Board of Governors approval.
Ash, the former defensive coordinator for Bret Bielema at Wisconsin and then Arkansas, was brought to Ohio State after the 2013 season to sure up a defense that “wasn’t up to our standard” according to head coach Urban Meyer. Over the last two years, Ash has been working in tandem with the other Co-Defensive Coordinator Luke Fickell who had come under fire for suspect play on that side of the ball.
With Ash now a part of the defensive scheming and coaching, the Ohio State defense has shown marked improvement, going from a unit ranked 83rd in the country in total defense in 2013, to 29th in 2014, to 12th this year. Ash’s philosophy is one of sound, yet aggressive defensive tendencies that puts pressure on opposing offenses, yet emphasized sound tacking and assignment football.
He has no head coaching experience, but it’s thought that his time under both Bret Bielema and Urban Meyer, in combination with his ability to run a defense, has given him the necessary experience to fill the void left by the firing of head coach Kyle Flood last Sunday.
The Iowa native will be charged with trying to pull a Rutgers program out of a cloud of controversy off-the-field and subpar performance on-the-field. Under Flood, the team experienced numerous arrests and suspensions, and he himself was suspended for three games and fined $50,000 for violating university policy regarding contacting faculty about a player’s academic status.
Despite making a bowl game over the last three years, Flood was unable to get his team anywhere near competitive this year. Rutgers struggled to a 2-2 record out-of conference, and went just 1-7 within the Big Ten, finishing tied for last in a tough East division.
It’s not known if Ash will be bringing anyone from Ohio State as assistants, or what his role will be for whatever bowl game the Buckeyes end up playing in.
SI.com is credited for being the first to break Ash’s move to Rutgers
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Phil Harrison is a contributor to The Student Section. He is also the founder of Big10news.com and featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, talking10.com, and occasionally campusinsiders.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
