The next head coach at Rutgers is Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash, the school announced Monday. Ash has been the defensive coordinator at Ohio State for the past two seasons, helping to mold the Buckeyes into one of the nation’s best defenses.
Rutgers hires Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash as head coach
The Scarlet Knights are staying within the Big Ten East to find their new head coach.
Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Ash will take over for Kyle Flood, who was fired along with athletic director Julie Herrmann after four years in Piscatoway. Flood went 26-23 during his tenure with the Scarlet Knights, but was fired after a disappointing 4-8 record in 2015, and was the subject to an academic scandal that caused him to be suspended for three games earlier this year. Hopefully for Ash’s sake, his time in New Jersey won’t involve so much off-the-field nonsense. Our Rutgers blog, On The Banks, seemed cautiously optimistic when Ash’s name was brought up a few days before the hire.
Before coming to Ohio State, Ash served as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and Arkansas under Bret Bielema. Our Ohio State blog, Land-Grant Holy Land, sums up his resume succinctly:
Ash, who joined Ohio State’s staff after stints as the DC at Wisconsin and Arkansas, helped immediately turn Ohio State’s struggling secondary around, improving fundamentals, and ushered in a dominant defense. The Buckeyes were second in scoring defense nationally this season, giving up only 14 points a game, while finishing eighth in total defensive S&P+ this year. Ohio State was 11th in total defensive S&P+ in 2014, the year they won the national championship.
With Ash’s move to Rutgers, both new head coaches in the Big Ten East are young defensive coordinators from other Big Ten East programs, as Maryland hired Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
See More:
